Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I write to announce the appointment of Ken Ballom as the interim vice chancellor for student affairs beginning on May 16, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. He is currently the associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students.

Dean Ballom will serve in this interim role until the search for the permanent candidate is completed and the new vice chancellor is appointed. That national search is in the final stages and I am confident we will have our new leader in place this summer.

Having joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008, Dean Ballom has more than 26 years of experience in student affairs. He previously served as dean of students at the University of North Texas. He holds degrees from Texas A&M-Commerce and from Western Illinois University.

I want to thank retiring Vice Chancellor Renee Romano for more than a decade of leadership and commitment to our students at Illinois. She has managed a large portfolio of responsibilities but has always kept the focus of her office on empowering and supporting those students.

Please join me in wishing Vice Chancellor Romano well in her next adventures and in thanking Ken Ballom for taking on this interim role for the university.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor