University names new dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering

Kenneth S. Ball was recently selected to succeed Lloyd Griffiths as dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering. The announcement marks the second dean selection of 2012.

Ball, current head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and L.S. Randolph professor at Virginia Tech, will begin his role as dean of the Volgenau School on Aug. 10, 2012. He succeeds Lloyd Griffiths, who has been the dean of the school since 1997.

Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Ball received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University. He served as the Temple Foundation Endowed Faculty Fellow in Engineering No. 5 at the University of Texas at Austin.

Ball is also a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a registered professional engineer.

“[Ball] has been in higher-ed since the mid-1980’s when he was a grad assistant at Drexel,” said Press Secretary Dan Walsch. “He’s very, very qualified and has solid credentials.”

The announcement of Ball as Volgeneau’s new dean follows the Jan. appointment of Thomas Prohaska, Ph.D., as dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Prohaska will assume his dean position July 1, 2012. He succeeds Dr. Shirley Travis, who is retiring.

Prohaska comes from the University of Chicago at Illinios where he is a professor of community health sciences within the School of Public Health. He is also co-director of the Center for Research on Health and Aging.

“While the search committee reviewed the credentials of many highly qualified candidates interested in this exciting opportunity to join our university, Dr. Prohaska’s background, experiences and outstanding reputation in fields critical to the college make him ideally suited and well-prepared to lead CHHS during the next era,” said College of Education and Human Development Dean Mark Ginsberg in a university statement.