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Dr. Chet Ballard, Professor of Sociology
Coordinator of the M.S. Sociology Degree Program
Ph.D. (Sociology), Texas A & M University, 1980
cballard@valdosta.edu
Office: (229) 333-5491
University Center: 1125
Download Dr. Ballard's Vita

 I am starting my 25th year at Valdosta State. My BA sociology degree is from Cumberland College in Kentucky, Masters degree in sociology from Western Kentucky University and Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M where I studied rural sociology and community economic development. I taught for four years at Longwood College in Virginia before relocating to Valdosta. My career as a sociologist, teacher, researcher, and community volunteer has produced over 45 publications including articles, research reports, monographs, and three co-edited books:, Giants of Sociology: A Little Guide to the Big Names in Sociological Theory (2006) with Lenny Steverson, The Student’s Companion to Sociology (1997) with two British co-authors, and Order and Change: Views of the Sociological Scene with Lawrence G. Ladd (1984). My most recent research is a study of community policing in Georgia published in an edited book titled, Doing Sociology (2009) and I have published a recent study of violence prevention in Georgia's rural public schools in The Journal of School Violence (2007). I have been president of the Association for Humanist Sociology and the Georgia Sociological Association. I am Chairman of the Board of Directors of America's Second Harvest of South Georgia (food bank) and a member of the Community Policing Subcommittee of the Valdosta Police Department. In 2002 and again in 2005. I served as President of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors and am presently the Vice-President of that organization. My spouse, Myrna, is President of the Valdosta/Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and we live in rural Brooks County, out in the sticks, at the end of a dirt road with two happy dogs and two grumpy cats. For fun and relaxation I take exercise classes at the Y, play consistently mediocre golf, and follow the Washington Redskins, Kentucky Wildcats, Texas Aggies, and of course, our outstanding Blazers.