The New School
Holistic & Systemic Thinking
Data Interpretation & Application
The New School, a progressive and rigorous university located in New York City, invites inquiries, applications, and nominations for the position of Associate Provost for Financial Aid & Scholarships (AP).
Reporting to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the Associate Provost for Financial Aid & Scholarships will lead a team charged with administering a financial aid program consisting of federal, state and institutional funds that exceed $150 million annually. In addition to undergraduate students, the office of financial aid serves The New School’s graduate, adult and continuing, and online programs. The AP will lead the office of financial aid in helping to achieve the University’s enrollment goals. As a member of a student-centered university, the AP for financial aid will lead an efficient and effective financial aid operation, which will continue to ensure student success. A deep understanding of the financial aid landscape and its ongoing changes and a proven ability to be a strategic problem solver in this arena will be fundamental to success and will be foundational qualities for the next leader. The New School is a highly collaborative environment, and the successful candidate will be a generous and diplomatic communicator who excels at bringing stakeholders together to support effective and equitable financial aid operations.
The Associate Provost will be an experienced financial aid administrator and a skilled relationship manager who develops connections with faculty, administrative staff, university leadership, and current students. The AP oversees 14 staff members and is responsible for day-to-day operations as well as actively contributing to enrollment strategy. The successful candidate will possess a deep understanding of the integral role of student financial aid in supporting student enrollment and student success; and will have a command over financial aid trends as they relate to the use and delivery of student financial aid.
As an experienced leader of people and programs, the new Associate Provost for Financial Aid & Scholarships will have demonstrated skills in leading and developing professional staff; excellent communication skills; a thorough knowledge of financial aid policies, processes, and regulations; a proven and uncompromising commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, quality service, and student advocacy; and experience with the application of current and emerging technologies in the financial aid process.
Just over a century ago, The New School was founded as a place that could challenge convention and champion the world-changing power of lifelong learning and creative scholarship that impacted the most pressing issues of the day. Today, campuses in New York City and Paris offer more than 126 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and adult, continuing, and executive education in seven schools and colleges. The New School is the only university with a comprehensive design school nested among a renowned performing arts school, a progressive liberal arts college, and a legendary social research school. Through the years, each of The New School’s innovative schools and colleges has carried forward a legacy of varied opinions, radical ideas, and progressive solutions while evolving to provide its more than 9,000 students with a challenging and relevant education. Joel Towers became the university’s tenth president in August 2024. President Towers’s commitment to continuing the tradition of academic excellence coupled with a vision to ensure a strong and vibrant university during the current turbulent environment facing higher education is evident in all he does:
“A New School education promises profoundly relevant learning for a world in rapid transition. Our success in continuing to redefine the university will allow us to attract new generations of bold and ambitious students, to provide them with an unparalleled and highly relevant educational experience and help them to succeed—both at The New School and beyond it.”
The New School is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who are committed to our mission and who seek to work collaboratively with all members of our community.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Direct, develop, implement, and assess financial strategies and operations, including packaging policies and procedures for all levels of degree-seeking students.
Provide direct supervision to Financial Aid Communications and Institutional Aid Awarding, Director, of Director of Financial Aid Systems and Operations, and Director of Financial Aid Compliance and Training.
Recruit, mentor, train, and retain a Financial Aid team committed to providing superior service and maintaining compliance requirements.
Oversee the awarding and disbursement of the annual financial aid expenditures including building strategies to balance our enrollment with tuition discounting.
Direct a comprehensive aid budget that ensures the University achieves its admission, enrollment, retention, budget, and net tuition revenue goals.
Ensure regulatory compliance with all institutional, state, and federal financial aid programs, including Title IV aid, state grants, and loans.
Direct the analysis of students’ needs and consult with and train staff to resolve need analysis issues—acting as arbiter in exceptional cases.
Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with staff in Admission, Student Accounts, Deans Offices, University Registrar, Institutional Research, Finance and Business and across EM writ large, to devise and implement strategies that will recruit high quality students and strengthen retention and graduation rates.
Oversight of new and continuing student appeals in concert with Admissions, Student Success and College leadership.
Conceive, implement, and assess financial literacy programming, advising and outreach to inform and assist students and families as they navigate the process of financing an education, including participation in admission events and communications, orientation, entrance and exit counseling, and financial management workshops.
