By Bernie DeGroat
News and Information Services
Harvey P. Grotrian, director of the Office of Financial Aid (OFA), announced last week that he will retire, effective Jan. 31, 1995.
Under Grotrian’s leadership since 1977, the OFA stengthened its programs for undergraduates, resulting in greater student ethnic diversity, increased enrollment of highly qualified students, and a renewed commitment to making a U-M education affordable for resident students. More recently, he led efforts for the University’s involvement in the new Federal Direct Student Loan Program.
“We are grateful for the outstanding contributions Harvey has made to the Univer-sity during his 17 years as director of the Office of Financial Aid,” says Robert S. Holbrook, associate provost for academic affairs.
“It has been a period of great change as the office faced challenges such as accessibility, diversity, rising costs and federal cutbacks. Throughout this period, his leadership has enabled the office to adjust to these changes, while at the same time keeping the goal of service to students as its highest priority.”
Grotrian says he was grateful for the opportunity to work with an “experienced and skilled staff” and to establish sound working relationships with other units on campus.
“In my work life, I have enjoyed no greater satisfaction than that which I have felt by working as a member of the OFA team at the University of Michigan,” he says. “Our mission and our commitment to it has been a constant source of inspiration and pride for me.”
As past chairman of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Grotrian oversaw the creation of a national task force on institutional leadership, which is currently preparing a report to America’s colleges and universities. He also has served in leadership roles with regional and state student financial aid associations.
Prior to coming to the U-M, Grotrian was director of financial aid at Wayne State and Valparaiso universities in the 1970s, and taught geography at Valparaiso and Indiana University in the late 1960s.
He received a bachelor’s degree in geography and business administration from Valparaiso in 1962 and a master’s degree in geo-graphy from Indiana in 1966.
Even in retirement, Grotrian says, he plans to stay active in the field of college financial aid.
“I intend to complete several articles on educational financing strategies and campus student aid administration, pursue my research on American transportation toys, spend more quality time with my family, and fix the doorbell that stopped working six months ago.”
