RADFORD -- Paula Stanley, director of RU’s Faculty Development Center and a professor of counselor education, was content staying in the background and serving the university without fanfare. But ask any of her colleagues and students -- she was at the forefront of education and was very much ahead of her time when she began promoting invitational learning. An 18-year employee of RU, she passed away unexpectedly last week after complications related to a battle with cancer. She was conquering the cancer but contracted an infection.

Survivors include two brothers, Gregory and Tony, her sister Treva, and two nephews, Jim and Joe, all of North Carolina.

Stanley’s passing left an immediate void in the campus community. “Dr. Stanley and I were colleagues for 18 years. In that time I saw how she touched the lives of countless students, colleagues, and professional counselors throughout Southwest Virginia and beyond,” said Alan Forrest, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development. “The consummate professor, Paula’s teaching, scholarly accomplishments, professional presentations, creativity, collegiality, and kindness will be missed. Her enthusiasm, courage, humor, and grace will resonate for years within each person she touched. I will remember with fondness Paula's spirit and presence in our department,” he said.

Students respected Stanley’s passion for education and sent thoughts and condolences to Forrest. “I will treasure the time that I was able to learn from her and laugh with her. She had a sparkle about her that brings a grin each time she passes through my mind,” wrote student Kate Buchanan.

Stanley was named Leadership Fellow by the International Alliance for Invitational Education in the spring of this year. She received many awards including the Outstanding Faculty Service Award in the College of Education and Human Development, the Outstanding Counselor Education Alumni Professional Excellence Award at the American Counseling Association Convention and was also listed in the 2000 edition of Notable Women in America. Along with her colleague and friend Dr. Robert Small, she was active in the Humane Society of Pulaski County and also volunteered at the Women’s Resource Center.

Stanley, a native of the flatlands of southeastern North Carolina, received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in counseling from Appalachian State University. She received her doctorate in counseling and development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Professionally, she wrote and co-authored numerous presentations. Among those were two books she co-authored with Dr. William Purkey – Invitational Teaching, Learning and Living and The Inviting School Treasury: 1001 Ways to Invite Student Success.

Provost Wil Stanton, in his message conveying news of her passing, spoke of Stanley’s commitment to bettering the educational environment for everyone. “Paula took great pride in insuring that each new faculty member joining our university community was equipped with the knowledge and support to embark on a professional career. They learned first from Paula, what it means to work at a university that is truly student-centered, and how best to engage students as partners in their success as life-long learners,” he said.

One of Stanley’s creative writing endeavors was particularly close to her heart. Two years ago, she released Finding Endurance, a book of poetry dedicated to her mother who, at the time, was also battling cancer.

In an interview shortly after the release of her book, Stanley reflected on the importance of family and friends and said she never wanted to forget where she came from and in her book, she wanted to capture the things that made her who she was today. She said her first 13 years were those she savored most and she gave her parents all the credit for who she had become and for her professional successes. Dr. Stanley said her mother always stressed the importance of being true to one’s self and to never forget her roots.

In Finding Endurance, she wrote: “No matter what, it’s how you look, it’s what you wear, it’s how you move, that says who you are. If you go to town to the grocery store, wear your Sunday clothes, walk with ladylike grace, no laughing and fun, you have to make it a point. If you travel 10 hours to see the Blue Ridge, wear your best Sunday dress and your Easter hat and your high-heeled shoes. When you live out of town, in the country backwoods, you have to show the world that you are someone, how else will they know?”