Retiring Georgia Southern University President Dr. Bruce Grube was a little emotional Monday as he spoke to the Rotary Club of Statesboro.
Instead of reciting accomplishments he has helped bring to the university and city over his 10-year tenure, Grube spoke about how excited he and wife Kathryn were upon visiting Statesboro for the first time, and how friendly Southerners — as in those from the South as well as those from Georgia Southern — can be.
The couple arrived in Statesboro Jan. 31, 1999, to what we consider a dreary, 55-degree, cloudy day. But coming from Minnesota, where the weather was 25 degrees below zero, Grube said he and his wife wanted to break out the shorts.
It was Kathryn who felt most at home in Statesboro, having grown up in Texas, where things are closer to being "Southern" than they are in the Midwest, he said. "She immediately liked the people and the university," he said. "We believed we had found a nice community and a great university.”
That began the Grube era. With a friendly smile and open personality, students began calling the new president "groovy Grube." The couple quickly immersed themselves into the community and became a well-loved addition to Statesboro, Bulloch County and Georgia Southern.
A time line in the latest Georgia Southern magazine details Grube's accomplishments, but he didn't expound on them, instead telling anyone they could read about it f they wished. A copy was given to each person present at the club meeting.
In his first year, Grube saw the College of Education building completed and was proud when GSU's Eagles took in their fifth National Championship.
The next year saw a sixth National Championship, as well as the completion of several other new buildings and additions. In 2001, the School of economic development was founded and the long-awaited School of Technology opened.
The Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building opened its doors in 2002; and the College of Education and School of Nursing each achieved accreditation. In 2003, the Performance Arts Center and College of Technology Building opened and t he College of Science and Nursing Building was finished.
The excitement continued. In 2004, online degrees in nursing and information technology were available; and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health was established.
In 2005, the Dan J. Parrish Sr. Football Building opened; the J. I. Clements stadium was renovated, and GSU's transit system, Southern Express, began rolling.
Georgia Southern University was reclassified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral/research university, and the Bishop Field house was completed. So were expansions to the Recreation Activity Center.
Continuing Education programs were made available online in 2007, and a Doctor of Public Health degree was approved. The Princeton Review featured GSU as one of the best business schools, and the U.S. News & World Report named GSU among national universities.
The university continued to grow in 2008 as the Wildlife Center opened its second phase and the Center for Art & Theater opened. The Zach S. Henderson Library expansion was completed; the College of Business Administration reaccredited and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree was approved.
Within this past year, Grube's last, enrollment in the fall reached a record 19,086 students. More degrees were approved, more student housing opened and Georgia Southern University, which had just completed renovation of the Foy Fine Arts building, was named in the National Top 100 Best Universities by Kiplinger.
But Grube would have none of the credit. "You now, it's almost a cliché that you're only as good as the people around you.... but it's not a cliché," he said, naming several in the room as key supporters of the university. Statesboro is filled with "talented, forward-looking people," he said, and gave credit to the many university presidents before him "who set the foundation for improvements."
Grube said his grandmother taught him to "always leave things better than you found them. That is some wisdom that has paid off in the long run for me."
He thanked Rotarians for their contributions to the university's success, as well as Statesboro and Bulloch County leaders for cooperation and partnership. "You took us in, you supported us, and you provided role models for how life is to be lived," he said. "How can you go wrong in a community with people like this?"
After reading a brief prayer, Grube told the crowd they and others in the community have been an inspiration, and his time at GSU was "one of life's great and mysterious gifts."
Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at 489-9414.
Instead of reciting accomplishments he has helped bring to the university and city over his 10-year tenure, Grube spoke about how excited he and wife Kathryn were upon visiting Statesboro for the first time, and how friendly Southerners — as in those from the South as well as those from Georgia Southern — can be.
The couple arrived in Statesboro Jan. 31, 1999, to what we consider a dreary, 55-degree, cloudy day. But coming from Minnesota, where the weather was 25 degrees below zero, Grube said he and his wife wanted to break out the shorts.
It was Kathryn who felt most at home in Statesboro, having grown up in Texas, where things are closer to being "Southern" than they are in the Midwest, he said. "She immediately liked the people and the university," he said. "We believed we had found a nice community and a great university.”
That began the Grube era. With a friendly smile and open personality, students began calling the new president "groovy Grube." The couple quickly immersed themselves into the community and became a well-loved addition to Statesboro, Bulloch County and Georgia Southern.
A time line in the latest Georgia Southern magazine details Grube's accomplishments, but he didn't expound on them, instead telling anyone they could read about it f they wished. A copy was given to each person present at the club meeting.
In his first year, Grube saw the College of Education building completed and was proud when GSU's Eagles took in their fifth National Championship.
The next year saw a sixth National Championship, as well as the completion of several other new buildings and additions. In 2001, the School of economic development was founded and the long-awaited School of Technology opened.
The Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building opened its doors in 2002; and the College of Education and School of Nursing each achieved accreditation. In 2003, the Performance Arts Center and College of Technology Building opened and t he College of Science and Nursing Building was finished.
The excitement continued. In 2004, online degrees in nursing and information technology were available; and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health was established.
In 2005, the Dan J. Parrish Sr. Football Building opened; the J. I. Clements stadium was renovated, and GSU's transit system, Southern Express, began rolling.
Georgia Southern University was reclassified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral/research university, and the Bishop Field house was completed. So were expansions to the Recreation Activity Center.
Continuing Education programs were made available online in 2007, and a Doctor of Public Health degree was approved. The Princeton Review featured GSU as one of the best business schools, and the U.S. News & World Report named GSU among national universities.
The university continued to grow in 2008 as the Wildlife Center opened its second phase and the Center for Art & Theater opened. The Zach S. Henderson Library expansion was completed; the College of Business Administration reaccredited and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree was approved.
Within this past year, Grube's last, enrollment in the fall reached a record 19,086 students. More degrees were approved, more student housing opened and Georgia Southern University, which had just completed renovation of the Foy Fine Arts building, was named in the National Top 100 Best Universities by Kiplinger.
But Grube would have none of the credit. "You now, it's almost a cliché that you're only as good as the people around you.... but it's not a cliché," he said, naming several in the room as key supporters of the university. Statesboro is filled with "talented, forward-looking people," he said, and gave credit to the many university presidents before him "who set the foundation for improvements."
Grube said his grandmother taught him to "always leave things better than you found them. That is some wisdom that has paid off in the long run for me."
He thanked Rotarians for their contributions to the university's success, as well as Statesboro and Bulloch County leaders for cooperation and partnership. "You took us in, you supported us, and you provided role models for how life is to be lived," he said. "How can you go wrong in a community with people like this?"
After reading a brief prayer, Grube told the crowd they and others in the community have been an inspiration, and his time at GSU was "one of life's great and mysterious gifts."
Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at 489-9414.