PEORIA, Ill. – Former Bradley University President Joanne Glasser, the first woman to lead the university, has died.
Glasser served as Bradley’s 10th president from 2007 to 2015. During her tenure, she led the university’s largest capital campaign and oversaw several major campus projects, including the Markin Family Student Recreation Center, Renaissance Coliseum, Hayden-Clark Alumni Center and the expansion of Westlake Hall.
Current Bradley President James Shadid said those projects transformed the campus, but he believes Glasser’s greatest legacy extended beyond bricks and mortar.
“The other legacy that she leaves was her passion for the institution and her commitment to the students and the focus on students first,” Shadid said during an interview Tuesday on WMBD Radio’s The Phil Luciano Show. “That’s a legacy that she earned and deserves to be recognized for.”
Shadid also reflected on Glasser’s constant presence around campus and throughout the Peoria community.
“It would be difficult to be in as many places as President Glasser was and to stay as optimistic and as positive and as upbeat as she seemed to be able to do,” he said.
Shadid called Glasser “a changemaker on campus” who was proud to become Bradley’s first female president.
Private family services have already been held.
Bradley University will fly its flags at half-staff for three days in Glasser’s honor.
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