Retirement Bio of Tina Hoxie

Tina has been a member of the GRCC family for nearly 30 years.

She started at the College as the Director of Student Activities after working at Aquinas College for 11 years. She was hired into the Dean of Student Affairs position at the college in late 2001. The title changed with a restructuring to Associate Provost/Dean of Student Affairs in 2013.

Tina has always appreciated and enjoyed the team and collaborative environment at GRCC with countless student focused projects and initiatives accomplished over the years through the dedication, talent and expertise of so many people. 

There were always stories of unexpected happenings tied to the commencement event.  Tina shares the following example:  Rain pouring down as the last graduate moved from the plaza and stepped inside the fieldhouse side door – thanks to the weather advice from alumnae Bill Steffens via cell phone.

The commencement team works hard to ensure this evening is a special celebration for our graduates and their families. A story that always brings a smile with thankfully a happy ending – We are 5 minutes from starting the ceremony and I spot Elaine McCormick heading towards me at a fast pace. When she reaches me from across the Ford Fieldhouse floor, she hands me a 3 year old and says to the little girl, “She is a mom and will take care of you.” Before I could say anything, I am holding a 3 year old who is looking at me with the expression, who are you? And fortunately, isn’t crying yet. Elaine is gone and nowhere to be seen. With the help of a few other the child was returned to her family in record time and commencement started on time. When I ask Elaine later that evening, what she was thinking, “I needed to get my group ready to start, handoff this little girl to someone, and you were the first person I spotted.”

Tina shares two special times at GRCC that she has always thoroughly enjoyed every single year:

Top on the list is the first week of each semester as new and returning GRCC students start and restart to pursue their educational next steps and dreams. There is such great energy on campus as student find their way and everyone works together to welcome and support a successful semester start.

The second would be the final weeks as the semester wraps up and commencement approaches. Being a part of the Student Leadership dinner and other student honoring events at this time of year is humbling especially when I talk with students firsthand and they describe their journey to completing their certificate and or associate degree.  The education experiences and the support students receive from the GRCC faculty, staff, and other students make a difference and are so impactful.

There is no better place to be than at GRCC and having the opportunity to do such rewarding and motivating work.

Encouraging students to go to college, helping and meeting their needs as they start, stop, work through the unexpected, and come back to finish their goals. The relationships and connections across campus have always made my job easy. The GRCC staff do an amazing job caring for, supporting, and serving our students. It has always been my passion to continually work toward improving the student experience, reduce student barriers, help student succeed, and find ways to increase access to GRCC. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many incredible students over the years and with a team of people at GRCC who give it their all!

Tina’s plans for retirement are still coming together…

I am still thinking about what I will do when I retire! The short retirement list includes spending more time with my family and friends, golf, and I am sure the list will become longer and longer with fun things to enjoy.

Someone asked me the other day if there was anything that I would change looking back. I couldn’t think of anything.  I have looked forward to coming to work every day and energized on what was coming up next.