Ken Holland has been working to improve higher education in Afghanistan for 11 years.

So it was only a natural progression for him to become the next president of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.

"I want to be a part of that recommitment to the stability of the country," Holland said. "Ball State is to be commended for its willingness to help Afghanistan. Everyone I meet … always is very grateful to Ball State for all the university has done for country."

Holland has been at Ball State for nine years as the executive director of the Center for International Development, and has led the university's efforts to expand educational opportunities on a global scale, acting provost Marilyn Buck said in a university-wide email.

"Since his arrival on campus in 2008, Ken has been a strong ambassador for Ball State, helping open doors to countries around the world and bringing outstanding international faculty and students to our campus," Buck said.

At Ball State, he helps implement grants at Afghan universities to aid with their growth. Now, instead of giving advice to universities, he'll be running one.

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Holland first visited Afghanistan in 2006 and said his heart broke looking at the heavily damaged schools. Almost all of the faculty had left or been killed, and students were desperate for education.

Over the years, he's visited Afghanistan more than 60 times and has seen the education field become much more professional. Students have come to the U.S. to get their master's degrees and then gone back to Afghanistan to teach.

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"I saw the level of education rise tremendously when we started coming back," Holland said. "Watching the progress makes it very rewarding."

As president, Holland will help AUAF recover from a terrorist attack last August, when militants armed with a car bomb, grenades and automatic weapons killed at least 14 people during a 10-hour attack, according to NBC. The university just resumed classes in March after making significant security improvements, according to a university press release.

“Among the dozens of highly qualified candidates, Dr. Holland stood out as having the background, experience, vision and drive that AUAF needs to move to the next level of its mission of educating the future leaders of Afghanistan,” Huda Farouki, AUAF Board of Trustees Chair, said in a press release.

Holland will begin at AUAF June 1. He already has a network of Afghan friends and colleagues, so he doesn't think the transition will be too difficult.

"It'll be a more rich experience for me, having daily contact with Afghan people," Holland said.

The university will host a celebratory reception from 2-4 p.m. May 31 in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Terrace Lounge and Patio area. 

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