Joseph Colflesh is Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) Scholarships and VA Benefits, Coordinator. He works out of the Financial Aid Office and enjoys the challenge of developing functional policies and procedures for various financial aid programs. He is currently working on expanding the types of scholarships that will be available for our students and is hoping to offer two more before the end of the calendar year (2018).
Joseph obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in History from Weber State University and is currently pursuing a Master Degree in Higher Education Leadership and Administration Specialties. After Joseph completes his Master’s degree, he has hopes to go on to pursue a Doctorate in Education and/or History.
Before coming to RMUoHP, Joseph worked for a private contractor administering educational funds for soldiers of the US Army Reserves and was based out of Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah. Joseph was first attracted to RMUoHP because he was interested in working in a similar field that he was previously as well as that RMUoHP was hiring a veterans education position. Currently, Joseph enjoys and appreciates the attitude that a small University can offer the newest and best academic and administrative services to students. Joseph stated, “It’s a model that will help us succeed in whatever endeavor we engage in.” In addition, Joseph truly enjoys working with students. Going into more detail, he listed a few things that make his job worthwhile, for example, “Helping a Vet navigate the confusing federal process to collect their benefits. Helping a single parent accomplish their educational goals in the face of adversity. Helping any and all students find financial solutions for their education.”
“[I hope] that they can come to the OFA and know that they will get the best service possible for their financial issues, which statistically has been documented as the greatest stressor for University students. For the students, my goal is to be a small part of handing the graduating student a powerful diploma with all the skills and knowledge to back it up. [Our department] is very individualized. [We] treat a student as the person they are, and not just recognized as a number or nameless face. It’s a real honor to be working with some of the most brilliant, energetic and caring people that I have ever had the privilege to work with!”
Currently, The Office of Financial Aid offers scholarships that are called, “Merit,” “Opportunity,” “Core Values” and “Top Scholar.” These are scholarships that have universal eligibility, that any and all enrolled students that are in good academic standing can receive. In addition, we have scholarships that are more specific as it pertains to eligibility. These scholarships are called the “Single Parent” and the “Military Service’ scholarship. Where can one go for more information about these two things? Just go to the University’s website and go to the “Tuition & Financial Aid” link and then the “Scholarships” link. https://rm.edu/financial-aid/scholarships-grants-discounts/.
In addition, a very important service that a student can get from RMUoHP’s Financial Aid Advisors are Title 4 student loans that are offered for school by the government. Joseph explains, “Not only do they process these loans but they also advise students on best practices for these loans, they essentially teach something that is very unique in the world of Higher Education, Student loan financial literacy. Which is a huge issue in the collegiate world.”
When asked how he would like this department to grow, Joseph replied by stating, “I would like to expand my communication opportunities with students so that the new scholarships that are developed, are the type that will truly help our students. Currently, I’m working in collaboration with the Dr. Linda Spencer of the MS SLP department and the Utah Department of Education for a Loan repayment program. This will potentially pay for a significant percentage of the debt that the eligible student will incur. This is exciting because some of these programs do pay for the student’s education in its entirety. Hopefully, this will be one of those programs. We’re constantly planning in our office to improve services and find funding sources for our students.”
