USA Announces New Office of Scholarship Services

---

Posted on October 30, 2015

Joy Washington

---

The University of South Alabama awards more than $15 million in scholarship dollars each year. In order to help coordinate, track and report on available scholarships and make the information more available to students, the University has launched the Office of Scholarship Services along with the University’s first scholarship management software program, JagSPOT, which stands for Scholarship Program Opportunity Tracker. 

JagSPOT has many useful online features and benefits for students, faculty and staff involved in awarding scholarships. For example:

• Students can view available scholarships, see if they are eligible, apply for scholarships, track, view and accept scholarship offers, submit thank you letters, and view donor profiles.
• Faculty and staff can promote scholarship opportunities, view applicants eligible for specific scholarships, review and score applications, select recipients, offer scholarships and monitor award and thank you letter status. 

“Scholarships are no longer just a bonus,” said Brooke Moore, manager of scholarship services. “They are crucial for bridging the gap between the cost of tuition and what students and their families can afford to pay out of pocket.”

Through encryption methods and authenticating technologies, JagSPOT also offers a high level of security for student data. The software was chosen in part for its proven commitment to data integrity and system security.

“This new system has allowed us to streamline the renewal process of our scholarships as well,” said Donna Robinson, assistant vice president for student financial services. “Overall, we have done a great deal of testing, and we are ready for students to start using JagSPOT.”     

The Office of Scholarship Services does more than just manage the consolidated software. They also have opened the doors to their Scholarship Resource Center.

“We are a resource center for both current, as well as prospective students considering attending USA,” said Moore. “We are also here to support the parents.  We offer guidance and support to students seeking financial assistance by providing year-long promotion of scholarship opportunities, workshops, as well as a host of resources designed to provide students with guidance throughout the scholarship application process.”

It’s easy for new and current students to use JagSPOT:

1. Access the JagSPOT portal at southalabama.edu/scholarships.
2. Login to JagSPOT using your Jag number and JagMail password.
3. Students review and apply to the scholarships for which they qualify.        

If you have questions regarding the services provided by the Office of Scholarship Services or the new software program, JagSPOT, call (251) 461-1958. Also, email questions to scholarships@southalabama.edu, or visit southalabama.edu/scholarships.

---