Jo Ann M. Gora is an American academic and college administrator. She was the 14th President of

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

. Before coming to Ball State she was a chancellor of the

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus Un ...

, and, prior to that, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In the 2011-2012 academic year, Gora was the fifth-highest paid public college president in the United States, with a total compensation of $984,647. In October 2013, Gora announced that she would be retiring on June 30, 2014, after 10 years of service.

Education

Gora earned a bachelor's degree in political science from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

and master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

University of Massachusetts

Gora became chancellor in August 2001. This helped lead the way for her presidency at Ball State University.

Old Dominion University in Virginia

Gora was provost and vice-president for academic affairs. In 1995, President James V. Koch of

, took a leave of absence for a semester, leaving Gora as the university's acting president. At that time in

, Gora became the first female president of a doctoral institution in Virginia.

Ball State University

Gora was the president of Ball State University for ten years, from 2004 to 2014. She was appointed by the Ball State University Board of Trustees in May 2004, beginning her presidency in August of that year. Upon her inauguration at Ball State, Gora forwent a traditional ceremony and used the money to establish a scholarship fund.

Awards and honors

*Indianapolis Business Journal named her one of the 19 most influential women in Indiana. *Gora received the Walter S. Blackburn Award in 2006 because of her work promoting the

Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning The R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, also known as CAP, is an academic college of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Historic Preservation, Urb ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Center. *In 2014, the Ball State University Board of Trustees honored Gora as outgoing president by naming the Student Recreation and Wellness Center after her.

Publications

*''The New Female Criminal: Empirical Reality or Social Myth?'' *''Emergency Squad Volunteers: Professionalism in Unpaid Work''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gora, Jo Ann M. Vassar College alumni Rutgers University alumni

University of Massachusetts Boston faculty Presidents of Ball State University Year of birth missing (living people) Living people