Harvey Paul Grotrian passed away at the age of 82 on Sept. 7, 2020. Grotrian was the long-time director of financial aid at the University of Michigan. He also served as financial aid director at Valparaiso University and Wayne State University.
He was recognized by the Office of the Provost as having one of the most racially diverse administrative offices in the university. He was highly respected and widely recognized as a leader in the financial aid profession. As such, he was elected by his peers to serve as president of both the Michigan and Midwest financial aid associations.
One of the capstones of his career was his election by his peers to the presidency of the Washington-based National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a large and influential organization of almost 3,000 post-secondary institutions employing more than 28,000 financial aid professionals. During his presidency he traveled often to Washington, D.C., and around the country while continuing to provide leadership in the office. He was very grateful for the support of a tremendous staff during this time period.
The U-M financial aid office is considered one of the premier offices in the country. He regularly received plaudits from the Office of the Provost for maximizing financial aid funding for students from federal, state, university and private sources year after year. Grotrian had a very strong belief that students from families with low or modest incomes should be able to obtain a college education, and he spent 30 years helping to ensure his vision would be realized.
Grotrian had many other interests outside of financial aid, including extensive involvement with Rotary, classic cars, antique transportation toys, biking, photography and travel.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Paulette; a son, Jonathon (Chelsea); and a granddaughter on the way, plus two Havanese dogs, Sasha and Ginger. He was a compassionate son, husband and father who cared deeply about this family.
— Submitted by Albert Hermsen
