Following a national search, a professional with extensive and progressive financial aid experience has been selected to serve as director of Financial Aid at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.
Tiffany Potts, who most recently served as associate director of Financial Aid at IUP, was chosen for the position. Potts has been a staff member of the Office of Financial Aid since April 2010.
Potts will fill the position currently held by Ragan Griffin, who is retiring as director of the Office of Financial Aid. Griffin’s last day at IUP is June 17. Griffin was named to the director position in 2016.
“Ragan has done an extraordinary job in leading the Office of Financial Aid, including successfully navigating the complexities of COVID-19 funding for our students,” Patricia McCarthy, vice president of IUP’s Division of Enrollment Management, said.
“Throughout it all, Ragan has worked to create systems that are student-focused, while keeping abreast and following all of the regulations required by federal and commonwealth law,” McCarthy said. “She’s been an incredible asset to the Enrollment Management leadership team and has been an exemplary leader in the Office of Financial Aid. We will miss her, and we all wish her the best as she begins this new chapter in her life.
“As we say goodbye to Ragan, I am very pleased to welcome Tiffany to this role,” McCarthy said. “Tiffany has both the management skills and technical knowledge, including almost two decades of experience with IUP systems and processes, for a seamless transition to the position of director.
“She has shown great dedication to IUP and I am confident that she will be able to develop innovations to better serve our students and move the office forward as a student-centered operation,” she said.
Potts, of Bolivar, holds two degrees from IUP: a bachelor of arts in economics and a master of arts in student affairs in higher education. She also completed a master of business administration with a concentration in public administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She has six years of direct management experience, as well as extensive knowledge of federal and state financial aid programs, policies, and regulations with experience in all aspects of financial aid management.
She is the financial aid liaison to the IUP Information Technology team and has been a member of the Ellucian Banner Financial Aid Customer Advisory Board and serves on the IUP Implementation Team for the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø State System of Higher Education OneSIS project.
At IUP, in addition to her current position, she worked as a student staff member in the Office of Financial Aid prior to her graduation, and as a customer service coordinator, assistant director, and interim director. During her graduate studies at IUP, she was an intern in the Office of Veteran’s Affairs. She is a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity,” Potts said. “Serving in a leadership role with the Enrollment Management team will allow me the ability to curate my innovations to better serve our students by making enhancements to our policies and practices to promote their further success and satisfaction. I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with others at IUP to develop ideas and methods that the financial aid office can implement to increase enrollment, persistence, and retention.
“Ragan has left very big shoes to fill, but she also leaves a very strong Office of Financial Aid, with a student-first philosophy and a commitment to helping students and families in every possible way,” she said.