Anderson Oconee Pickens

Dr. Phil Buckhiester to Join Tri-County as New Vice President for Academic Affairs

CONTACT: DR. PHIL BUCKHIESTER, (706) 864-1602

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/29/2004
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Piedmont native Dr. Phil Buckhiester will return home to the Upstate this summer when he begins a new job as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tri-County Technical College.

Dr. Buckhiester, who has spent 28 years at North Georgia College & State University in both administrative and teaching capacities, says one of the major reasons for accepting the newly-created position was Tri-County faculty and staff's devotion to the College.

"If you leave an institution where you've been blessed to work with people who represent their units well and who have the best interests of the students at heart, you want to go to another place where it's equally evident that people care. That's what I observed at Tri-County," said Dr. Buckhiester, who, after 31 years in the University System of Georgia, will retire this summer and join Tri-County soon after.

For the past five years, he has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at North Georgia College & State University where he primarily deals with faculty, budget and curriculum issues.

Dr. Buckhiester says he was interested in the position for several reasons: "Each time I visited the campus during the interview process, I became more impressed with the quality of people who work here. It was evident in every group I visited with how much they care about Tri-County. Also, it's a region of the state that I care about. (His parents reside in Piedmont.) And, I will have the opportunity to work with Dr. Booth on a daily basis." When Dr. Booth was Vice President for External Programs at Gainesville College, he and Dr. Buckhiester worked together on several initiatives. "I think so highly of him, and it will be a pleasure to work with him. I'm impressed with the strides he has made since he accepted the job last year. During one of my visits, he and I walked around campus, and I immediately noticed the level of trust and rapport he has developed with the faculty, staff and students," he said.

"But I already had a good impression of the Tri-County campus," said Dr. Buckhiester who is a Clemson University graduate. He and his wife, Becky, spent five-and-one-half years in Clemson when he was finishing his undergraduate degree in Mathematics and his Ph D. in Applied Mathematics.

"Phil Buckhiester embodies the characteristics that I believe are essential for this position," said Dr. Booth. "He is a listener, he has strong academic credentials, he is a problem solver and a consensus builder. Additionally, Dr. Buckhiester is a man of integrity and character who cares deeply about students and those with whom he works. I am more pleased than I can say that he is willing to come be a part of our team. Besides having the professional qualities we wanted, Phil is also a lot of fun to be around. Given the nature of our work, that characteristic is just a super additional benefit."

Dr. Buckhiester began his career as an instructor of mathematics at Clemson from 1972 - 73 and moved on to become an assistant professor of mathematics and later acting head of the Mathematics Department at Valdosta State College.

He joined North Georgia 28 years ago as head of the Mathematics Department and later added the Computer Science Department to his responsibilities. He served as director of the Academic Advisement Center from 1989 - 95 and as Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1995 - 98. He was named Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs before accepting his current position in 1999.

Dr. Buckhiester's awards include the President's Outstanding Service Award (1994), and the Phi Kappa Phi Promotion of Excellence in Higher Education Award (1998), but one he says he is most proud of is the North Georgia College Alumni Distinguished Professor Award.

"If I had to abbreviate my resume, the last entry I would delete would be the Distinguished Professor Award," said Dr. Buckhiester, who spent the first years of his career as a professor. "It's very rewarding to be recognized for teaching," he said.

Not only is he known in the academic community, but he and his wife are acclaimed in the musical arena as well. For 15 years they have been members of "Remember When," a nine-member old-time rock 'n roll band that he says was conceived initially as a hobby and "a means of relieving stress," but grew into lasting friendships and a means of giving back to the community. Dr. Buckhiester plays keyboards and his wife sings. The band has played at benefit concerts for Habitat for Humanity, battered women's shelters and numerous receptions.
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