BOWLING GREEN, O.—Dr. Robert Glidden, president emeritus of Ohio University, was awarded an honorary doctorate of higher education administration Friday (Oct. 10) at Bowling Green State University.

Glidden is a former dean of the BGSU College of Musical Arts, which had invited him to address its annual convocation in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Moore Musical Arts Center.

As a surprise for Glidden, the honorary degree was awarded to him at the convocation by BGSU President Sidney Ribeau, who described outstanding service and leadership in higher education from first-hand knowledge. The two men have worked together to better public higher education in Ohio for nearly a decade.

Visibly taken aback by the announcement of his honorary degree, Glidden acknowledged his gratitude, noting, “I am all the more honored because this comes from Sidney Ribeau and Bowling Green State University.”

Glidden began his administrative career in higher education at Bowling Green, where he played a major role, as dean from 1975-79, in planning and raising funds for the musical arts center.

From BGSU, he went to Florida State University, where he spent 12 years as a professor and dean of the School of Music, followed by three years as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Glidden became president of Ohio University in 1994. There, he promoted the use of technology, made a priority of creating a personal atmosphere for students, and led a fund-raising team that raised $202.3 million during a campus bicentennial campaign that culminated this year. He retired as president in June.

The Iowa native is known for the breadth of his involvement in higher education issues both in Ohio and nationally.

On the national level, he has been chair of the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and is a member and founding chair of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation, which coordinates accreditation across all fields in the United States. As a member of the American Council on Education, he has chaired the Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Center on Policy Analysis.

In Ohio, Glidden has served on the Governor’s Science and Technology Council and as chair of the Ohio Aerospace Institute and the Inter-University Council. He is also a member of the Ohio Higher Education Funding Commission and the board of directors of the Ohio Campus Compact.

Before coming to Bowling Green in 1975, Glidden was executive director of the National Association of Schools of Music and executive secretary of the National Association of Schools of Art. He had also been a faculty member at Wright State and Indiana universities and the University of Oklahoma after receiving his Ph.D. in music from the University of Iowa in 1966.

(Posted September 13, 2004 )