Recognizing historic Ball State women as part of Women's History Month for their accomplishments.
Jo Ann M. Gora was Ball State’s 14th president and the first female president of any Indiana public college. During her time at Ball State from 2004-14, Gora pushed for more immersive learning programs, helped get many construction projects underway, including Kinghorn and Park residence halls, and launched the marketing campaign “Education Redefined.” The Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center was also dedicated in her honor in 2010.
Angela Ahrendts, a 1982 Ball State alumna with a degree in merchandising and marketing, was the CEO of Burberry from 2006-14. Currently, she is the senior vice president of retail at Apple Inc. However, she will depart in April to pursue other opportunities, according to the company press release. The Indiana native was named on Forbes’ 2015 Most Powerful Women in the World list and was awarded the honorary doctorate of humane letters from Ball State in 2010.
Lucina Amelia Ball was the second daughter of Lucius and Maria Ball. As an educator, Lucina Ball founded the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served as its financial secretary. In 1927, Lucina Hall was built to honor her, and it now serves as the Welcome Center for incoming students and houses many important departments.
After taking her current position as the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Ball State, Susana Rivera-Mills became the first Latina provost at the university. According to Ball State’s website, she “oversees all aspects of our academic mission, including supporting leadership for all academic units.” Before coming to Ball State, she was vice provost at Oregon State University.
Contact Demi Lawrence with comments at dnlawrence@bsu.edu.
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