In Memoriam: Professor Emerita Jane Ballinger
Professor Emerita Jane Ballinger, who devoted more than 25 years of her career to this university before retiring in 2023, passed away on March 5. For everyone who had the privilege of knowing her, either as a student, a colleague, or a friend, the loss is profound and deeply personal.
And if you knew her, you know exactly what that means. You know because she was the reason you changed your major. Or the reason you didn’t quit. Or the reason you walked across that stage feeling like you actually knew who you were and where you were going. She called out your best work and called out your excuses (sometimes in the same breath), and you loved and appreciated her for it.
To understand what she meant to so many, it helps to understand what she built.
Her Legacy at CPP
When Professor Ballinger arrived at CPP in 1997, the early years of a faculty career looked very different than they do today. She finished her dissertation while carrying nine unique course preps in her first year, spent long hours on campus, and did it without the formal onboarding and support structures that exist now. Those were the realities of academic life at the time, and she met them the way she met everything else: with cheerfulness and the type of tongue-in-cheek humor that is uniquely Jane. She finished her dissertation that first year, served on the Academic Senate early in her career, and became a central figure who went on to shape the Communication Department. She didn't just find her footing. She helped lay the foundation.
Professor Ballinger earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin and brought that rigor to everything she did at CPP. She taught journalism and public relations, championed The Poly Post and students' First Amendment rights, and was a 2006 recipient of the CLASS Outstanding Advisor Award. She was a stickler for AP Style and a tough grader, but students often said those are two of the best things she ever did for them.
Her contributions and impact went well beyond the classroom. Professor Ballinger chaired the college curriculum committee, playing a central role during the semester conversion. It was complex, painstaking work that required both deep institutional knowledge and the patience to work with colleagues across the college and the university.
She was the kind of colleague who steadied a room. Candid when you needed honesty. Steady when things felt uncertain. She was always the first to slow you down and the first to correct you when you replied to “How are you?” with “I'm doing good.” No. You are doing well.
Sara Garver, former dean and associate dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, who began her own career at CPP alongside Professor Ballinger in 1997, reflected on what made her singular from the very beginning.
“Jane and I started at CPP together, and from day one, she created something special,” Garver said.“She built a culture of community, belonging, and collegiality that defined the Communication Department for the entirety of her career. Jane didn't just love what she built here. She helped build what she loved."
“Dr. B”
To many students, she was simply Dr. B. And one class with Dr. B had a way of turning into years. Students who only had her for a single semester found themselves back in her office for career advice, life advice, a reality check, or just to be reminded that they were capable of more than they thought. She had an eye for potential that people didn’t yet see in themselves, and she always refused to let them settle.
Her influence didn’t end at graduation. She continued her mentorship to alumni who were in newsrooms, classrooms, and across various organizations and industries. She shaped careers and often stayed in touch long after they completed their degree. She showed up to the moments that mattered. She was proud of her students, and she made sure they knew it.
Shane Philipps, a 2012 alumnus, remembered her teaching as something that stayed with him long after graduation.
“She had a remarkable way of blending intelligence, creativity, and wit in everything she did,” Philipps said. “And the way she shared her knowledge made you curious, engaged, and inspired.”
Malak Habbak, a 2016 alumna, echoed that sentiment. “She was a pillar of the university who didn’t just teach journalism; she taught us how to scrutinize the power structures behind the news,” Habbak said. “To me, and to so many of her students, she was the backbone of our education and the fiercest advocate we ever had.”
Before There Was a Student Success Center, There Was Dr. B
Long before there were dedicated advisors or formal student success programs, there was Professor Ballinger, and a line of students stretching down the third-floor hallway of Building 1.
Students would sit on the floor, catch up on homework, or chat with each other while they waited. Nobody minded. Because everyone knew that when it was your turn, she would give you everything. She would sit with you, look you in the eye, and make sure you left with more than an answer to a scheduling question. She guided students not just through their academics, but through uncertainty, through setbacks, through the moments that had nothing to do with course requirements and everything to do with who you were becoming.
She listened just as hard and spoke just as intentionally to every single person who walked through her door regardless of their GPA, their background, or where they were starting from. She had no patience for excuses, but infinite patience for people. She knew exactly how to be hard on you, but in a way that never felt anything less than endearing. That was her gift, her superpower. Tough love, delivered with such genuine care that you couldn't be anything but grateful for it.
Always an Angel
Professor Ballinger carried that same fierce, unwavering loyalty into everything she loved, and she loved women’s sports, especially soccer. She followed the U.S. Women’s National Team across the world, traveling to Canda in 2015 and France in 2019 to watch them support the team in the World Cup. Although she could not make it to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (she really wanted to), she followed every game and was there in spirit.
Angel City FC gave her a team to love close to home, and she was there from the very start. She became season pass holder who rarely missed a game. The club knew it too. The tribute displayed at Angel City Stadium read: “In Memory of Jane Ballinger — ACFC fan from the start. Always an Angel w/ a hint of Devil.” That was Dr. B. Fully committed and impossible to forget.
What She Leaves Behind
So much of what her department has built, including the standards, the culture, the expectation that students will be both challenged and championed, carries her fingerprints. She changed lives. As she did for so many others. We are better teachers, better advisors, better colleagues, and better people because of her.
The Cal Poly Pomona Communication Department will honor Professor Ballinger's legacy at Alumni Night on Saturday, May 2.
Share Your Memory of Dr. B
Professor Ballinger impacted so many lives across so many years. If she was part of your story, either as a professor, an advisor, a mentor, or a friend, we would love to hear from you. To submit a memory, a lesson she taught you, or simply what she meant to you, use the link below. The tributes will be shared with her family and friends.