Census News Brief: Breaking News! President To Nominate Robert M. Groves To Be Census Director
Terri Ann Lowenthal
President Obama is expected today to nominate Dr. Robert M. Groves, Director of the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, since 2001, to be director of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dr. Groves, also a research professor at the University of Maryland, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology (Dartmouth College), Master of Arts degrees in statistics and sociology (University of Michigan), and a doctorate in sociology (University of Michigan). He headed the Joint Program in Survey Methodology (University of Maryland/University of Michigan/Westat) from 1996-2001, and has been a visiting statistician and researcher at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Dr. Groves received the National Association for Business Economics 2008 Julius Shiskin Memorial Award for Economic Statistics, in recognition of “innovative statistical research” that has improved the quality of household and business surveys in the areas of sample design, data collection methods, effects of nonresponse, and other factors that affect data quality. The award is given in recognition of “unusually original and important contributions in the development of economic statistics or in the use of statistics in interpreting the economy.”
The nominee is widely published as the author or co-author of numerous books, monographs, journal articles, and book chapters, with an emphasis on survey methodology and design. He has received numerous awards and honors for his research and scientific developments and is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. Dr. Groves has assisted a wide range of government agencies (in the U.S. and abroad), universities and research organizations, and polling firms with survey design. He also has served on numerous advisory boards and National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) panels (he currently chairs a panel reviewing Bureau of Justice Statistics programs).
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, led by Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), will consider the nomination, which requires Senate confirmation. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE) and Sen. John McCain are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, which has jurisdiction over Census Bureau programs.
Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, an independent legislative and policy consultant working with a wide range of census stakeholders to promote an accurate 2010 census. All views expressed in the News Briefs are solely those of the author. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K [at] aol [dot] com (TerriAnn2K [at] aol [dot] com). Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations and to reprint any or all of the information. Previous Census News Briefs are posted on the Census Project web site, at www.thecensusproject.org.
