Annandale, Va. (Feb. 14, 2019) – Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is pleased to announce that Frances Villagran-Glover has been named as the vice president of student services. She will be responsible for the overall planning, coordination and evaluation of all student services and programs. Villagran-Glover has more than 25 years of experience working with diverse student populations in K-16 settings and has a proven track record of creating strategies to improve student success, as well as expertise in management and implementation of organizational integrations.

Villagran-Glover will oversee the college-wide services of Financial Aid, Military and Veteran Services, College Records, Sexual Assault Services, Advising, Student Life, Enrollment Management, and Marketing and Creative Services. These student services related areas will now be enhanced by new and innovative communication synergies that will help serve the student population at NOVA more effectively.

“This position will play a vital role in redesigning NOVA’s efforts to move us toward achieving our vision of becoming a national model for student success,” said President Scott Ralls. “Dr. Villagran-Glover’s experience in instructional and student support will be important as she collaborates with academic affairs and other units to facilitate student success.”

Before joining NOVA, Villagran-Glover served as the associate vice-chancellor for special programs and success at Houston Community College. She provided leadership for programs supporting student access, equity and success. Her key areas included veterans, international students, counseling, disability services, student conduct and male minority initiatives. Villagran-Glover and her colleagues at Houston Community College gained national acclaim for their community and student-focused response to the tragedy and significant challenges of Hurricane Harvey. Villagran-Glover also implemented a community service and outreach program coined as “HCC Serves”.

Villagran-Glover is not a stranger to NOVA. She worked for the College from 2007-2017, holding several administrative level positions in the instructional and student services areas. Now in its 10^th year, Villagran-Glover spearheaded NOVA’s college-wide MLK Annual Day of Service program. She is also a recipient of the NOVA Alexandria Campus Jean Netherton Excellence Award and in 2017, she was honored with the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. 

Throughout her 27-year career in higher education, Villagran-Glover championed efforts in cultivating untapped student potential. In addition to NOVA and HCC, she worked at four other community colleges and served on a national level in workforce and academic support for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). She also worked on national projects designed to engage students in their communities through service-learning and civic engagement, facilitated faculty development and instructional technology programs. Villagran-Glover currently serves on the Commission on Structured Pathways for the AACC and has been a leader in focusing on the fundamental need barriers which limit student success such as housing and food insecurity.

As a first-generation college graduate, Villagran-Glover considers her family roots as her strength and they serve as a daily reminder of the sacrifices previous generations made to pave the path for access and success. In 2014, Villagran-Glover was selected for the National Community College Hispanic Leadership Fellows program. She is also an inaugural Melinda and Bill Gates Scholar recipient. 

Villagran-Glover is a native Texan, a proud US Marine Corps spouse, a mother of seven children (four attended NOVA) and a grandmother of two. She holds a doctorate in education from George Mason University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and a B.S. in community health education from Texas A&M University.

“I am excited to be rejoining Northern Virginia Community College at such an exhilarating time in higher education,” said Frances Villagran-Glover. “We are poised to achieve greater student success and enhance our student’s experiences through increased access and completion”.

###

Northern Virginia Community College is the largest institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America’s largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through the Extended Learning Institute.

 

With a commitment to the values of access, opportunity, student success, and excellence, the mission of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is to deliver world-class, in-person and online postsecondary teaching, learning, and workforce development to ensure our region and the Commonwealth of Virginia have an educated population and a globally competitive workforce.

 

For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College’s website, www.nvcc.edu.