It
is with enormous regret and sadness that I write to inform you that
Associate
Professor Dr. Glen Elder died unexpectedly Thursday, May 21, 2009. Dr.
Elder
joined the UVM community in 1995 as Visiting Assistant Professor and in
1998
was appointed Assistant Professor. In
2002, he was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Elder was in the midst of preparing his
dossier for consideration this fall for promotion to the rank of full
Professor. Dr. Elder served as chair
person of the Department of Geography from 2005 until July 2008 when he
was
appointed Interim Associate Dean in the College of Arts
and Sciences, and was recently promoted to permanent Associate Dean
effective
July 1, 2009.
In
2003, he received the Kroepsch Maurice Teaching Award. Dr.
Elder was involved in numerous campus activities
including co-chair of the President’s Commission on Lesbian, Gary,
Bisexual and
Transgendered Equity, faculty representative to the Board of Trustees
Committee
on Socially Responsible investment, and a member of the United
Academics
bargaining team. In addition, he served
Vermont as the Board Chair of Vermont Cares and was a member of the
Samara
Foundation of Vermont.
Dr.
Elder received his undergraduate degree in Geography and English from
the
University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He earned both his masters
and
doctorate in Geology from Clark University.
His areas of teaching included political and urban
geography, women and
gender studies and African studies. The
focus of most of his recent research included the effects of border
policies
since September 11 on the economic, social, and political realities of
border
communities, in particular between Vermont
and
Quebec, and the development of a
historical
economic geography of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.
Our
University community will be diminished by the loss of this wonderful
colleague. Please join me in extending our deepest condolences to his
colleagues, friends, and family.
Information about a campus-wide memorial service will be
announced
shortly.