Blog
October 4, 2023
Seth Schader Shares His Passion for Serving College Students Through His Financial Aid Expertise
Maintaining an efficient, compliant, and service-oriented financial aid operation is no small task for colleges and universities, yet the need to do so has never been greater. Having a high-functioning financial aid office plays a key role in helping institutions meet their strategic enrollment and retention goals while also avoiding potential costly liabilities. Our tailored financial aid consulting solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of each client. Using comprehensive financial aid assessments, we provide schools with a customized action plan to streamline processes and improve efficiencies while maintaining compliance with federal regulations.
To learn more about this impactful field, we sat down with financial aid expert Seth Schader to gain insights into how Attain Partners helps college and university financial aid offices confidently navigate change to better serve students.
Attain Partners (AP): How did you get into financial aid?
Seth Schader (SS): There’s a sentiment in the financial aid field that no one chooses financial aid, you just kind of fall into it and stay there. That was certainly true for me. Initially, I wanted to become an academic advisor to help students navigate through degree plans, which can be confusing at times, and help them achieve their goals. So, I looked for jobs in higher education to work toward that end, and financial aid was the first door that opened. Since then, I have found that I get to use so many of my skills and talents in financial aid and still get to serve college students. I can see the positive impact I create for students with my work.
AP: What did you do before joining Attain Partners?
SS: I started in financial aid in 2012 at a community college in Arkansas. Since then, I’ve had so many opportunities to grow. Fast forward 11 years to Boston, where I recently served as the Senior Assistant Director of Student Aid Awarding and Financial Wellness at Berklee College of Music.
AP: What brought you to Attain Partners?
SS: Really, it was the recruitment process and the people. Jenny Rice made me feel so welcome, and Mark Meyers and Reshma Patel-Jackson gave me so much confidence that leadership is here to support me and my work.
AP: Which of our seven core values speak to you the most?
SS: Invent the Future speaks to me the most. I love that Attain Partners makes space for us to dream about what can be and then gives us the opportunities to carry it out.
AP: What do you like most about the work you do?
SS: I love that we get to help colleges and universities serve their students. We work alongside them to ensure their students get what they need when it comes to financial aid support.
AP: What are the biggest ways you’ve seen financial aid efforts impact organizations?
SS: Financial aid is all about opportunity—it creates access to education and a better future. Colleges and universities can leverage financial aid to open doors for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend. Financial aid can also be a fantastic recruitment tool to strengthen enrollment.
AP: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
SS: Change often causes uncertainty, and uncertainty can be scary. When change is necessary to better serve students, there can be some hesitation about adopting those changes. This creates a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with our clients to tackle these challenges head-on. Part of my job is helping our clients confidently navigate change and come out more successful on the other side.
AP: What do you read and watch to keep current?
SS: I utilize the Federal Student Aid Training website along with the FSA Handbook. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is also an incredible organization that offers a variety of trainings and resources.
—
At Attain Partners, our financial aid and compliance experts bring decades of direct experience working in education and a successful track record serving the nation’s top colleges and universities. As a testament to our expertise, Attain Partners proudly serves more than 70 of the nation’s top 100 research institutions—including 100% of the Ivy League schools—through the variety of research enterprise services we provide.
Learn More – Seth Schader
Seth Schader is a Financial Aid Administrator, originally from Arkansas where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He has over 10 years of experience in higher education and a passion for students. Seth is an active member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) through which he recently earned a professional credential for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Interested in speaking directly with Seth? Fill out this form to be connected!
Be the First to Know
Subscribe to our monthly Pulse newsletter
to be the first to hear about new blog posts
