Dear Friend,
We’re winding down a summer of fantastic activities and getting ready to plan the fall semester. We invite you to join us in celebrating 10 years of the College of Health, but many of our programs have been around for many more decades. We’re planning a series of monthly events to celebrate our accomplishments in education, community leadership, and research. This will include our endowed lecture series—the Inaugural Damler Nutrition Lecture, the Kirkpatrick Aging Lecture, and the McGovern Health Education Lecture. We are also planning an AI Symposium. For just plain old good fun, we look forward to repeating our very popular Block Party on Friday, September 11 to kick off Family Weekend. We will keep you updated on the coming activities and you will be able to learn more at this link. There will also be good times to be had reminiscing about the university during the 100th Homecoming Celebration, including the football game against Sacramento State on October 24.
The College of Health continues to enjoy increased enrollment. We had 697 students through for orientation who will be starting in the fall, along with welcoming our new Director of Student Success, Sarah Sager. Prior to joining us, she served as the Assistant Director of Student Success in the College of Sciences of Humanities. We are so glad to have her on board, as we move into planning a full week of welcome for incoming students, and launch our new curriculum to ease students into college life.
There are several other leadership announcements. Paul Nagelkirk is retiring from Ball State after 21 years, most recently serving for three years as Chair of the School of Kinesiology. He will be joining Calvin University as their Dean of the School of Health. While bittersweet for us to have him leave the nest, we are thrilled for his accomplishments and his continued leadership journey. The Chair of Kinesiology will be shared in the Fall between Lindsey Blom and Jake Lauver, but in the Spring, Dorice Hankemeier will take over. She has served as Associate Chair for several years, as well as, Associate Professor of Athletic Training, and Athletic Training Program Director. We are also thrilled that Lindsey Blom is returning full-time to the College of Health as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research and the John and Janice Fisher Distinguished Professor of Wellness. Dr. Blom served three years as Senior Athletics Director for the university and has previously served as Chair of the School of Kinesiology. Among her duties will be guiding the Fisher Institute for Health and Wellbeing as we embark upon a new chapter in its history as a center for community engagement.
The College of Health is always proud to engage across campus and with healthcare partners for the benefit of our communities. We have big news with the Interprofessional Community Clinic. We warmly welcome faculty and student practitioners from Teacher College’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Psychoeducational Diagnostic and Intervention Clinic who will be joining clinic spaces in the Health Professions Building. This is already on top of the even larger expansion of services within the Healthy Lifestyle Center, with the addition of Primary Care Services. We are so pleased when a plan comes together, and it has taken many hands to bring these expansions to fruition. Click to read more about the future of the ICC.
We are so pleased to welcome Professor Kara Landis as a Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Dean for the 2026-2027 school year. She will be working closely with Associate Dean Jake Lauver.
We can’t be prouder of our academic departments who have taken a thoughtful approach to solve problems for students. Dr. Alyce Fly, Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Health Science, has repurposed office space for The S.T.A.R. Lab. Graduate Assistants and other students will now be able to access needed programs for data analyses and be guided by faculty in advancing their skills.
Last but certainly not least, we bring you a fun adventure to Dublin, Limerick, and Doolin, Ireland with faculty members, Eric Klosterman and Tonya Skalon. They take great care to lead study abroad excursions with opportunities optimized for sport management, exercise science and health majors. This two-week trip was packed with learning and tourist opportunities. Read more about it here.
As we move into the next ten years of the college, we are reminded how important and cherished relationships are with our alumni, friends and donors. All the wonderful things we have done and all the new and exciting things in store are made possible with your generosity in donations, in time taken to be a preceptor, special speaker or community partner. We are grateful for each of you and so very proud of our 3,000+ students and 30,000+ alumni.
Stay tuned for more information about our year of celebrating a decade as the College of Health!
In Health,
Scott Rutledge
