Profiles in the Financial Aid Profession: Jeanie Spitznogle at West Virginia’s Fairmont State University

Jeanie Spitznogle, Financial Aid Counselor, Fairmont State University

Pam King: How long have you been in the industry? 

 Jeanie Spitznogle: I have been in the financial aid industry for ten years.  I began working at Fairmont State University in July.

Pam: What is your primary job focus at Fairmont? 

Jeanie:  I spend the majority of my time counseling students and their families.  I also work with private loans.

Pam: What makes the campus at Fairmont State University unique? 

Jeanie: Fairmont has an incredibly unique situation where both a four-year (Fairmont) and a two-year (Pierpont) college are sharing a campus and services.

Pam: What are you most proud of with the financial aid office at Fairmont?

Jeanie: I think the variety of the counseling that we do is exceptional.  We counsel both the four-year and two-year students in a variety of issues with only nine full-time staff members.

Pam: What has been the biggest challenge for your office over the past 12 months?

Jeanie: Going from a small private institution to a large public school has been an adjustment.  Fairmont has over 7,000 students that we work with and there are a lot more endowment funds to work with.

Pam: Who within the financial aid community has been your mentor?

Jeanie: Susan George at West Virginia Wesleyan.

Pam: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Jeanie: I wanted to be a trauma nurse.  I love the chaos and action that goes on in a trauma unit.

 Pam: What is your favorite television show?

Jeanie: Grey’s Anatomy and ER of course!

 Pam: What do you like most about your job?

 Jeanie: I love working with the students and parents, helping and teaching them about financial aid.  The counseling part is what I enjoy the most.

Pam: Name one thing that many people do not know about you.

 Jeanie: That I was a hairdresser for nine years in the 80’s, back when hair was fun!

Pam King, MASFAA Regional Director (Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, and West Virginia)