The Assistant Director reports to the Director of Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs and assists in the administration of financial aid in accordance with established college guidelines and applicable federal and state regulations.  The Assistant Director will serve as an integral member of the financial aid team while assisting with the overall administration of the entire financial aid program. S/he works collaboratively with members of other departments, including the RCC Foundation and RCC Business Office, and represents the Financial Aid Office in the absence of the Director.

General:

1. Maintain an extensive working knowledge of all aspects of the Financial Aid Office and maintains current knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations.
2. Manage the Financial Aid Office in the absence of the Director of Financial Aid.
3. Maintain comprehensive knowledge of the current student information system (Colleague) including financial aid annual setup and complex query language extraction and reporting.
4. Provides input to revisions and updates informational material.
5. Supervise the Financial Aid Office work-study student employees.
6. Supports the Director in the administration of the financial aid office.
7. Provides leadership in the financial aid awarding process including verification, awarding, and authorization/disbursement of financial aid funds.
8. Assist in the training and development of financial aid staff.

Specific to Financial Aid:

1. Conduct financial literacy information sessions and prepare publications for distribution to RCC students.
2. Perform deregistration process in coordination with RCC Business Office and RCC Records prior to the beginning of start dates of each term.
3. Award and receipt outside scholarships including state, community, and local awards.  Communicate with students about scholarship opportunities that are available when appropriate.
4. Serve as point of contact for area high school counselors.
5. Import financial aid files regularly and package student awards.  Complete review of ISIRS, verification items, transfer monitoring, NSLDS, and Pell Lifetime eligibility limits.
6. Monitor the submission of drop/withdrawal forms and last dates of attendance in Web Attendance to prepare files for R2T4 in cooperation with the Business Office and in compliance with Federal and State regulations.
7. Notify students and the Business Office of repays due to drops, overpayments, and/or no-show status.
8. Maintain and process the RCC Foundation scholarship program including the online scholarship software in cooperation with the Foundation Office, Business Office, and the college’s Scholarship Committee.
9. Counsel students and parents on financial aid policies and procedures, and answer questions regarding the FAFSA application.  Correspond with students as needed.  Prepare articles for College publications pertinent to financial aid announcements and opportunities.
10. Coordinate with the Director and Business Office to approve student financial aid disbursements.
11. Develop/maintain all online scholarship applications.
12. Facilitate student access to the Finish Line Grant and/or other available emergency funds, where applicable.
13. Serve as point of contact for Rockingham County high school counselors and high school College Advising Corps staff.
14. When requested, represent RCC and the Financial Aid Office at appropriate events on or off campus (i.e., FAFSA events, New Student Orientation, RCC school counselors’ events, high school award ceremonies, VA Salute, and RCC Foundation scholarship orientations).
15. Perform annual Financial Aid set-up in Colleague with the Director for the coming academic year.  Oversee testing to confirm that set-up has been completed prior to receiving student records.
16. Fulfills other duties as requested or assigned by the Director.

Specific to Veterans Affairs:

1. Administer the Veterans Education program and serve as the liaison between students receiving veterans’ benefits and the regional Veterans Affairs office.  Maintain current knowledge of Veterans Administration (VA) regulations and serve as the college’s VA School Certifying Official.
2. Coordinate appropriate enrollment and certification forms for veterans’ benefits applicants.  Maintain current changes in student status and report those to the regional VA office in a timely manner.
3. Counsel prospective and current veteran students and their families on required documents needed for benefits eligibility.  Ensure Financial Aid Office staff is knowledgeable to assist veteran student and answer questions.
4. Verify programs of study and course approval of benefits including VA consortium agreements.
5. Prepare all required information for VA Audit and annual catalog approval.
6. Coordinate and maintain the web-based program, VAONCE and GOARMYED, for timely submission and monitoring information to be sent to the Department of Veteran Affairs, in order to assure compliance.
7. Maintain current files of student status to fulfill NC State Approving Agency and Regional VA compliance guidelines.
8. Maintain working knowledge of RCC Catalog policies, procedures, and programs, and recommend updates as needed to comply with changing VA legislation and guidelines.
9. Assist with the recruitment of veterans to the programs and services of RCC and maintain the VA webpage.
10. Plan, coordinate, and oversee the annual VA Salute held each Veterans Day.