Graydon's going to be missed

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With almost 10 years at NIC behind him, Graydon Stanley, a college leader and community gem, will be greatly missed.

“Graydon’s smile and warming spirit can light up any room,” said Jestine Lackner, former NIC student and vice president for student government. “I couldn’t have asked for a better adviser as a student and a life mentor.”

Stanley is currently in his 40th year of working in higher education in Idaho. He spent two years at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, 28 years at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, and almost 10 years at NIC as the Vice President of Student Services.

“My best memories are always associated with students,” Stanley said. “I can tell hundreds of stories of different students that I’ve met that have shared some of their lives, or I got to support or help them in some way.”

While working at CSI and bringing up groups of students to visit with NIC’s student government, Stanley said he fell in love with NIC and the Coeur d’Alene area so when the position opened at NIC in 2012 he applied.

“I love community colleges,” Stanley said. “I love working with the students at community colleges who are just kind of blossoming.”

Stanley said the pandemic was very hard on him as he really enjoys the face-to-face interaction. More than anything, Stanley said his favorite part about NIC is interacting and helping the students.

“I’d like to be a student advocate,” Stanley said. “If that could be my job that would be perfect.”

From helping them get financial aid and scholarships, to pointing them in the right direction if they need tutoring or counseling, Stanley said he loves to help students with whatever they need.

“(Stanley) is someone I look up to professionally and personally,” Lackner said. “His presence will be truly missed at NIC but he has surely touched enough people to last a lifetime and will continue to do so wherever life takes him.”

Over his time at NIC, Stanley said the greatest honor of his career was speaking at the 2019 commencement ceremony.

Stanley said the student government president at the time told him that the students wanted Stanley to speak at the ceremony, and Stanley started crying.

“I just started bawling because more than anything else, to be recognized by students as someone they want to hear from was really meaningful,” Stanley said. “That’s something that I’ll hold onto my whole career, just being asked to talk to students upon their graduation.”

Stanley said he focused his speech upon three key words - grace, gratitude and groovy - the last as its one of his favorite words so he had to work it in.

“That was probably one of the greatest moments of my career,” Stanley said.

During his time at NIC, Stanley said he liked to be creative and innovative, and was happy to see a lot of new work get finished such as the building of the Student Wellness and Recreation Center and the opening of the veterans resource center.

“I met some fabulous colleagues and some of the people I work with, I am overjoyed that they are my best friends, too,” Stanley said. “I always tell people I work with that we better be good friends because we’re going to spend so much time together.”

However, Stanley said it’s time for him to move on from NIC with all the changes happening with the board of trustees.

“I've always been somebody who has said to students, if you ever get to the point that you get up in the morning and you're not looking forward to going to work excited about it, you probably have to think about doing something different," Stanley said. "And my whole life, I've always felt that way."

But in the past year Stanley said he lost some of the joy in his work as the trustees have made changes at the college, and while he still loved his time working with students on campus, he felt it was unfair to others if he wasn't 100% enthusiastic about what he was doing.

Although Stanley said he will miss NIC, he looks forward to continuing to work with students, transferring to the position of Vice President of Instruction at Walla Walla Community College. He was offered the position the day after he announced his retirement from NIC.

“I said ‘Yep, I’m going to do it,’ because I still want to do this work and Walla Walla Community College was a positive place to do that,” Stanley said. “I’m sad to be leaving NIC and the Coeur d’Alene community, but I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Stanley said one of the things he’ll miss most is no longer being a part of those organizations but he plans to get involved in the Walla Walla community upon transferring.

Aside from his role at NIC, Stanley has been actively involved in many parts of the community including the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Salvation Army KROC Center and US Bank advisory boards, the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County, United Way of North Idaho, Young Life and more. He was awarded the Post Fall Chamber's 2020 Citizen of the Year.

“Being involved in organizations, chambers, community related things are stuff that I find really stimulating,” Stanley said. “I believe it's important for representatives of a college to be on those so that we stay connected.”

Finishing up at NIC on Jan. 3 and starting at Walla Walla Community College on Jan. 5, Stanley said with a laugh that leaves him one day of retirement.

While he said he’s excited for his new position and will be moving some things over to Washington during the holidays, Stanley and his wife Tammi don’t plan on giving up anything with their friends in Coeur d’Alene, and will still retire in their lake home.

“We’ll be back and forth,” Stanley said. “Kind of the best of two worlds.”