Tuesday, June 8, 2010
MR. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Cecil Groves for his 40 years of service in higher education and to congratulate him on his retirement after 13 years as President of Southwestern Community College in Sylva, North Carolina. Under his leadership, Southwestern experienced significant expansion, serving as a catalyst for further growth throughout the region.
Dr. Groves received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Texas. His first job was as the president of Delgado College in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Groves was able to lead Delgado College to national accreditation in the midst of the turmoil of desegregation. Seven years later, he became President of Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. In a city dominated by a major research university, Dr. Groves created a model of the community college as a stepping stone to enrollment at a four year university. He grew Austin Community College into a 16,000 student campus, creating jobs and allowing students a pathway to achieve their dreams.
After working at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado and serving as Provost of Texas State Technical Colleges System, Dr. Groves moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina to become the president of Southwestern Community College. He would transform this small school with a strong sense of community into one of the best community colleges in the nation.
During his tenure, Southwestern Community College opened a new campus in Macon County, North Carolina and graduated the largest class in its history. Dr. Groves instituted a new technology platform for delivering education to students, offering Internet learning without sacrificing a sense of community. He encouraged teachers who found their most effective teaching method to continue to succeed, and he pushed those who struggled to continue to work toward becoming better teachers. Most importantly, he was widely loved by the faculty, staff, and students.
Even those in Western North Carolina who are not directly a part of the Southwestern Community College family benefited from Dr. Groves’ tenure. One of his biggest contributions to the region was the creation of the Balsam West FiberNET. After an attempt to convert the school’s Interactive Television system to digital proved too costly, Dr. Groves began investigating a regional broadband system. Southwestern Community College helped bring together Drake Enterprises and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee to form Balsam West FiberNET. This private, for-profit partnership constructed a 300 mile broadband ring, benefiting both Southwestern Community College and the entire mountain community.
Outside of his duties as President, Dr. Groves has taken an active interest in community development—on a regional, state, and national level. He served as an appointed advisor to governors in two states and testified in front of Congress. As a founding member of the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing, a part of the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Coalition for Advanced Technology Centers, Dr. Groves has helped modernize U.S. manufacturing and education technology. He has also been active in successfully recruiting several companies to conduct business in the regions where he worked.
Dr. Groves is now retiring and moving closer to two of his children. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise with me to thank Dr. Groves for his many years of invaluable service to both Southwestern Community College and the broader mountain community of Western North Carolina.