Phone Call Seals the Career Fate of Fowler Alumnus

James Tilton graduated from the Fowler College of Business in 1986

Finding the means to earn a college degree wasn’t an easy task for James Tilton (’86, management), so there’s a small bit of irony that he now serves as the dean in the office of financial aid at Brown University. His path into that role started with a single phone call to San Diego State University. 

Earning a degree from SDSU wasn’t even a passing thought for Tilton while he was in high school. He had hard working parents who were employed at his high school in Sierra Vista, Arizona as a custodian and as a lunchroom cook. While he had higher than average grades, Tilton’s guidance counselor suggested that he first attend junior college (a two-year university) with a possible transfer to a four-year university afterward. 

Working in the Copper Mine
Shortly after graduation, Tilton went with his parents when they left their jobs at the high school and moved the family to Tucson, where his father started working in the San Manuel Copper Mine. Though he was enrolled in community college, Tilton started working the mine as well.  “Not having many options and needing to help support my family, I went to work 2,600 feet underground as a ‘muck runner’,” he said. “I worked in the mines while taking classes at Pima Community College, but it soon became clear to me that I needed to do something to change my direction.” 

Tilton followed his older brother into the U.S. Navy where he initially worked as a disbursing clerk. “It was my first introduction to accounting, finance and computer systems,” said Tilton, whose military service ended in 1978. “I started attending San Diego Community College where I took courses in accounting, business management and finance. Two years later, I transferred to SDSU to finish my undergraduate degree.”

That One Special Phone Call
Tilton said he chose to earn a management degree from the Fowler College of Business because of the information provided by the college and by talking to friends who were SDSU alumni. “When I got my admission letter — I was very excited of course — I contacted the office of financial aid and just by chance, I was connected to their director, Kate Wilson,” said Tilton. “We talked for about 20 minutes and before I hung up, I’d been offered an internship in the office. This started my career in student financial aid.”

Tilton’s Advice to Student’s Seeking Financial Aid: “Apply, regardless of you or your family’s situation. Even if you’re not eligible for grants, you may be able to apply for federal loans that have low interest and flexible repayment options. But if you borrow, borrow only what you need, not necessarily the maximum amount.”

 James Tilton is currently the dean in the office of financial aid at Brown University

After earning his degree from SDSU in 1986, Tilton turned his internship into a full-time career, first in the financial aid office at the University of Southern California and seven years later as the assistant dean and director of undergraduate financial aid at Yale University. After Yale, he became the executive director of student financial services at Columbia University, where he earned his master’s degree in their School of International and Public Affairs.

Still Using Lessons Learned at SDSU
But it was his position with the U.S. Department of Education from 2004 – 2006 where the skills he learned as an SDSU undergraduate management student came in handy. “I was asked to lead a project to standardize the policies and procedures for determining an educational institutions’ eligibility to participate in, and to award, federal aid funds,” said Tilton. “The project required rewriting policies and procedures for nine different regional offices with over 300 employees. Understanding that federal employees had distinct and different behaviors than my previous staff in non-profit higher education was a critical component to getting the job done. The basics I learned in my courses at SDSU gave me an understanding of the differences in people and helped me look for ways to motivate them, to accept change and to help them grow in their new roles.” 

After wrapping up his role within the Department of Education, Tilton accepted a position in the financial aid office at Brown University where he was promoted to the office’s dean in 2015. 

Still Talking — Nearly 40 Years Later
As for Wilson, the former SDSU financial aid director, she continues to be a mentor and influence on Tilton’s nearly 40 years after that first phone call. It was Wilson who encouraged him to apply for management positions in the offices of financial aid at Yale University and, later, Columbia University. “She was a reference on my application to Columbia,” he said. “We are still in contact today.”