POSITION SUMMARY:
Date application must be received for priority consideration by: December 30, 2025SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The Scholarship Coordinator manages the full scholarship and state and institutional grant awarding process at Southern Oregon University. This includes SOU Foundation scholarships, institutional scholarships, state grant programs, athletic awards, and third-party funding. Reporting to the Director of Financial Aid, the role supports students and campus partners in understanding scholarship processes and financial aid impacts, and ensures awards are processed accurately, communicated clearly, and reconciled in compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations.
This position works closely with the SOU Foundation and across campus departments, including Academic Affairs, Enrollment Services, Student Affairs, Housing, and Athletics. The coordinator must be detail-oriented, able to interpret complex policies, work independently, and communicate effectively with students, families, and campus stakeholders. Because this position requires access to federal systems, the individual must maintain any federal student loans in good standing.
Minimum Requirements
Preferred Requirements
Essential Functions
Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive:
(35%) Scholarship Cycle Management
Manage the SOU scholarship application cycle, including application setup, review workflows, award selection, awarding, and rollover to the next cycle.
Post scholarship awards to student financial aid packages and ensure documentation is complete.
Coordinate scholarship committee processes and communication.
(30%) State, Athletic, and Third-Party Funding Oversight
Administer and reconcile state scholarship and grant programs (including OSAC programs).
Coordinate athletic scholarships in partnership with Athletics.
Serve as liaison for major third-party funders such as the Ford Family Foundation.
Track, verify, and monitor eligibility and disbursements for all assigned programs.
(15%) Student and Family Support/Advising
Serve as the primary contact for scholarship-related questions from students and families.
Provide clear guidance on eligibility, application steps, award impacts, and renewal requirements.
Promote financial aid and scholarship literacy across campus and in outreach settings.
Develop and implement communication plans to effectively engage students, families, and campus partners.
(20%) Reporting, Compliance, Collaboration, other duties as assigned
Prepare reports on scholarship activity, donor-funded award usage, and spending balances.
Ensure awards are compliant with federal, state, institutional, and donor requirements.
Maintain accurate records and follow audit and reconciliation procedures.
Work closely with Financial Aid and Foundation staff to ensure smooth operations.
Participate in training, process updates, and system improvements.
Assist with onboarding and guidance for scholarship reviewers and departmental partners.
Other duties as assigned
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
Expressed skill to independently analyze software functionality through technical documents, and design and document efficient/effective work processes; ability to independently analyze software problems, test probable causes, and recommend sound solutions.
Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.
Commitment to continuous professional development.
Familiarity with student information systems (e.g., Workday Student, Banner, or similar systems)
Physical Demands
Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.
Must be able to perform driving-related duties, which are essential to the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Special Conditions
Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
This position classification has been defined as exempt and is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
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SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If, however, you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability, requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.
Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity, our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity, we strengthen and enrich our role as learners, educators, and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity, to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.
SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, the discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return, they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (www.ctsi.nsn.us) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourage YOU to learn about the land you reside on and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.
Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act, and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the “Clery Act”), require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use, possession, and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.
An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR) can be accessed at the following link: https://cps.sou.edu/clery-act-annual-security-report/. A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy, please visit the Office of the General Counsel located in Churchill Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Oregon 97520. For more information, call 541-552-7095, or email clerycoordinator@sou.edu.