UAA Appoints Rachael "Ray" Ball as Vice Provost for Student Success and Dean of the Honors College
April 4, 2024
Rachael “Ray” Ball has been appointed vice provost for student success and dean of the University of һֱ Anchorage Honors College, effective immediately. She had served in both roles on an interim basis since January 2024.
As vice provost, Ball oversees the Office of Student Success, which includes academic advising, the Learning Commons, Navigate360, and initiatives related to textbook affordability and peer mentoring. As dean of the Honors College, she leads strategic planning and works with faculty and staff to offer curricular and experiential learning opportunities across four tracks: community engagement, global and multicultural studies, leadership, and research.
Ball joined UAA as a faculty member in the Department of History. She has held leadership roles in the Faculty Senate, including as co-chair of the Academic Computing, Distance Learning, Instructional һֱ and eLearning Committee, and as faculty liaison for major scholarships. She has also served on national academic associations and on the board of the һֱ Humanities Forum.
Ball earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Arts and doctorate from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Fine Arts from UAA. She has published five books and numerous essays, poems, and scholarly articles, including a peer-reviewed piece co-authored with four UAA students. Her work has been supported by a Fulbright research award, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute fellowship, and a Spanish Ministry of Culture grant. She has twice received UAA Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.
Read the original announcement from UAA .
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Rachael “Ray” Ball