Beverley Pitts, the university's associate provost, has received the recommendation of university President Blaine A. Brownell to succeed Warren Vander Hill, who will leave the post June 30.

Pitts' primary responsibilities will be in academic affairs, but as the second-ranking officer in the university and the person who serves for the president in his absence, her leadership role will extend to all administrative areas.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to work with such a gifted faculty," Pitts said. "We've come so far in building a very strong institution, so the potential for national recognition of Ball State in many areas is at its peak. I look forward to working with faculty, administration and staff to make the university shine in the national spotlight."

"Beverley has demonstrated a range of great strengths during her years at Ball State that makes her extremely qualified to guide our academic mission," Brownell said. "She's an energetic teacher and scholar and a dynamic leader who has been instrumental in securing more than $26 million in grants to fund innovative programs on campus. I look forward to working with Beverley as we place Ball State at the forefront of learner-based education in the 21st century."

Brownell must submit his recommendation to the university's board of trustees and expects the trustees to approve Pitts' appointment at a meeting next month, he said.

The president thanked the provost search committee for identifying three excellent candidates. Fred Kitterle, dean of the liberal arts and sciences college at Northern Illinois University, and Fred Maryanski, vice chancellor for academic administration at the University of Connecticut, also interviewed for the position.

"While any one of the three candidates would have served the university well, Beverley received overwhelming support from all of the campus constituencies that provided feedback during the search process," Brownell said. "I am confident we have chosen the best possible person to succeed Warren Vander Hill."

"It's heartwarming to feel that sense of strong support from people across campus," Pitts said. "I hope that my experience and the fact that people know me at Ball State means they feel comfortable working with me and feel I can bring the leadership they want from a provost."

Pitts received a bachelor's degree from Anderson University in 1968, a master's from Ball State in 1971 and a doctorate from Ball State in 1981. She has taught journalism at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and has focused her research on the writing process.

Outside the university, Pitts has been a consultant for the National Football League Players Association since 1983 and received the association's Award of Excellence in 2000. She also serves on a number of community boards, including the Indiana Youth Institute, Family Services of Delaware County and the Delaware County Community Foundation.

"I am committed to building relationships between the Muncie community and Ball State," Pitts said. "We bring 50 to 60 new faculty members to the community each year. Encouraging them to share their knowledge and abilities with the community at large assures that the university is doing its part to be one of Muncie's best assets. We know Muncie is one of the university's greatest assets, and together we can accomplish great things for east central Indiana."
 

(EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on this story, contact Beverley Pitts at (765) 285-3716 or bpitts@bsu.edu.)