Description:

Job Description Summary:

Duties and Responsibilities:

Veteran & MilitaryConnected Student Engagement

• Provide individualized academic advising and success coaching to veteran and militaryconnected students enrolled in professional and clinical programs.
• Assist students in navigating rigorous academic and clinical progression requirements while maintaining VA benefit eligibility.
• Develop and deliver veteran programming and veteran appreciation events for all SMU Campuses.

VA Certification & Compliance (SCO Responsibilities)

• Serve as an institutional SCO certifying enrollments and reporting changes accurately and within required timelines.
• Interpret and apply VA regulations related to enrollment status clinical participation leaves of absence withdrawals and program changes.
• Support compliance reviews audits and documentation requests from VA or State Approving Agencies.

Case Management & Records

• Maintain an assigned caseload of veteran students and track academic progress enrollment changes and benefitimpacting events.
• Maintain accurate certification records and documentation in compliance with FERPA and VA requirements.

Outreach & Collaboration

• Collaborate with Admissions Registrar Financial Aid Student Accounts Disability Services Academic Support Services Student Health and Counseling and SMU Central.
• Participate in veteranfocused orientation outreach and retention initiatives.

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelors degree from a regionally accredited institution in Student Affairs Higher Education Administration Education Counseling Social Work Public Administration Health Sciences Administration or a closely related field.

Professional Experience

• Applicants must already be knowledgeable in VA certification processes; this position is not intended for entrylevel SCO training.
• Minimum of two (2) years of prior experience serving as a designated School Certifying Official (SCO) within the past 5 years at an institution of higher education with responsibility for certifying VA education benefits.
• Two (2) or more additional years of professional experience in student services academic advising enrollment/registrar operations financial aid veteran services or compliance functions within a higher education environment.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated working knowledge of:
  • VA education benefits programs (Post9/11 GI Bill VR&E and related provisions)
  • Enrollment certification and change reporting requirements
  • FERPA and student records confidentiality
  • Academic standing enrollment status and satisfactory academic progress concepts
  • VA compliance surveys audits or State Approving Agency (SAA) reviews.
• Ability to accurately interpret and apply VA institutional and academic policies preferably in nonstandard terms and clinical education settings.
• Demonstrated strong attention to deadlines ensuring all timesensitive responsibilities particularly those related to compliance certification and student support are completed accurately and without delay.
• Candidates must possess a baseline level of competencies for Student Affairs educators as outlined by ACPA/NASPA:
  • Personal and Ethical Foundations
  • Values Philosophy and History
  • Assessment Evaluation and Research
  • Law Policy and Governance
  • Organizational and Human Resource
  • Leadership
  • Social Justice and Inclusion
  • Student Learning and Development
  • Technology
  • Advising and Supporting

Certifications & Training

• Must be currently eligible and qualified to serve as a VA School Certifying Official.
• Must have successfully completed VA SCO training in accordance with Section 305of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017.
• Must maintain annual VA SCO training compliance to retain certifying authority throughout employment.

Conditions of Employment

• Continued employment is contingent upon maintaining VA SCO designation and annual training compliance.
• Position may require periodic work during peak registration add/drop or certification periods.

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