Joanne Glasser, the first woman to serve as president of Bradley University, has died, the school announced June 23.
Bradley President Jim Shadid said in a statement that Glasser, who served as president from 2007-15, had an “unmistakable passion” for the university and its students. He said she showed an “unwavering support” for the school’s students and made an impact not just on the physical campus, but on the lives she touched as a result.
“She was a change maker on campus, and proudly the first woman to lead our university in this role,” Shadid said. “President Glasser leaves behind an enduring legacy on campus, and she will always remain an important part of Bradley’s story.”
Glasser made her presence felt upon her arrival in 2007, earning praise for her handling of the aftermath of the death of Danny Dahlquist, a student-athlete killed shortly before the 2007-08 school year after a prank involving fireworks that went awry.
In Shadid’s statement, he noted that Glasser helped contribute to the building of the Markin Family Student Recreation Center, the Renaissance Coliseum and the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, along with renovations to Westlake Hall.
She also spearheaded a capital fundraising campaign that garnered well over $150 million for the school, the largest in Bradley’s history, according to Shadid.
Glasser was also well-known for her public-facing persona on campus, frequently attending sporting events and even having open office hours where students could come in and talk with the school’s highest administrator. Glasser even beat breast cancer not once, but twice as president, going into remission in 2012 following surgery.
Glasser’s tenure didn’t come without challenges, as she dealt with low freshman enrollment in her later years and criticism for her handling of the school’s athletic department. The low enrollment forced restructuring of the school’s budget, with $7 million being trimmed out of the budget in her final year.
A native of Baltimore, Glasser had worked as a reporter for the Baltimore News American and as an assistant state’s attorney before becoming Labor Commissioner in Baltimore County in 1980. She left that role to take care of her husband, who suffered a stroke, before joining the staff at Towson University and finding a new path in education.
Within eight years of arriving at Towson, Glasser became president at Eastern Kentucky University in 2001, replacing former Illinois Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra in the role.
Private services have already been held for Glasser.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Joanne Glasser, first female president at Bradley University, dies
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
