STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's new financial aid director brings more than a decade of experience in the field to the position.
Paul McKinney previously held the same position since 2006 at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. A financial aid officer in higher education since 1996, he replaces Bruce Crain, who retired.
At MSU, McKinney said a major responsibility will be supervision of the land-grant institution's long-standing compliance with the many complex federal and state financial aid rules and regulations.
However demanding those and his other duties may be, McKinney said he plans to meet regularly with students to provide answers and assistance with issues or concerns they may have.
"Applying for and receiving financial aid can be a complex process," he said. "We want to try to go the extra mile to help students in any way we can."
McKinney is a University of North Alabama graduate who also holds a master of business administration degree from Cappella University. He earlier has worked in the student loan division of Regions Financial Corp., among other positions.
