Dr. Glen Elder was interested in the geography of sex, race and place. He taught classes in African regional geography, political geography, feminist geography and the geographies of sexualities, receiving prestigious teaching awards and garnering high student accolades throughout his career. In addition to being an Associate Professor of Geography, he was also an Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences before his untimely death in 2009.

The department established the Glen Elder Award for student excellence in the study of race, sexuality, and South Africa.