Chon Glover named recipient of 2012 Shirley Aceto Award
Henry Broaddus describes Chon Glover as a cross between a den mother and a force of nature.
“Few combine relentless commitment with personal warmth so gracefully,” said the William & Mary dean of admission.
It is those qualities that have earned Glover, assistant to the president for community initiatives and chief diversity officer at the College of William & Mary, the 2012 Shirley Aceto Award.
The award, which was established in 2010, is presented annually to an instructional or professional faculty member “who demonstrates most fully a commitment to excellence in service for the common good.”
“I cannot imagine a more deserving candidate for an award intended to honor service to the campus community,” said Broaddus in his recommendation letter.
Glover said that she was “completely surprised and humbled and honored at the same time” when she was notified about the award.
“I am very thankful,” said Glover. “I guess you just never know who’s watching or noticing the efforts that you are trying to make. For me, I’m just trying to do my job. I’m trying to make William & Mary a better place.”
After receiving her undergraduate degree in sociology from Presbyterian College in 1990, Glover went on to earn her master’s and doctoral degrees in education from the College of William & Mary.
She began her career at the College in 1999 as the director of multicultural affairs and international student services. In 2004, she became the director of multicultural affairs and assistant to the president. Four years later, she served as the interim assistant vice president for student affairs.
In 2009, she assumed her current position, in which she is responsible for numerous diversity-related tasks, including overseeing the implementation of the diversity challenge outlined in the College’s strategic plan, co-chairing the campus-wide diversity committee, helping to coordinate faculty diversity initiatives and supporting academic departments and offices on campus as they work toward their diversity goals. In addition, Glover serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Education and as an instructor for the Christopher Wren Association.
As a recognized leader on campus, Glover is involved in numerous boards and committees at William & Mary. For example, she is a senior officer in President Taylor Reveley’s cabinet, a co-chair of the college-wide diversity committee, chair of the strategic planning subcommittee on diversity and faculty advisor for the Eta Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society.
John Riofrio, assistant professor of Latino and Hispanic studies, said in his recommendation letter for the award that Glover helped to make him feel immediately welcome on the campus by organizing events such as a reception for faculty of color.
“Chon made it clear to us that we had a home here at William & Mary,” he said.
Riofrio noted that Glover’s commitment to the College cannot be measured just by her years at the school, but by the “sheer ubiquity of Chon’s presence on campus,” noting that she can be seen at most events on campus, from those that draw national attention to smaller ones.
“She is kind and engaging, supportive and perceptive, enthusiastic and passionate, and I can think of no one on campus who has worked so hard for so long to uphold the values central to the Shirley Aceto award,” he said.
Glover said that her work at William & Mary is inspired by her belief in the College.
“I believe in this place,” she said. “I think it really is a place of possibilities.”
She said that she has stayed at the College for so long because she wants to see the College “get even better in all aspects.”
“I want it to be a place of inclusive excellence, in and out of the classroom, and so that’s what I’ve tried to devote my efforts and time to,” she said. “I think the College has made significant strides in the area of diversity. I think we still have a way to go, but I feel that there’s been a collaborative and a cooperative spirit amongst faculty, staff and students to really engage in these conversations, and so it’s been a good experience.”
In addition to her work on campus, Glover also is highly active in community and civic groups. For instance, she is an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Williamsburg Community Foundation Board and the All-Together Board. She currently serves as the president of the Williamsburg chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Glover noted that she has a personal commitment to the issues that she tackles on and off of campus.
“It probably helps when that is the case because you are passionate about what you do, so you push yourself to do as much as you can to make things better,” she said.
