Editor's note: The name of Susana RIvera-Mills' new position was incorrect one place in the article. The school is Aurora University. This story has been updated.

Susana Rivera-Mills, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, will be leaving Ball State University. She has accepted the position of Aurora University's 14th president.

"This opportunity is a very exciting one for her," President Geoffrey Mearns said via email. "As our provost since July 2018, Susana has made many contributions to our mission, and we are grateful for her service to our University—especially to our students."

Her last day will be March 31.

In the next two weeks, President Mearns said via email he will announce an interim provost. He will also be appointing a screening committee shortly after to conduct the search "for the next outstanding academic leader to join us."

Rivera-Mills will begin her role as president of Aurora University June 1, according to Aurora University's website. The search for the university's president lasted six months, and Rivera-Mills was unanimously approved.

She will be Aurora University's first Latina president since the university's founding.

Rivera-Mills oversaw Ball State's academic mission as provost, according to her biography on Ball State's website, including developing and implementing Ball State's strategic plan as well as in academic innovation.

As a first-generation college student herself, Rivera-Mills worked on supporting first generation students through the first year experience at Ball State and guided academic units through an incentive-based budget, according to the website. She worked on ensuring equity and inclusion in hiring, promotion and retention for faculty and staff at Ball State and was focusing on student retention in order to improve improve retention and graduation rates. To learn more about her work at Ball State, go to its website.

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