Tennessee State University (TSU) President Glenda Glover announced her retirement from the position after a decade of service Monday.
“Serving as president of TSU has been an honor of a lifetime. Words cannot express the emotions I have as I stand before you this morning. TSU prepared me for every accomplishment I have achieved throughout my career. This is indeed more than a full circle moment for me,” said Glover.
Glover was born in South Memphis and later moved to Nashville to attend college at TSU where she would graduate in 1974.
She returned to serve as the first female president in university history in 2013 following a high-ranking career in the corporate sector and serving as the Dean of the College of Business at Jackson State University in Mississippi.
In 2022, Glover was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Vice Chair of the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Glover intends to continue her civic work providing a national platform to fight for equal access in education.
“It was a decision that did not come lightly. And it was not made very easily. My voice is now needed on a much more national platform,” said Glover. “My skillset, my leadership ability, my voice is needed now more than ever for a much larger platform as we fight to protect access and equity in higher education.”
Glover’s decision to retire produced emotional reactions from TSU students, alumni, faculty, and politicians, including some who praised her work at TSU and others who feel she still has an important impact to make.
“See some people get it mixed up. Someone people call it retirement, I call it “rewirement.” She is not retiring, she is rewiring. She’s got other things to do on a grander scale,” said TSU alumnus Dr. Gerald Dudley.
“A mark of a great leader is to build a great foundation and I think we can look around and we can see the foundation she has built for Tennessee State University. I ask that you all embrace her in this next year and you pray for her. The students, the faculty, and the staff of Tennessee State University,” said Vice Chair of TSU Board of Trustees Pam Martin.
Glover will officially step down at the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
