Street clock at Quincy University dedicated to former president

QUINCY — Quincy University dedicated a campus street clock in honor of president emeritus Phil Conover in a ceremony on Friday. The “Conover Clock” was dedicated in honor of Conover’s service to the university community as a volunteer, trustee and president.

“Phil Conover has made many profoundly important contributions to Quincy University over a long and distinguished career,” said Brian McGee, the university’s current president. “This beautiful new clock will be a permanent tribute to Phil’s many accomplishments at QU. No president in QU’s history made better use of his time than Phil Conover.”

The Conover Clock was purchased and installed at QU using funds contributed to create a reminder on campus of Conover’s service to the campus community.

Conover was the university’s 23rd president from 2017-19. He worked as president to bring new financial resources to the university and developed lasting relationships with key QU constituencies such as local civic leaders, alumni, donors, faculty, staff and students. After 18 months in retirement, Conover returned to campus in 2021 to serve as interim athletic director, guiding the athletic department through a spring season dominated by pandemic restrictions and COVID-19 testing protocols.

A graduate of Unity High School in Mendon, Conover has spent nearly all of his life in west-central Illinois. Before serving as the university president, Conover also had stints as the chief operating officer, and as the chair and vice-chair of the QU Board of Trustees. He received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2019.

A long-time leader in civil and non-profit organizations, Conover has won numerous awards and honors, such as the Exchange Club’s Golden Deeds Award and the Rotary’s Joe Bonansinga Community Service Award. His many professional roles have included time as a high school basketball coach and a former dean at John Wood Community College. Conover also has held interim leadership positions at the Great River Economic Development Foundation and, most recently, the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce.