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Distinguished Alumnus AwardWillis HolcombeThrough his leadership and dedication,Willis Holcombe helped to transformcommunity-college education in Florida,touching countless lives along the way.Dr. Holcombe has provided a lifetime ofmeaningful service in educational leadership.After serving as a captain in the U.S. MarineCorps, he graduated from the University ofFlorida with a master's degree in education in1972 and a doctorate in college administrationin 1974. Dr. Holcombe is known for his impacton Broward and Brevard community colleges.At Broward, he worked in a number of rolesbetween 1974 and 1981. At Brevard, where hewas vice president between 1981 and 1987,Dr. Holcombe promoted a culture of academicintegrity and collaboration. In 1987, he becamepresident of Broward Community College, andfor 17 years dedicated his efforts to improvingthe lives of students.Dr. Holcombe came out of retirement in 2006to serve as interim president at Broward Collegefor six months, then again in 2007, when he wasappointed the chancellor of the Florida CollegeSystem, where he remained for four years. After athird attempt at retiring, Dr. Holcombe becamethe interim president for the Florida StateCollege in Jacksonville last December.As chancellor of the Florida College System,Dr. Holcombe supported the growth ofbaccalaureate degrees at community colleges.In coordination with the University System ofFlorida, he provided leadership for new degreeprograms while remaining committed to openaccess. Under his direction, 157 new programswere established, 25,389 students enrolled and3,979 students graduated during 2011-2012.Dr. Holcombe is recognized as a visionary leaderfor community colleges. He began his career as a1973 recipient of the W. K. Kellogg Fellowship atUF. Here, he studied with Dr. James Wattenbarger,the father of Florida community colleges. In 2003,he received the Dr. James L. Wattenbarger Awardfrom the Association of Florida Colleges. In 2011,the association named him the inaugural recipientof the Willis Holcombe Leadership Award.During 40 years in education, Dr. Holcombehas received more than 25 fellowships andhonors. He has served on a number ofprofessional boards, including the FloridaDepartment of Education’s ArticulationCoordinating Committee and the BrowardCounty Education Consortium, andcommunity boards and committees, includingthe United Way of Broward County andSpecial Olympics Florida. His integral role inthe community led to his being selected as atorch bearer in Broward County for the 1996Atlanta Olympics.2014 SPRINGCommencement12