Scholarship Community Manager

ANNOUNCMENT OF POSITION VACANCY

FLSA Status:

United States of America (Exempt)

Compensation:

$55,000-$58,000

Commensurate with education and experience. Excellent health and retirement benefits package: Click here for more information!

SECTION I - OUR VALUES CULTIVATE OUR VISION AND CULTURE

At CMU, we believe in acting from a foundation of goodwill. This belief gives us the courage to form meaningful relationships, embark on joint endeavors and take risks in the pursuit of new possibilities. It’s this courage that enables the Mavily to explore new ways of thinking and doing, knowing that there is no perfect solution, no perfect idea.

From this place of humility and courage, we’ve built a culture of resilience. We invest in the future by continuously adapting to change, overcoming challenges, and seizing new opportunities. We recognize that change is constant, and our resilience allows us to embrace it with confidence. Endless curiosity drives us to approach the unexpected as if it were expected, seeing opportunities for discovery and renewal in every challenge. In this community rooted in love and dignity, curiosity thrives, leading to endless opportunities for growth and advancement.

Inspired by the soul of the West—the spirit that our region embodies—we emerge as a force for positive change, harnessing our collective power to build a Human Scale University that reflects our values and brings to life our shared vision of the world we aspire to create.

Colorado Mesa University Core Values Love - Extending oneself for nurturing the growth of self and others Dignity - Respecting the intrinsic value of each person and believing that others act from a foundation of goodwill Courage - Taking risks in the pursuit of new possibilities Humility - Suspending one’s ego and pride to recognize that no idea is perfect and being open to the input of others Resiliency - Investing in the future by adapting to changes, overcoming challenges and pursuing Opportunity Curiosity - Cultivating awe and exploring the unknown Power - The strength to act collaboratively with individual agency to achieve our goals

SECTION II – THE SEAT

At CMU, we look at every position as a seat. Every seat is vital and the individual in the seat contributes significantly to our mission of providing an affordable and accessible education and forming meaningful and mutually enriching partnerships that support the well-being and vibrancy of our community. As a human centric organization, a priority is to ensure we have the “right seats” in our organization, and that the expectations, ownership and accountabilities are defined and communicated clearly for the success of the individuals holding the seats.

The Scholarship Community Coordinator is a full-time, student-facing, campus-based position within the First-Gen+ Support Center. The coordinator independently manages assigned scholarship communities, including relationship-based student support, cohort engagement, program requirements, events, partner relationships, student tracking, budget monitoring, and reporting. The coordinator serves as a consistent point of contact for scholars and donors, providing proactive, relationship-based support that promotes belonging, academic progress, persistence, and completion of scholarship requirements. The position requires regular and predictable on-campus availability for scheduled appointments, drop-in support, student employee supervision, team collaboration, and programming. The coordinator works closely with Financial Aid, the CMU Foundation, IRIS, academic departments, and external scholarship partners. Financial Aid retains responsibility for financial-aid compliance, award packaging, and final disbursement decisions. This position works in close partnership with Financial Aid during reporting cycles and when addressing student financial questions or concerns. This role understands each student’s circumstances and the intent of the scholarship partner, and serves as an important advocate and connection point, helping both areas complete their work accurately, thoughtfully, and on time.

OVERVIEW AND ROLE SCOPE OF TEAM AND/OR TASKS

Key tasks include:

• Independently manage assigned scholarship communities, including Reisher Scholars, Daniels Fund, and other institutional or externally funded programs as assigned.

• Provide proactive, relationship-based advising to a dedicated caseload of scholars through regular meetings, drop-in availability, outreach, follow-up, and referrals to campus resources.

• Monitor student eligibility, academic progress, engagement, and scholarship requirements, following up promptly when concerns arise.

• Maintain accurate and timely student notes, program records, tracking systems, shared files, and reports.

• Coordinate scholarship award processes with Financial Aid and ensure required information is complete and submitted by established deadlines.

• Coordinate scholar recruitment, selection, onboarding, ongoing engagement, and transitions through program completion or graduation.

• Monitor program budgets, reconcile expenditures, and follow university purchasing, OneCard, travel, and financial procedures.

• Plan, coordinate, attend, and evaluate orientations, workshops, dinners, selection activities, donor engagements, and other events/programs, including occasional evenings/weekends.

• Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned scholarship partners, maintain program commitments, and support donor relationships, agreements, and reporting in collaboration with appropriate university partners.

• Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate assigned student employees, including delegating responsibilities, communicating expectations, monitoring progress, and providing ongoing feedback.

• Develop strategies that strengthen scholar engagement, retention, academic success, career readiness, and connection to the university.

• Attend required meetings and training and remain current on changing scholarship, financial aid, purchasing, student support, and university processes.

• Maintain working knowledge of other Scholarship Community programs to support collaboration, cross-training, and short-term backup coverage.

