Dr. Jason Rivera, vice provost for student success and dean of University College at Ball State University, has been selected as one of 40 leaders nationwide for the 2026-27 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship.
The Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship is designed to prepare the next generation of higher education leaders to advance student success, strengthen institutions, and expand opportunity for students. Fellows were chosen from a competitive pool of more than 125 applicants based on their commitment to improving student outcomes, advancing economic mobility, and leading meaningful institutional change.
Over the course of the fellowship, Dr. Rivera will work alongside peers from across the country, engage with national experts, receive coaching from accomplished college leaders, and develop strategies focused on improving student success and long-term outcomes.
“I am deeply grateful to be selected for the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship and honored to join such an accomplished group of higher education leaders,” Dr. Rivera said. “I have long believed that higher education serves its highest purpose when it expands opportunity and helps individuals, families, and communities thrive. I am honored to join this fellowship and eager to learn alongside colleagues who share a commitment to meaningful and lasting change. Our responsibility in higher education extends beyond access. We are called to create environments where students are challenged, supported, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. I look forward to bringing new ideas and insights back to our campus community.”
With more than two decades of experience in education, Dr. Rivera has built a distinguished career focused on student success, academic support, and institutional effectiveness. In his current role at Ball State, Dr. Rivera works closely with faculty, deans, and senior leaders to align undergraduate education strategy, academic policy, student support systems, curricular innovation, and institutional priorities in service of learning, persistence, and degree completion.
Before joining Ball State, Dr. Rivera held key leadership roles at Rutgers University–Camden, Swarthmore College, and Montgomery College. His scholarship and applied research focus on student success, persistence, and the institutional practices and conditions that foster student thriving, with particular attention to relationship-rich practices, and care-centered approaches . He has written extensively on student success and care-centered institutional practices and served as a lead contributor to Achieving the Dream’s Equity Toolkit.
Dr. Rivera’s selection for the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship follows another national leadership recognition: in 2024, he was selected for the AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance in Higher Education’s Class of 2024-25, a program designed to prepare future higher education leaders through mentorship, peer networking, and immersive learning experiences.
Dr. Rivera earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Minority and Urban Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. He also holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the College of Staten Island/CUNY and a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Manhattanville University.
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is part of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, which works to strengthen higher education leadership and practice with the goal of improving student outcomes and advancing economic mobility.
Dr. Rivera’s participation in the fellowship will further Ball State’s ongoing commitment to innovation, student success, and building educational experiences that transform lives and communities.
