By WMBD TV
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — In a letter to the community, Bradley University President Jim Shadid announced the passing of the school’s first female president.
“It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the passing of former Bradley University President Joanne Glasser,” Shadid said.
Glasser was Bradley’s 10th President and the first female to serve in that capacity. She served from August 2007 to May 2015 and oversaw one of the biggest campus transformations in the school’s recent history, according to Shadid.
Prior to her time at Bradley, Glasser served as the president of Eastern Kentucky University. She was the first female and 10th in line of succession at that institution as well. Glasser championed an equally impressive capital campaign and building projects there.
Letter informing the BU Community
Dear Bradley Community, It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the passing of former Bradley University President Joanne Glasser, Bradley’s 10th president. She was a changemaker on campus, and was proudly the first woman to lead our university in this role.
President Glasser devoted herself wholeheartedly to Bradley University and to the students she so deeply loved. Her leadership helped transform Bradley in lasting and meaningful ways. President Glasser led the largest capital campaign in the university’s history, and oversaw significant campus growth and revitalization. Major projects and initiatives tied to this success include the building of The Markin Family Student Recreation Center, the Renaissance Coliseum, the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, the expansion and modernization of Westlake Hall, and other projects that reshaped the student experience and strengthened Bradley’s future.
President Glasser had an unmistakable passion for this institution and her legacy can be seen not only in the buildings and programs she championed, but in the countless lives she touched through her leadership, warmth, and unwavering support of students.President Glasser leaves behind an enduring legacy on this campus, and she will always remain an important part of Bradley’s story.
On behalf of the entire Bradley community, I extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, former colleagues, students, and all who had the privilege of knowing her.
Private family services have been held. In honor of President Glasser and her many contributions to Bradley University, University flags will be flown at half-staff for three days.
Sincerely,
James E. Shadid
President
Glasser grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where she developed a love of sports, watching the Orioles play baseball with her father, according to a check of Wikipedia.
She graduated from George Washington University with a degree in political science and went on to the University of Maryland School of Law, where she earned her juris doctor. Glasser also holds an Educational Management certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Glasser, who maintained a significant level of personal privacy, even while in the public eye, was preceded in death by her husband. In that spirit, she is survived by a significant professional legacy and two adult children, a daughter and a son.
WMBD TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