• Communicate progress, concerns, barriers, and needed decisions to the Director promptly and contribute to First-Gen+ Support Center initiatives and continuous improvement.

Accountability to Results

Success in this role is demonstrated through:

• Accessible, responsive, and relationship-based support for assigned scholars.

• Timely student meetings, outreach, follow-up, and completion of scholarship requirements.

• Accurate student records, award coordination, budget reconciliation, shared files, and required reporting.

• Effective communication across written correspondence, one-on-one interactions, group settings, and presentations, with information shared clearly, professionally, and appropriately for the intended audience.

• Strong student engagement, academic progress, persistence, and scholarship retention.

• Successful programming, selection activities, and partner engagements.

• Positive and professional relationships with students, student employees, donors, and campus partners.

• Early identification and communication of concerns, with consistent ownership and follow-through.

Core Processes

The Scholarship Community Manager owns and contributes to the following key processes:

Owned:

• Assigned scholarship community management
• Scholar advising, outreach, and engagement
• Student tracking and documentation
• Scholar programming, events, and selection
• Student employee supervision
• Assigned scholarship donor relations and engagements
• Budget tracking and reporting

Contributor:

• Financial-aid awarding and compliance
• First-Gen+ initiatives and cross-program support
• Program assessment and improvement

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DISCLAIMER - This position description is only a summary of the typical functions of this seat, and not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and areas of accountability.

SECTION III - OUR DESIRES FOR RIGHT FIT

For the success of our mission and our teams, we seek individuals who are the “Right Fit” for their seats. The right fit for the Scholarship Community Manager is a student-centered, detail-oriented, and proactive professional who can build meaningful relationships while independently managing complex programs, competing priorities, and firm deadlines. This person must be comfortable taking ownership of their work, asking questions, communicating concerns early, adapting to change, and collaborating across departments.

Capacity Requirements

The ideal candidate must possess the following knowledge, skills, and emotional intelligence:

• Ability to build trusting, professional relationships with students from varied backgrounds while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.

• Strong organization, communication, follow-through, judgment, and attention to detail.

• Ability to independently manage an active, high-contact caseload, multiple programs, and overlapping deadlines.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and recognize when questions, concerns, or errors require prompt consultation or escalation.

• Ability to receive feedback, correct errors, adapt to change, and continue learning.

• Ability to plan programs, supervise student employees, and collaborate across departments while maintaining ownership of assigned responsibilities.

• Ability to learn and accurately apply scholarship, financial aid, purchasing, travel, and university procedures.

Essential Experience for Right Fit

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

• At least two years of professional experience in student support, advising, scholarship administration, program coordination, case management, or a closely related area.

• Demonstrated experience managing multiple responsibilities, deadlines, records, projects, and stakeholder relationships.

• Preferred: Master’s degree in student affairs, higher education, counseling, business, public administration, or related field.

• Preferred: Lived or professional experience supporting first-generation, income-eligible, or otherwise underserved college students.

• Preferred: Experience with scholarship programs, financial aid, donor-funded programs, student retention, or cohort-based support.

• Preferred: Experience supervising employees and planning student programs or events.

• Preferred: Experience with Ellucian Banner, student-success platforms, CRM systems, or comparable record-management systems.

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Core Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 and the ability to learn university technology systems.

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the ability to establish trust and maintain positive, professional relationships with students, donors, external partners, and campus colleagues.

• Ability to clearly communicate complex scholarship, financial, academic, social/emotional, and program information through written communication, individual conversations, group facilitation, and formal presentations.

• Ability to calculate, track, and interpret scholarship awards, expenditures, and program budgets.

• Accurate and timely data entry, recordkeeping, reporting, and management of confidential information.

• Basic spreadsheet and data-analysis skills for student tracking, program assessment, and reporting.

SECTION IV - PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands

The physical demands described are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this role. The employee must be able to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. Occasionally, the employee may need to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment

This position operates in a dynamic, student-facing office environment. Workload, interruptions, and priorities may shift based on student needs, scholarship deadlines, events, reporting cycles, and time-sensitive university processes.

The role requires a regular and predictable schedule, with consistent on-campus presence during department operating hours. The coordinator must balance scheduled appointments, drop-in student needs, program administration, student employee supervision, and collaborative work. Occasional evening, weekend, or nonstandard hours are required for student programs, selection activities, donor engagements, and other events. Limited travel may also be required.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants will be asked to complete an online application by creating a profile and then providing personal and demographic information. In addition, please be prepared to upload a:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Copy of transcripts for all degrees completed (if your transcripts include a social security number or birthdate, please redact that information before uploading the document. Official transcripts will be required upon hire)

Colorado Mesa University is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the levels of access and success for underrepresented students within higher education.

Colorado Mesa University is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history. Applicant must be able to verify U.S. employment eligibility. Colorado Mesa University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a culturally diverse faculty, staff and student body. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact the CMU Human Resources Office by phone or email. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and the type of accommodation needed.