BUENA VISTA, Virginia — As the sun rose on the campus of Southern Virginia University this fall, some 150 students gathered for an early morning hike that took them through the middle of town and along the Maury River.
Among the mostly freshman students beginning a new semester on that sunny and humid day was SVU’s new president, Bonnie H. Cordon.
Dykell Jones, a senior majoring in psychology from Enterprise, Utah, said as Cordon walked with the crowd, she introduced herself to students and then introduced the students to other students — “bringing people together so that when she left they had made a connection and hopefully a friend.”
“In every interaction I’ve witnessed, she has been an example of Christ’s love,” Jones said.
Cordon was inaugurated Friday as the 10th president of Southern Virginia University, a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Shenandoah Valley near the Blue Ridge Mountains. The University is aligned with the principles, values and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though it is not endorsed or sponsored by the church.
Cordon — who served as a general officer of the church for seven years — was installed as SVU president almost a year ago on Oct. 13, 2023, after the Southern Virginia University Board of Trustees announced her appointment.
Sustained as a counselor in the Primary general presidency in 2016 and then as Young Women general president in 2018, Cordon led Latter-day Saint children and youth through a significant season — responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing the Children and Youth program and launching a new Young Women theme and an updated “For the Strength of Youth” standards guide.
During that time, she also served on the Church Educational System Board of Education and as a member of the Missionary Executive Council for the Church of Jesus Christ.
At SVU, Jones said that Cordon has worked to create “a positive environment of love, belonging, and sense of pride in the university.”
Students have “many little interactions” with Cordon — who spends time “wandering around campus” and attending the university’s athletic events with her husband, Derek Cordon.
“Whenever I get a chance to talk to her, though, she is very personable, looks you in the eye, is friendly and welcoming and makes you feel seen as if she has blinders on to the rest of the world and it’s just two friends catching up,” Jones said. “I think that’s what makes her such a great leader.”
Outward facing
SVU Provost James Lambert called Cordon “outward facing” — especially at a time when the university is working to bring the campus “out of obscurity.”
“She reaches out,” Lambert said. “She reflects light and lets it shine. Our gem of a university has a lot of light that needs to spread through the world, and we need someone to let that shine. If there is something good that is obscured, she will bring it out of obscurity with her generosity, charisma and careful persona.”
Lambert said Cordon enters the world of university presidents with confidence, care and ability.
“As a woman not only leading a university but also guiding young people towards successful lives and careers, President Cordon is exemplifying a path for young women in the church,” he said. “This path includes executive leadership, careful strategic thinking and public authority. In a time when there are more women attending college than men, we are in desperate need of someone like President Cordon to show us that path towards success.”
Laura Whiteley, who chaired the search committee for a new SVU president and is now a Latter-day Saint mission leader in the Taiwan Taipei Mission, wrote in an email that the board was drawn to “President Cordon’s deep commitment to the rising generation, her understanding and vision of who they are to the Lord and who they are capable of becoming.”
There is “certainly important significance” to her being the first woman to lead SVU, she added, noting however, that she is an inspiration to all the students — both men and women — on campus. “Her leadership inspires everyone, regardless of gender or age,” she said.
Roger Johnson, an associate professor of biology and biochemistry at SVU, said Cordon’s “Christ-centered approach, growth mindset, and emphasis on inclusiveness” are key factors that make her exceptionally suited to lead the university.
Students, he added, have responded to her warmth and leadership. She is frequently seen walking across campus, engaging in personal conversations with students, and she regularly attends young single adult meetings on Sundays, he said.
Friendship
With energy and commitment, Cordon has “thought long and deeply” about the needs of students, said Sarah Maitland, an associate professor of English at SVU. “She’s exactly what the university needs right now to lead us into the future. … The students respect her. They listen when she speaks and are obviously inspired by her.”
That may mean an even greater emphasis on the service on campus, she said.
John Armstrong, a professor of philosophy at SVU, said Cordon has already drawn new attention to the university.
Her strength, Armstrong added, is her willingness to testify of Jesus Christ in her messages to the university.
“Nothing could be more important to higher education than encouraging young people to keep Christ at the center of their lives,” he said. “Too many colleges and universities hollow out their students, leaving them cynical and pessimistic about humanity’s future and life’s purpose. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the best answer to that cynicism.”
It is a message that faculty members say resonates with the student body.
W. Todd Brotherson, a professor of business at SVU, said when Cordon’s appointment was announced during a devotional last year, students “spontaneously cried and vigorously applauded.”
“I do not know all the reasons, but from watching this and listening to comments exchanged it was clear that already they felt seen, heard, connected and thrilled,” he said.
Cordon’s Christ-centered leadership is unifying, he added.
“I believe that she will lead the university to a more vibrant, influential and heightened visibility,” he said.
SVU family
Samuel Candland, a senior majoring in business management and leadership from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said students consider Cordon a friend.
“We feel like a family here at SVU, and a lot of it is due to President Cordon and her example to us,” he said.
The inauguration, he said, will be a “great opportunity for us to express our gratitude for her.”
Audrey McKeon, a senior majoring in business management and leadership from Laguna Hills, California, said Cordon is “devoted and urgent” about the importance of launching each young adult into a life of service and impact. “She always tells us we are going to change the world.”
A member of the SVU women’s soccer team, McKeon met President Cordon during a campus visit before she was appointed president of the university.
“Part of her tour was coming up to the fields to watch our soccer game,” she recalled. “We won, and after the game she came down to talk with our team. I don’t remember exactly the things she said, but I remember the influence she had in that brief time to empower and connect with each girl.”
Since that time, McKeon has been able to witness an outpouring of that influence on the entire university.
“I would be bold enough to say that I doubt there is a single student on campus over the last year who hasn’t had any genuine interactions with President Cordon,” she said, adding that she has embraced the university community “and brought each of us into the Cordon family.”
