Hi, I’m
Kellie Swartwout
Enrollment Management
Ayden,NC
Summary
Dedicated higher education professional with over 20 years of experience working within the Division of Enrollment Management. Advising and educating students and families from prospective applicants through graduation about financial aid processes, payment options, enrollment and academic requirements for federal, state and institutional aid as well as mindful borrowing and student loan repayment. Specializing in Financial Aid has fostered a unique understanding of the barriers that can impede degree completion. Providing exceptional student-centered service is the best way to meet enrollment goals and retain students through to degree completion.
Overview
22
years of professional experience
1
Certification
Work History
Rochester Institute Of Technology, RIT, Rochester, NY
Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships
2017.06 - 2023.06 (6 years)
Job overview
- Provide financial aid counseling to enrolled and prospective students.
- Service approximately 2,000 students for College of Science and Health Science Technology degree programs.
- Communicate with prospective, current students and their families to illustrate available financial aid opportunities via office visits, zoom, phone calls, email and live chat.
- Collaborate with Admissions to help meet enrollment goals.
- Assist in development of student financial aid plans and packages that help support retention.
- Process unique financial aid profiles for College of Science and Health Science Technology programs, including undergrad and post-grad applications.
- Help individuals complete physical and electronic paperwork such as FAFSA, verification documents and appeals.
- Advise students in making academic decisions, including details regarding registration and billing.
- Partner with College of Science and Health Science Technology Deans and Academic Advising personnel to create Satisfactory Academic Performance Action Plans as required for federal aid.
- Maintain currency with all financial aid guidelines and regulations, including state, federal and institutional requirements.
- Present financial aid workshops and webinars to help groups of students and parents navigate financial aid processes.
- Promote financial wellness and loan repayment counseling.
- Guest speaker presenting on Student Loan Management
SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY
Instructor: First Year Experience
2014.08 - 2017.06 (2 years & 10 months)
Job overview
- Developed course outline and activities that foster academic success, inclusion of diversity, transitions, personal development, wellness and orientation to life on campus and surrounding Cortland communities.
- Evaluated and revised lesson plans and course content to achieve student-centered learning.
- Assessed student risk for personal and academic progress, based on participation and written assignments, which included personal reflection on their results of College Student Inventory (CSI) survey.
- Provided outreach, encouragement and accessibility to resources for new students.
- Mentored and collaborated with assigned teaching assistant to help them provide peer support.
SUNY CORTLAND, Cortland, NY
Senior Financial Aid Advisor
2014.07 - 2017.06 (2 years & 11 months)
Job overview
- Advised approximately 600 graduate students about financial aid processes as applied to their specific degree program.
- Counseled students on mindful borrowing and loan repayment.
- Guest speaker for first year experience class promoting SUNY Smart Track, indebtedness and loan repayment.
- Accounted for verifying student aid eligibility and creating, monitoring and adjusting awards based on student enrollment, academic status and written requests.
- Reviewed and processed Professional Judgement, SAP Appeals and Title IV return of fund calculations due to LOA or withdrawals from college.
- Coordinated and managed funding for federal Work-Study, Perkins Loan, TEACH, SEOG and Pell Grant programs as well as state Graduate Opportunity Program, Diversity Fellowship and SUNY Cortland funds for graduate, athletic and resident assistantships and International Student Awards.
- Monitored various funds for eligibility based on unmet need, GPA, degree program, credit hours and in or out-of-state tuition charges.
- Responsible for state reporting for GOP and Diversity Fellowship, federal Works Study FISAP details and Perkins Loan Annual Comparison Report for Student Loan Service Center.
- Requested funds for payment, redeposited funds when required and reconciled each fund.
- Worked collectively with Graduate Admissions, Student Accounts, Business & Payroll Offices as well as the Student Loan Service Center.
- Evaluated program reporting and collaborated with IT staff to maximize efficiency and timeliness of output data.
- Continued to remain current with federal, state and institutional rules and regulation, via conference workshops and webinars.
SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY
Financial Aid Advisor
2002.04 - 2014.07 (12 years & 3 months)
Job overview
- Provided financial aid counseling to enrolled and prospective students via walk-in visits, scheduled appointments, phone calls and email.
- Managed student population of 1,200 to 2,000 students depending on staffing needs .
