Have you met Emily Ball, the university’s Community Relations Officer? Spend the next few minutes getting to know her better.
Where is your favorite place on campus?
My favourite place on campus goes back to my undergrad years… I used to study on the second floor of Rutherford South, where all of the big beautiful paintings are — and it provided a nice sense of inspiration to have that artwork around you as you were studying. And it was a large airy space too, so that was really appealing to me. So that goes back to my undergraduate days, for sure.
Now, as an employee, certainly I think Quad is probably my best place. I just think it’s amazing.
Tablet or paper?
Oh, paper. One hundred times paper [laughs]. I’m a paper person — always have been. And still am. I always joke to people that when personal day timers were a big thing and people were getting into Blackberries, at the time, I used to drop my calendar and go “oops!” pick it up, and say “all my information’s still here!” because if you dropped your Blackberry — “oops, it’s all gone.”
Name one thing you’ve brought to work from home.
People are going to laugh. People are going to think I’m crazy, because this is my prized possession:
These photos of me and Barry Manilow. [Laughs] Approximately ten years ago, I went to Vegas for my sister’s birthday, and I said “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to go see Barry Manilow.” He’s my favourite singer of all time. He brought me through my troubled teenage years. And so [my sister’s birthday group] said “okay.” And people [at the concert] were taking pictures and getting these [points to photos] when they walked out — and it’s designed to look like he’s looking at you… This is my favourite — and what’s it called [looks at cover], “Music and Passion” [laughs]. So my picture from the 2010 Barry Manilow concert is my item from home. I took it down for a while, but now that you mention it, I’m going to put it back up. Anybody’s welcome to come take a look at it, if they wish.
What is the one thing you can’t live without?
Keep in mind, I did not get my first cell phone until — are you ready? — I was 50 years old. I never had a [cell] phone until I was 50. And it was at that point where my kids were saying “clearly, what’s wrong with you?” So, slowly, but surely, they’ve been teaching me [to use my smartphone]. And now, the phone has become a really essential piece — not for work — it’s a way for me to connect with my kids throughout the day. So I would say that that has become the thing that I cannot do without.
The other thing is my lunch bag. I mean, I’m all about the food. If I didn’t have my lunch every day, I would lose it.
If you won airfare to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If I could really go anywhere… The South Pole. My husband and I have talked a lot about that; trying to do one of those eco tours to the South Pole. Because that’s the extreme, that is really out there. But out of this world — if I could afford it, I’d be going to space. I’d be on the first passenger shuttle. One hundred percent — if Elon Musk had his company up and running, I’d be on the first one. I wouldn’t go out there to live, just to see what it’s all about, and then come back.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
From a sentimental perspective, I’d have my mother in a second. I lost her in the summer time, so I would have her back to my home in a minute. But for my family, I know that they would all love to have Bono come to dinner. They’re all U2 people. So Bono for the family, and my mother for myself.
If you could switch jobs with someone else on campus for a week, what would you do?
There is an academic here who, some of his research and some of his lectures are about humour. So I’d love to be Billy Strean; I’d love to understand humour more. I’m also a life time student of human nature. I’m fascinated by the choices that human beings make and how they impact one another’s lives. So, probably a Sociology professor too.
What does “uplifting the whole people” mean to you?
As a parent of teenagers, ushering them into the next portion of their lives, when they come here — and hopefully they will — I think what I’m going to explain to them is that “uplifting the whole people” is a foundational piece of the institution because, while you’re here, you may start one place and end up in a different place. And the journey is going to be amazing. It’s going to be hard, but the journey will be amazing because you’re really going to find out what you’re passionate about. And when you find that out, this university really lets you zero in on that. All the resources are here.
So I guess what it means to me is allowing a young person — I’m going to say “young,” because they’re usually young — to have every opportunity available to them to be able to find the one or two things that they’re really passionate about and then really allow them to gain that deep understanding about it, and see what they can do with it.
If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
The one problem that I get a lot of anxiety thinking about and that really bothers me is human trafficking. I find that it is just an absolutely appalling piece of the human existence. Mostly the impact on women and young girls — if I could stop that, I think that would change our planet. If girls and women who are forced into that actually had the power to do something, I think that would really change our world.
What 3 words best describe your U of A experience?
Opportunity. Eye-opening. Impactful.
About Emily Ball
Lifelong Edmontonian, Emily Ball has been the Community Relations Officer for the University of Alberta for over 18 years. She develops consultation/communications plans regarding the planning of all U of A campuses and land assets and other major university initiatives involving substantial development and amendments to the Long Range Development Plan. She also provides support and guidance as needed to others on campus performing consultations, including students and academics.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.