Philanthropic Leadership at Georgia Southern

Former Georgia Southern President Bruce Grube and Former First Lady Kathryn Grube

Former Georgia Southern President Bruce Grube and Former First Lady Kathryn Grube

Georgia Southern University’s state-of-the-art Recreation Activity Center (RAC) was recently named after former University president and first lady, Bruce and Kathryn Grube, in May 2015. The naming of the Bruce and Kathryn Grube Recreation Activity Center follows a landmark $1 million planned gift from the former University president and first lady. Their bequest gift will be earmarked for three critical areas important to them and the campus: student leadership scholarships, honors program undergraduate scholarships and recreation programming for students.

Dr. Grube was Georgia Southern University’s 11th president and served from 1999 to 2009. During his tenure the University became a Carnegie Doctoral/Research university, experienced record-breaking enrollment and significant improvement in academic quality as well as unprecedented growth in facilities and other resources. President Grube worked to build strong relationships with local, state and national leaders bringing collaboration and progress to the University and the surrounding communities. First Lady Kathryn Grube devoted herself to Georgia Southern and the community, contributing countless hours of volunteer work for the University and Statesboro in organizations such as the Bulloch County Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Leadership Bulloch Class of 2000, March of Dimes, United Way of Southeast Georgia, the Statesboro Service League, the Keep Bulloch Beautiful organization, East Georgia Regional Medical Center and the Statesboro Arts Council.

“Scholarships, recreation and wellness are significant elements of a successful educational experience at Georgia Southern,” said Dr. Grube. “Kathryn and I understand these student needs from our years of serving the University. We are grateful that we are able to leave a legacy to Georgia Southern University students. We certainly owe much to the many students who touched our lives over the years.”

The Bruce and Kathryn Grube Recreation Activity Center is a cutting-edge recreation center and icon of campus life for numerous Georgia Southern students. More than 5,500 individuals visit the facility each day. Originally opened in 1998, the facility was expanded in 2006 to its present size of 215,000 square feet. The Center offers fitness equipment, intramural sports, wellness services and meeting spaces.

“There are many, many things we miss about Georgia Southern,” said Kathryn Grube. “But above all we miss the people, on campus, in the community and beyond, who worked with us to make Georgia Southern the exceptional institution that it is today. Bruce and I will always remember the beautiful Georgia Southern campus, its rich traditions, the outstanding faculty and study body and the many dear friends we made both on and off campus. We will be forever grateful that our path brought us to this outstanding university.”

Georgia Southern University and its local community will also be forever grateful that Bruce and Kathryn’s paths brought their leadership to the University. Georgia Southern is grateful for their planned gift to enrich both students’ lives and our campus.