A Student Service Advisor (SSA) represents the University to students, their family and supporters, and faculty/ staff as a front-line retention advocate. SSAs assist students in navigating multiple areas, with the emphasis including Financial Aid, Billing, and Registrars functions. They must be able to advise the student on opportunities to successfully complete their academic goal. SSAs may be interacting with customers that are dealing with exceedingly difficult and personal situations. The balance of empathy, care, and honesty are critical to a successful SSA.

Bachelors degree or equivalent combination of education and experience that equates to four years.
Customer service experience
Ability to professionally represent the university to diverse constituencies.
Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively, build rapport and project a cheerful outlook.
Demonstrates organizational and critical thinking skills.
Working knowledge of computer applications.
Demonstrates ability to maintain confidentiality.
Willingness to work outside of typical university hours.
Ability to work in a team-based environment and maintain positive interpersonal relations with students, staff, faculty, and work associates.
Demonstrates positive communication and public speaking skills.
Demonstrates excellent writing skills.
Demonstrates excellent analytical skills.
Ability to perform essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation

Bachelors degree
Familiarity with accounting principles and cashiering.
Experience coaching/ advising college students.
Strong knowledge of financial aid and regulations and processes.
Two years of higher education experience working directly with students.
Knowledge of college student financial life cycles

Advises students on loan counseling requirements for first-time borrowers.
Makes recommendations for possible financial aid resources.
Approves and processes cash advances for students with pending financial aid.
Assists students with the forms requested by financial aid-including forms related to verification, special circumstances, loan adjustments, etc.
Assists students with Registrar policy not limited to circumstance analysis, appeals, and direct advocating.
Troubleshoots student accounts in relation to financial aid and academic requirements.
Assists students and supporters with FAFSA navigation and filing.
Complies with FERPA and the various departmental policies regarding FERPA.
Assists students with financial plans incorporating various aspects of need-based aid, scholarships, loans, and enrollment.
Provides individualized financial retention plans, and is responsible for assisting in the collection of past due accounts.
Follows department guidelines to actively collect past due accounts through phone, virtual, email, mail, and in person contact.
Conducts outreach programs to assist students with registration and retention programs.
Applies payments directly on to student accounts.
Assists in cashiering functions including departmental deposits and cash advances for students, faculty, and staff.
Responds to SASUB and OSFA email correspondence.
Performs other duties, as necessary.

None.

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 mens and womens Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. Its part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the states largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions - Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more - are within easy reach of the citys central location in Michigans Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering a broadly diverse and inclusive campus that respects all social identities, experiences, and perspectives. In an effort to further this initiative, we are especially interested in candidates who will advance and promote an inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our university community.


You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

This position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials on or before December 31st, 2024.