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Chico State

Fond Farewell: Retired Advising and Orientation Administrator Bob Standing

Stars shine above Trinity Hall.
Jason Halley / University Photographer

The stars shine above Trinity Hall on Thursday, December 14, 2017 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer/CSU Chico)

Emeritus staff member G. Robert “Bob” Standing, who led advising and orientation programs for 31 years, passed away January 28, 2021. He was 85.

Born September 29, 1935, in Ogden, Utah, he spent his childhood in both Utah and Portland, Oregon. Standing attended Weber State College, University of Utah, and Brigham Young University before enlisting in the Air Force Reserve and serving for six years. After completing his service, he graduated with his master’s degree in counseling and guidance from BYU and went on to earn a PhD in guidance and counseling services from Michigan State University.

Standing was hired at Chico State in 1965 as the associate dean of students, where he administered the housing and student life programs for four years. During his 31-year tenure, he also worked as director of advising and orientation, initiated academic advising services, and launched a comprehensive summer orientation program that was a model for campuses nationwide.

Eunice Toussaint, who worked with Standing for nearly a decade, remembers how deeply he cared about advising as a mechanism for supporting students and how the vision he brought to the department would last in perpetuity.

“Bob was kind, thoughtful, and supportive of everyone—students, staff, and faculty,” she said. “He was dedicated especially to helping students have the information they needed to work their way through the requirements for graduation as well as other academic problems.”

Black and white portrait of Bob Standing.

Standing led staff and office resources to create comprehensive, coordinated advising materials that were used throughout campus to provide students with an “academic road map” from enrollment to graduation. He was also dedicated to providing upper- and graduate-level students with intern and peer advising opportunities to inspire them to pursue careers in advising, counseling, and student services. And after establishing a chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, the national honor society for high-achieving first-year students, he served as its advisor until his retirement in 1996.

His enjoyment in sharing his expertise and learning from others spurred his participation in the National Academic Advising Association, where he contributed papers, programs, and workshops at local, regional, and national meetings. In 2012, Standing was inducted into the Emeritus and Retired Faculty and Staff Association Hall of Honor for his many contributions to campus and generations of students.

Abe Baily, retired dean of students, describes Standing as an outstanding former administrator who pioneered a foundational function at a critical point of Chico State’s development in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

“Personally, I counted on him heavily when I became dean for Student Affairs. I asked him for advice and guidance more than any other director or professional in the division when a pan-university perspective and deep knowledge of student development was needed,” Baily said. “I also valued his friendship and company. Anyone that worked for or with him who I knew had only good, positive, thankful things to say about him.”

Standing said working at Chico State was a true joy in his life, especially for the friends he made and the lives he helped transform. He rode his bike to campus every day and also had a fun side in the office, always dressing up for Pioneer Week.

In retirement, Standing and his wife, Lawrin, moved to Orem, Utah, where he continued his passions as an avid gardener, regular audio book listener, and talented photographer. Throughout his life, he also enjoyed the thrill of new technology and gadgets, ranging from the first minivan and first microwave to one of the first hybrid cars and the latest Apple products.

Active members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, he and Lawrin served on several missions where he used his mentoring skills to support educational and humanitarian aid activities. He spent the last 20 years of his life doing family history and served as the director of the Orem Stonewood Family History Center for three years.

He is survived by his children Shauna Crabtree, Lisa Bennett, Jonathan Standing, and Patrick Standing; sister Joyce Hill; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. A family-only service was held February 6.

The University flag will be lowered Wednesday, March 3, in his honor.