Steve Ballard is a former

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

. On June 1, 2004, Chancellor Ballard began his new job, becoming the tenth chief administrator at ECU.

Early life and college

Ballard spent his childhood in Galesburg,

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, then attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, where he graduated with distinction in 1970 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. As

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

and captain of the

Arizona Wildcats baseball The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is the intercollegiate men's baseball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. They compete in the Big 12 Conference (Big 12) of NCAA Division I. Arizona has won four c ...

team, he earned three

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. A person who ...

s and played in the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is a baseball tournament held each June in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the culmination of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament—featuring 64 teams in the ...

during his senior year. After earning his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in 1976, he spent the next two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

Academic career

In 1978, he was named associate

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of the science and public policy program at the University of Oklahoma. Nine years later, he was promoted to director of the program and professor of political science. In 1989, he moved to the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

as founding director of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy, a post he held until 1998. While at the University of Maine, he also served as director of the University of Maine System/State Government Partnership Program from 1990 to 1992 and as chair of the Department of Public Administration from 1991 to 1994. He was recruited to Ohio in 1998 as vice-

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

for research and dean of the Graduate School at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

. Three years later, he was named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the

University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC or Kansas City) is a Public university, public research university in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and has a UMKC School of Medicine, medic ...

. His teaching and research have centered on leadership in the public sector, research and development and the innovation process, public policy, and the utilization of scientific and technical knowledge. He has authored five books and more than one hundred professional articles and manuscripts on such topics as environmental regulation, the evaluation of systems for child

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

, and public reactions to strategic defense initiatives and

arms control Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...

policies. On July 1, 2015, Dr. Ballard announced that he would be leaving his position as Chancellor of East Carolina University effective July 1, 2016.

Positions held

*Provost, academic affairs,

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*Vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate College, Bowling Green State University, 1998-June 2001. *Founding director, Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy, University of Maine, 1989-1998. *Director, University of Maine System/State Government Partnership Program, 1990-1992. *Chair, Department of Public Administration, University of Maine, 1991-1994. *Director, Science and Public Policy Program and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

, University of Oklahoma, 1987-1989. *Associate director, Science and Public Policy Program, University of Oklahoma, 1978-1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, Steve Arizona Wildcats baseball players University of Missouri–Kansas City faculty Bowling Green State University faculty University of Maine faculty Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Arizona alumni University of Oklahoma faculty Presidents of East Carolina University Living people Year of birth missing (living people)