College hires new Vice
President of Student Life  

GROVE CITY, Pa. – After a national search and extensive interview process, Grove City College President Dr. Richard G. Jewell ’67 recently announced that Larry Hardesty will serves as the new Vice President for Student Life and Learning.

Hardesty graduated in 1990 from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. He completed work toward a master’s degree in the area of student affairs in higher education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and in 2005, earned a master’s in organizational leadership from Geneva.

Hardesty has worked at Geneva since 1994, most recently as the Acting Dean of Students and Director of Campus Ministries. Throughout his career there, he has worked in nearly every area of student development.

In his new position at Grove City, Hardesty will be the senior student affairs officer for the College. Reporting to the President, Hardesty will be responsible for all aspects of the Student Life and Learning program and lead the student life office.

Hardesty sees the position as a two-part responsibility. “One is providing overall vision and direction for the Student Life and Learning division,” Hardesty said. “I think that we as student development professionals have the opportunity to round that out and give students practical places to live out that learning.” The second aspect, he said, is “working with the staff to maximize their potential.”

Of his new position, Hardesty said he is most excited by “the potential that I see. Everywhere I look at Grove City I see potential. And not just potential, some of that’s realized potential. I interviewed with 78 people while I was on campus. About 30 of those were students. I was so impressed – impressed by the students, impressed by the faculty.”

Hardesty, 40, is a hands-on individual and one of his hobbies is woodworking. He is currently building a desk and he and his wife, Josie, are nearly finished renovating their current home. They are preparing to move with their eight-month-old daughter, Ellied, to the Grove City area.

Jewell said that Hardesty “brings demonstrated experience and vision to his new job.” He officially begins June 1.