Ray Ball to serve as UAA vice provost of Student Success and dean of the Honors College

The University of Alaska Anchorage is pleased to announce Rachael "Ray" Ball as the university's new vice provost of Student Success and dean of the Honors College. Since stepping into this role in an interim capacity in January 2024, Ball has provided leadership in advancing student success initiatives and shaping the future of the university's Honors College.

In her role, Ball oversees the Office of Student Success, which supports students through Academic Advising, the Learning Commons, Navigate360 and initiatives like textbook affordability and peer mentoring. As dean of the Honors College, Ball leads strategic planning and collaboration with faculty and staff to ensure Honors College students receive high-impact curricular, co-curricular and experiential learning in four tracks: community engagement, global and multicultural studies, leadership and research.

Prior to her interim role, Ball served in UAA's Department of History and has played a significant role in university leadership from serving on the Faculty Senate Research and Creative Activity Committee, co-chairing the Academic Computing, Distance Learning, Instructional Technology, and eLearning Faculty Senate Committee, serving as Faculty Liaison for Major Scholarships and serving on the executive councils of the Sixteenth Century Society and the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies. Additionally, Ball was the secretary of the board of the Alaska Humanities Forum and chaired its Program Committee.

Ball holds a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University and a Master of Fine Arts from UAA. She is the author of five books, numerous essays, poems, reviews and peer-reviewed journal articles, including one co-authored with four UAA students. Her exceptional teaching and research have been recognized with two Chancellor's Awards for Excellence, and her work has been supported by prestigious grants, including a Fulbright Research Award to Spain, an NEH Summer Institute fellowship and a Spanish Ministry of Culture Grant.

With a passion for student success and academic excellence, Ball's leadership will continue to enrich UAA's commitment to student achievement and innovative learning.