Colorado State University, its College of Business, and Department of Marketing are sad to announce that on February 20th, our dear friend and colleague, Stan Slater passed away. While our hearts are filled with a huge sense of loss, Stan’s wonderful spirit lives on and inspires us.

Stan was defined by the highest levels of personal and professional integrity; he was caring, thoughtful, and kind. Until the very end, he was also deeply engaged in the lives of his students and colleagues (at CSU and across the country). For the past 14 years Stan has been a central figure in the culture of the College of Business at CSU; his contributions stretch far and wide.

With respect to his research, Stan was recognized as a top scholar in the strategy domain, receiving the Vijay Mahajan Award for Lifetime Contributions to Marketing Strategy in 2011. Stan is best known for his seminal papers on market orientation, published with John Narver and many others. His research also centered on marketing’s role in business strategy success, strategies for innovation management, and more recently, in the sustainability area. His collective work has been cited over 25,000 times.

When Stan was not focused on work, you could find him in the outdoors. Stan first moved to Colorado in 1980 with his wife and best friend, Paula Galloway, in part to pursue their passion for the great outdoors. Stan loved skiing, fishing, hiking, and whitewater kayaking. Stan could never quite get the Colorado out of him. He returned twice – once after earning his Ph.D. at the University of Washington and again after a stint as acting chancellor at University of Washington, Bothell.

Perhaps Stan Slater’s greatest legacy comes from the manner in which he dealt with adversity. In 1984, Stan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As the symptoms turned into physical hardship, Stan refused to let these limitations hold him back. Ever a bright presence in the room, Stan faced his diagnosis with humor and a strong spirit. More than that, he adapted the world to meet his needs. With Paula at his side, Stan inspired others as he continued to seek adventure and live life to the fullest – from adaptive skiing to deep-sea fishing in a wheelchair-accessible boat to authoring books and articles with voice-to-text software. Stan’s larger-than-life magnetism and ongoing contributions to others around him were unhampered by his physical constraints.

In recognition of Stan Slater’s determination and indomitable spirit, and to honor the inspiration he offered to all who knew him, the College of Business at Colorado State University is establishing the Stanley Slater Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship will be given annually to a graduate or undergraduate business student facing exceptional challenges – physical, mental, personal, or financial.