Our GRCC family lost a very special person today: Sandi Glennemeier passed away this morning after a short illness.
Sandi, as a student loan specialist, helped thousands of students find the financial resources to attend college and change their lives. But what she really loved was helping other employees grow and thrive in their roles, and, in turn, seeing them help thousands more students – a tremendous impact on our college and greater community.
Sandi started at GRCC as a student employee in the Financial Aid department, and stayed for nearly 33 years.
Colleagues describe her as the anchor of the department — the one who not only knew everything, but happily shared what she knew.
“Sandy was a true servant-leader,” said Ann Isackson, associate dean of Student Success – Support and Retention. “She had a wonderful smile and an infectious giggle. She truly cared for the people she worked with. She was a mentor to many people over the years, and touched so many people.”
Erin McGill, associate director of Financial Aid Operations, said would remember details from conversations and follow up to check in.
“Always with a smile and words of encouragement,” she said. “It is hard to choose the right words to describe Sandi because she truly exhibited all of the positive adjectives. But caring, warmhearted, and thoughtful are just a few at the top of that list. She was always the first person to volunteer her expertise or time in situations where help was needed. She could sense when you were stressed or feeling overwhelmed and would always offer a ‘What can I do to help?’”
Erin Van Egmond, associate director of College Advancement, said Sandi hired her, and stayed close over the years, as she did with others she helped launch a career of service at the college.
Misty McClure-Anderson, executive deputy to the president and board liaison, said Sandi always had a warm smile – and a story about her dog, Sam.
“You’ve never met a happier person,” she said. “She was so happy to help students get their education. And whenever you needed anything, you’d call Sandi.”
Victoria Powers, program director for TRIO, worked closely with Sandi in the Financial Aid office and said she made the best holiday desserts, which she loved to share with friends and coworkers. And she was so proud of her niece, Stephie.
“Sandi was always looking for ways to make other people feel special,” she said. “That’s just who she was. She loved her job because she knew that what she did made it possible for people to come to GRCC.”
Powers said Sandi had tremendous knowledge of the process of financial aid, and was never too busy to stop and help a colleague or student find what they needed.
“It will take a lot of people to replace the work she did, but you can never replace her as a person,” Powers said.
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