Ball State University Announces New Provost

Ball State University has announced its next provost will come from Oregon State University, after originally hailing from El Salvador.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

Susana Rivera-Mills will be the Muncie university’s chief academic officer beginning July 1.

She’s a native of El Salvador who says she only learned to speak English after coming to the United States as a young girl.

Rivera-Mills holds degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of New Mexico.  She’s currently vice provost for academic programs and learning innovation at Oregon State University.

In a statement, Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns says he was inspired by Rivera-Mills’ experience as an immigrant and a first-generation college student.  He also praised her passion for community engagement.

This will be Ball State’s first non-interim or non-acting provost since 2016.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Rivera-Mills’ current title at Oregon State University.  We regret the error.