Gary Gresholdt once was hall director to a few hundred students, but now, more than 30 years later, he is in charge of an entire campus of students.

Entering his fifth year as vice provost for Student Affairs, Gresholdt oversees such programs as Counseling and Student Development, Career Planning and Placement, Student Housing and Dining and Campus Recreation.

“I love the opportunity to work with students on a regular basis, and that’s probably the most rewarding part of my job,” he said.

Gresholdt came to NIU in 1969 and started as a hall director at Stevenson Towers South. He worked his way up the ranks to his current position.

“I have found this a really exciting place to work,” he said. “Hopefully I have grown from the experiences I have had, and am better able to respond to situations. Northern has been an excellent place to work, and it has provided an opportunity to work with some really interesting colleagues.”

One of those colleagues is Michelle Emmett, vice provost for Student Affairs. She has nothing but praise for Gresholdt and the job he has done.

“He’s probably one of the greatest people anyone would ever meet,” Emmett said. “He is very genuine, sweet and personable. His job performance speaks for itself. He started as a hall director and now he is the chief officer of student affairs. He did it with a lot of hard work and diligence.”

Right now, Gresholdt and his office are busy dealing with students withdrawing to honor military commitments.

“It seems to me that the students who come to this office who are going to war are very confident,” he said. “I think they are very courageous. What we try and do is assist them with the transition and lay the groundwork for their eventual return.”

Other than the war in Iraq, another important issue Gresholdt is dealing with is the university’s pending budget cuts.

“I am very concerned about the budget cuts,” he said. “There will be budget reductions and they will affect all of our areas. Some services we provide are not going to be able to be provided as quickly as some students would like, and there are some we might not be able to provide at all.”

In his spare time, Gresholdt enjoys relaxing with his family, which includes Holly, his wife of 29 years; Mark, 21, and a student at NIU; and Megan, 17, and a student at a local school. With the amount of work on his desk, he doesn’t have enough time to do much of anything else; and the truth is, he doesn’t want to.

“I enjoy what I do, so I find that I work long hours. But it’s a work that I enjoy, so I don’t always see it as work.”

Looking back at his 30-plus years at NIU, Gresholdt said he has learned every experience is just another tool for growth.

“In retrospect, although you agonize over those difficult situations and decisions and you don’t particularly like those experiences, in retrospect, you know it caused you to really stretch as a person. You become stronger, more skilled and better prepared to move on to the next situation.”