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“First Gentleman” feels too formal. “First Dude” feels too casual. Glenn McGee, Ph.D., prefers “president’s spouse,” a title he says best reflects his role at Lenoir-Rhyne. “My role is to support the president across campus and in the community and to support our growth and success.”  

Originally from Waco, Texas, McGee grew up in an academic household — his father was an ethics professor at Baylor University and the first in the family to leave the Carolinas, where earlier generations had farmed. Returning to North Carolina, first during President Summer McGee’s tenure at Salem Academy and College and now at Lenoir-Rhyne, has felt like a homecoming.  

McGee spent most of his career as a professor of medical and scientific ethics at the University of Pennsylvania. His first book was published in 1997, the year after Dolly the sheep was cloned, a moment that reshaped both science and ethics. Today, his research has shifted toward artificial intelligence and how higher education can prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist.  

He and President McGee have been a dynamic higher education duo, having served in the faculty and administration at every academic institution they have served, until now. While academic life dominates their days, the couple found a shared hobby and passion—pinball— with several pinball machines now installed in the Cromer Center for students to enjoy courtesy of Drs. McGee.  

The McGees have quickly embraced Hickory, from its food scene and welcoming community to the region’s growth in technology and health sciences.  

“We have to prepare students not just for a major or a career but to have the flexibility to adapt in a world where majors and careers may be redefined completely,” he said. “We’re teaching them thought processes and adaptable skills for jobs that don’t even exist yet.”