PHX Reporter

University of Phoenix issued the following announcement on Sept. 1.

When Dr. Michael Mazzi attended the graduation ceremony for his doctorate degree, he found himself at an emotional intersection. He’d spent five-and-a-half years working toward his Doctor of Management (not counting the false start he’d had at a previous university) while holding down a full-time position in civil service. And while he had himself and his family to thank for this achievement, there was another person who was pivotal to his success: His University of Phoenix (UOPX) dissertation chair, Dr. Julie M. Ballaro.

The funny thing was Mazzi wasn’t the only one indebted to Ballaro. As he sat with five or so other graduating students who had worked with Ballaro, he discovered that her impact went far beyond his own life-changing experience.

“We were all sitting there talking, and we all loved her,” Mazzi recalls. “We started sharing stories about how she will call just to call. She’ll check up on you. She doesn’t just talk about your paper. But there is a standard there. You have to meet the standard.”

Ballaro’s personability, Mazzi assures, is not necessarily the norm among doctoral faculty. “I’ve met some interesting people who had degrees that were piled higher and deeper, but never did I meet one who was actually interested in me,” he explains. “And I think that is important. In the military, from day one, we’re taught that there are no individuals. There’s only a team. And a team does so much more than one … [Ballaro] didn’t treat me just as a student. She treated us as a team. And as a team, we were going to get through this.”

Staying out of the spotlight

As Mazzi’s graduation experience suggests, Ballaro’s team approach has resonated with more than one student over her 19-year tenure at University of Phoenix. Ballaro currently serves as the University Research Methodologist for the College of Doctoral Studies and has previously held such positions as doctorate chair, certified advanced facilitator and master mentor.

Given Ballaro’s rather prolific number of roles, and considering her deeply rooted approach to student success, it’s no wonder she was named UOPX Faculty of the Year in 2020. This distinction is awarded to just 15 faculty members out of more than 1,300 student, faculty and staff nominations.

Perhaps what’s even more interesting than Ballaro’s recognition, however, is her reluctance to discuss it. When asked for an interview, Ballaro declined, explaining her need to stay behind the scenes so she can focus on what her priority is: the success of others.

Original source can be found here.