The Right to Council Lanny Gridley ’98 shares his advocacy for his alma mater
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s a President’s Council member, Lanny Gridley ’98 regularly shares his ideas with the senior administration on what needs to happen to keep YC on an upward trajectory, with continuous growth in numbers and quality. This is nothing new for Lanny. He was doing the same thing as a student at YC. Lanny chose YC as a student because of the small size. He knew it was a place where he would receive individual attention in the classroom and have opportunities to be involved in leadership roles. Lanny served as student body president for two terms while majoring in accounting at YC. He was also active in PBL-SIFE, the organization for business students. Through these experiences, he developed strong relationships with faculty and staff members, including then-President Wayne Baker. That interaction was one of the most meaningful experiences Lanny had at YC, as it prepared him for the real world of business after graduation. Baker invited him and a select group of other students to sit in on meetings and get a peek at the inner workings of the college. “He let us share our ideas and get our hands a little bit dirty getting things done on campus,” he says. “He shared challenges with us and let us see decisions from a business perspective. I thought that was unique.” Today, Lanny is the CFO of a very successful company. He uses the business acumen developed at YC to give back to YC. He is one of the 40 members of the President’s Council, a group of former students that meet twice a year and commit to serving the college through prayer, advocacy, advice, and financial gifts. Lanny is excited by the direction YC is headed now and he is pleased to still be part of the group that’s pressing the envelope. One of this primary initiatives with the President’s Council has been developing an internship program to connect current students with alumni in industry.
(above) Lanny, far left, and other members of the President’s Council visit during Homecoming about some college initiatives. (below) Livia Medeiros, junior business major from Brazil, met with Lanny during the spring YC career/job fair and secured a summer internship with his company.
“You can get a Christian education at a lot of places,” he says. “But there is no place like YC.” It’s a culture that he wants to see grow stronger and continue for decades to come. That’s why he chooses to invest his time and resources here, as well as recruit interns for his company from the talented student body. All alumni, and especially those with a business background, should look for ways to be involved, says Lanny. He encourages his fellow classmates
to consider sharing their wealth and wisdom with the school in order to keep it flourishing for the next generation of Yorkies. lll Lanny is the CFO of Sherwood Construction Company. Originally from Kingman, Kan., he now resides in Wichita with his wife Jenny and one-year-old daughter Maeve. For more information on the President’s Council and how you can be involved, contact Nick DiToro at 402-3635660 or nick.ditoro@york.edu.
Financial Challenges a Blessing York College was blessed recently through two challenge gifts, which will provide $200,000 for programs and buildings at York College. Local businessman Don Freeman, son of R.A. and Lena Freeman for whom the Freeman Center is named, pledged $50,000 in matched funds to York College for a renovation for the much-used gymnasium. Many alumni along with York area friends of the Freeman family responded to the challenge, quickly matching Freeman’s donation with their own. The funds raised will give a facelift to the 40-year-old building, providing a renovated entryway, home for YC’s new Sports Hall of Fame, as well as a new concessions area, new carpet, fresh paint and more. At the same time, York College Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jarrell Gibbs and his wife Cynthia also provided a matched gift opportunity. With a desire to foster the college’s recent momentum, they offered to match every “new” dollar raised between the end of March and June 30, up to $50,000. At the time of this printing, matching funds were still coming in for the Gibb’s challenge. These funds are unrestricted and will be part of total revenues that will help YC complete four fiscal years in a row in the black. Thank you to everyone who helped the Heritage Summer 2012 5 college meet these challenges!