Q&A with Dr. Anand R. Marri

In his first full academic year as Ball State University’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Anand R. Marri is spearheading transformative initiatives to enhance student and faculty success, foster financial stability, and modernize the core curriculum. What are his main goals in this vital role?

With the 2024-25 academic year upon us, what is top of mind for you as you oversee the University’s academic pursuits?

I have four goals. My No. 1 goal is student success. That means our No. 1 goal is to be sure that we attract the best students, and we retain our students while helping them succeed once they are here. That’s a promise we make to them once they enroll, and our job is to help carry out that mission. The second goal is faculty success. Without faculty success, we can’t help students succeed. The next one is to lead the continued implementation of the incentive-based budget model for academic affairs with clear guidance. Let’s be honest: some colleges will never have a balanced budget because they are resource intensive and they offer very individualized and highly personalized education. So, I want to make sure Academic Affairs does its part to contribute to the financial well-being of the institution. And my last goal is to continue to lead the University Core Curriculum modernization process, reorienting our current approach to better and more efficiently prepare our students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives.

What specifically makes Ball State stand out among its institutional peers?

We offer a very accessible and much more personalized educational opportunity than a big research university does. Our strengths are the relationships that students are able to form with world-class faculty and staff, and their peers. Students have access to opportunities that they might not be able to have in a large research institution. That’s why we really have focused on student success, the reorganization of University College, and strengthened our student success initiatives under Jason Rivera, vice provost for student success and dean of University College. It’s a University-wide effort to make sure we have revitalized academic coaching and make sure that we retain our students, especially because a lot of our students come from first-generation backgrounds.

How critical is it for Ball State to continue finding courageous ways to reach and educate students at all levels?

We can’t stand still. Students have changed from five years ago, and the pandemic hasn’t helped, so we have to think about, ‘How do we better serve our on-campus and online students, as well as adult learners, now, while attracting new students?’

Our job is to help students that do not traditionally have access to higher education to get on the path of improving their lives in a variety of ways. And without being innovative and without staying relevant, it will be harder to do that. And we have a lot of competition in Indiana, especially from several big research institutions. But we have a lot of unique advantages that we will continue to expand upon.

What does it mean to you for Ball State to offer experiences across its curriculum that are transformational to its students?

It means so many things, personally and professionally. I’m a teacher by training and by nature. It is fulfilling to see students succeed in their goals. And it’s also exciting to see them refine those goals as they learn more about their studies and themselves over their time here. We have so many experiences like undergraduate research, Immersive Learning, study abroad and study away, visiting scholars, and professionals in residence that engage students in their curricula and communities. Our faculty and Student Affairs colleagues offer experiences that push students out of their comfort zones and beyond what they think they can do, specifically to show them how they can succeed. These and other experiences help create a better informed and more involved citizenry when they leave Ball State. That’s very gratifying.