Professor Robert M. Ballard has been named Interim Dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University, effective July 1, 2003.

Dr. Ballard has been a member of the faculty at the School since 1976. He was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Zambia from 1977 to 1978. He has also served on the faculties of the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Indiana University, and Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Ballard received his undergraduate degree in History from Morehouse College, his M.S.L.S. from Atlanta University, and his Ph.D. in Library Science from the University of Michigan. His dissertation (“A Follow-Up Study of the Academic Records and Career Experiences of Students Enrolled for the A.M.L.S. Degree at the Department of Library Science, The University of Michigan, 1960-61”) has been widely cited.

Dr. Ballard has been the recipient of many honors, including the Meritorious Achievement Award of the North Carolina Chapter of the Special Libraries Association in 2001, the Roadbuilder's Award for significant contributions to the field of Special Librarianship and serving as a role model for ethnic minority librarians from the North Carolina Library Association in 1997, the Special Libraries Association Science and Technology Division's National Achievement award in 1990, and the Chancellor's Certificate for being selected as the leading researcher in the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University in 1988/89.