Liaise with the Assistant Provost of Compliance and Accreditation in the Provost’s Office to create and maintain systems, policies, and procedures to ensure effective preventive and detective internal controls and monitoring for all financial aid operations and disclosures.
Liaise with the leadership of each of The New School’s colleges and programs to ensure that financial aid operations and policies are informed by an awareness of the diversity of student needs that exist across the University.
Coordinate the annual filing of the FISAP form and A133 Audit.
Lead ongoing efforts to inform and educate the campus community and other constituencies regarding financial aid policies, updates, and changes; and serve on University committees as assigned.
Attend regional and national financial aid conferences, staying abreast of field best practices and increasing institutional visibility.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
A minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership in the field of financial aid, with a preference for at least 15 years of related higher education experience.
A bachelor’s degree is required, with a Master’s or Doctorate degree preferred.
A record of progressive leadership in financial aid, including development and implementation of financial aid programs and staff management.
Expert knowledge of techniques for recruitment and retention of students through financial aid and scholarship and prior experience leveraging predictive enrollment modeling.
Proven ability to motivate staff and support the professional development of team members.
Knowledge of needs analysis and financial aid programs, both federal and state, including regulations and laws that govern financial aid programs.
Experience with Banner, Slate CRM and proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft Office software applications is preferred.
Deep knowledge of financial aid reports, systems, compliance and related regulations.
Experience managing single audits; experience in the development and monitoring of financial aid budgets; well versed in quality data collection to ensure adequacy, accuracy, and legitimacy of data; and the ability to strictly follow data privacy and security procedures for data handling and analysis to ensure adherence to legal and institutional standards.
Strong financial stewardship coupled with prior experience employing information on national trends in higher education and on developments in competitor institutions effectively in planning; and an ability to produce plans and budgets that link expenditures to outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to meet daily deadlines while juggling long-term projects in a fast-paced and adaptive environment, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and professional.
Demonstrated ability in exercising independent judgment and decision-making based on an understanding of organizational policies and activities with experience handling a wide range of administrative, financial and policy-driven responsibilities.
Superior communication skills, excellent diplomacy and discretion, with a demonstrated ability to interact effectively with varied internal and external constituencies, including prospective students and their families, the admission staff, administrative departments, faculty, and the public.
A strong commitment to exceptional customer service, with proven interpersonal and problem-solving skills and a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and communicate well across multiple internal and external audiences.
WORK MODE
Hybrid – Employees hired for this position primarily work remotely with the occasional on-campus presence required with advanced notice. Employees in this role will also be expected to use their best judgment to be on campus when necessary in order to best fulfill the responsibilities of their job descriptions. #LI-HYBRID
SALARY RANGE
$172,000 – $175,500 per annum
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter addressed to Dee Voss, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management. Please ensure your application reflects how you are best positioned to lead in the core priorities of the position, outlined below:
Champion a student-focused and progressive approach to student financial aid
The AP will be expected to engage with multiple constituencies to advocate for positive student experiences within the necessary parameters of compliance and policy. The AP will help to develop strategies and policies for student-focused and progressive financial support and communicate them to staff, faculty and other leaders across campus. The person in this role will need to possess exceptional drive, energy, and intellectual curiosity to lead financial aid efforts in a dynamic and innovative environment. Strong relationship management skills will be essential.
Leverage technology to better serve the community
The new leader will evaluate processes and develop the right analytics and metrics to measure success. Curiosity regarding evolving technologies and the functions they afford will be essential in supporting service and compliance in an ever-changing environment.
Develop, inspire and support an engaged professional team
The new leader must be skilled at building a team, investing in their professional development and engaging them in cross-training and succession planning. A culture of access to leadership is important, as is an openness to input and suggestions in order to foster innovation and exploration. The AP will ensure the alignment of people and resources for maximum efficiency to enable the University to meet its enrollment goals. Support of the financial aid team through open communication and trust is imperative. The further cultivation of a high-functioning team will ensure that the office can be effective in responding to student needs and institutional goals, as well as the compliance requirements of federal, state, and accreditation agencies.
Develop collaborative relationships across the university
The AP will be engaged across the University. It will be important to continue to demonstrate how the office of financial aid contributes to the student experience and retention, building and maintaining strong and collaborative relationships across the campus. An ability to communicate up, down, and across the University’s organizational structure will be a considerable strength. It will also be essential for the AVP to create an open, transparent, and ongoing dialogue with faculty and senior administrators that will engender cooperation, trust, and confidence.
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