- Helped individuals complete physical and electronic paperwork such as FAFSA.
- Processed federal financial aid verifications per federal guidelines.
- Exercised professional judgment, when awarding federal aid to students with unusual personal and or financial circumstances.
- Monitored and advised students of requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as it pertains to their eligibility for federal and state financial aid.
- Represented financial aid office at group meetings with high school students and parents as well as new student orientation sessions.
- Explained very technical financial aid information to applicants in easy to understand language.
- Handled customer complaints with relative ease by conducting research, listening carefully and taking appropriate action.
- Aided in retention by developing and maintaining relationships with students and their families, which helped to establish sound connection to their education goals.
- Scheduled, trained and delegated administrative tasks to student employees.
- Initiated efforts to promote financial literacy across campus.
- Maintained all responsibilities of prior position as Work Study and Perkins Loan Coordinator.
- Worked with ITS to develop automation of work study job placements and supervisor notification, as well as Perkins Loan reporting.
- Remained current on federal, state and institutional rules and regulation, via conference workshops and webinars.
SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY
Campus Based Aid Coordinator
2001.10 - 2002.04 (6 months)
Job overview
- Assigned students to their work study jobs on campus and with community partners.
- Tracked completion of required payroll documents.
- Worked with Payroll Office to manage department assignments and funding allocations.
- Collaborated with all campus departments to help meet their staffing needs.
- Posted wages earned to student financial aid awards.
- Presented small group Loan Counseling to new Perkins Loan borrowers.
- Managed outreach to students that had outstanding requirements to complete before loan could disburse.
- Indexed and accounted for all Perkins Loan documents stored on campus.
- Responsible for transferring original loan documents from campus to Student Loan Services Center in Albany once students graduated or ceased to be enrolled at least half-time.
- Served as primary contact for federal Work Study and Perkins Loan fund transfers from Student Loan Service Center.
- Assisted with reception desk, general phone calls and student email responses as needed.
Education
SUNY Cortland , Cortland, NY
Bachelor of Science
12.1990
Skills
- Student Advisor and Advocate
- Large Group and Individual Instruction
- Detail Oriented
- Investigative and Analytical Planner
- Vast Knowledge of Financial Aid
- Webinar Host
- Strong Communication Skills
- Proficient User of Multiple Student Information Systems
- FERPA Compliant
Affiliations
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
- Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
- Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance
Certification
- Leading with Impact: Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders
- Crucial Conversations
- Student Employment Essentials Training
- New York State Financial Aid Administrators Novice Training
Student Management Platforms
- Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions
- Sigma ProSAM (Student Aid Management)
- Ellucian Banner Financial Aid
- Ellucian Banner Student
- Ellucian Degree Works
- Blackboard
- SLATE by Technolutions
- EServices
- Ocelot Chatbot
- Ivy Chatbot
- CampusGroups
- Inceptia Financial Avenue: SUNY Smart Track
General Applications
- Asana
- Canva
- Five9 Call Center
- Expensify
- Google Workspace
- Grasshopper Phone
- HelpSpot
- Microsoft Office
- OnBase Imaging
- Quickbooks
- Slack
- Stripe
- Square
- Zoom
Boards & Committees
RIT
- RIT Financial Literacy Team
- Financial Aid Presentation Committee
- Website Management Committee
- Executive Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Search Committee
- Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Search Committee
SUNY Cortland
- COR 101 Advisory Board
- Non-Traditional Student Scholarship Committee
- International Programs Advisory Board
- Nu Sigma Chi Board of Directors
- Various search committees
Timeline
Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships
Rochester Institute Of Technology, RIT
2017.06 - 2023.06 (6 years)
Instructor: First Year Experience
SUNY Cortland
2014.08 - 2017.06 (2 years & 10 months)
Senior Financial Aid Advisor
SUNY CORTLAND
2014.07 - 2017.06 (2 years & 11 months)
Financial Aid Advisor
SUNY Cortland
2002.04 - 2014.07 (12 years & 3 months)
Campus Based Aid Coordinator
SUNY Cortland
2001.10 - 2002.04 (6 months)
- Leading with Impact: Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders
- Crucial Conversations
- Student Employment Essentials Training
- New York State Financial Aid Administrators Novice Training
SUNY Cortland
Bachelor of Science
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