Norrine Bailey Spencer, associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions at Virginia Tech, was selected to be one of the women profiled the American Council on Education’s "35 Weeks of Extraordinary Women."

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Office for Women in Higher Education (OWHE), which is a division of the council, the profiles are of women “who have made an extraordinary difference in someone else’s life” and is available online.

“Norrine has been involved with women’s leadership development through the Virginia Network for more than 20 years. She has made a difference in lives and careers of a number of women in the state. In fact, the Virginia Network is one of the model networks for all states thanks in part to Norrine’s long-standing and effective leadership. We are honored to have her as part of our network,” said Gloria Thomas, associate director of the Office for Women in Higher Education.

Spencer was nominated for the honor by the Virginia Network, an affiliate of the Office for Women in Higher Education. The Virginia Network is a statewide organization committed to identifying, developing, and supporting women leaders in Virginia higher education.

According to Patricia Hyer, associate provost at Virginia Tech and member of the Virginia Network Executive Board, “Norrine is an inspiration to anyone who has an opportunity to interact with her. Her service to women in Virginia will be long remembered. She has given us a solid record of leadership and commitment that has carried the Network Executive Board through two decades of evolution and growth. Network programming now touches hundreds of women leaders at many different levels from nearly every college and university in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

In addition to being a member of the Virginia Network of the American Council on Education, which she co-chaired from 1994 to 1998, she is also involved in her community. Since 1989 she has been a member of the Blacksburg Master Chorale, serving as co-president for two years and participating in three European tours. She has also served on the Session of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, as well as a Sunday School teacher; and she has chaired the board of Cooper House, the Presbyterian Ministry to Cooper House. Twice she was elected to the Blue Ridge Planned Parenthood Board of Directors, serving as chair from 2006 to 2007.

Spencer’s university service includes two terms as chair for the Commission on Administrative and Professional Faculty Affairs, chair of the University Appeals Committee, and secretary of the University Athletic Committee. In 2007, she was one of six university administrators and faculty recipients of the Advancing Women Award.

A native of Lewistown, Pa., Spencer earned a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in mathematics from Susquehanna University and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Syracuse University. Her doctorate from Virginia Tech was earned in the field of research and evaluation with a concentration in statistics; her dissertation was named outstanding research of the year by the National Academic Advising Association

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