News for Ball State Faculty and Staff
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Stories of Gratitude
June 30, 2021
As we prepare for classes this Fall on our beautiful, vibrant campus, I am grateful for our colleagues at Central Stores, Mail and Receiving, which is part of Purchasing Services. Whether they are moving envelopes or desks, our material handlers get things where they need to be. These 14 dedicated employees have a variety of responsibilities that range from handling mail to moving and storing excess items, such as office furniture.
Summer is one of the busiest times for our material handlers. That is when many campus offices move as we prepare for the upcoming academic year. In the last 90 days alone, Central Stores has received almost 700 requests for moves.
This Summer will be especially busy for our material handlers, because they will be helping our faculty and staff transition offices from the Cooper Science Building into the new Foundational Sciences Building. Our campus community has always been able to count on our Central Stores colleagues. They consistently demonstrate a high level of excellence in their work.
I am grateful for our material handlers and everything they do to support our campus. Their dedication serves as an example for us all.
Sincerely,
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COVID-19 Vaccination Incentives Available for Employees
Our employee COVID-19 vaccine incentive program offers a one-time $100 credit off our healthcare premium or four additional hours of paid leave, and is open to all full- and part-time employees. To be eligible, employees must be fully vaccinated before August 1, 2021, and verify their vaccination by August 31, 2021.
Additionally, through August 4, 2021, eligible vaccinated employees will be randomly selected each week to receive exclusive benefits, such as parking permits, Tech Store and book store vouchers, culinary class sessions, and more.
The goal of our employee vaccination incentive program is to substantially increase the number of fully vaccinated people who are teaching, working, learning, socializing, and living on our campus.
Details about the incentives, eligibility, drawings, and prizes—plus frequently asked questions about our program—are available on the Ball State website.
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For Your BenefitOrganizational Development and Learning: Professional Enhancement Program
The certificate program requires 12 semester hours of Ball State course work offered by the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management in the Miller College of Business. Required courses include Microcomputer Applications for Business, Introduction to Business with Integrated Computer Applications, Business Information Systems, and Foundations of Business Communications. To date, 18 Ball State employees have completed the program, which started in 1995.
If you would like more information on this program, please contact Breanne Holloway, assistant director of Organizational Development and Learning, at bholloway1@bsu.edu or 285-1819.
Wellbeing Programs to support you
Working Well offers free wellness coaching to help you find your motivation and stay on track.
Join on Zoom for weekly mindful meditations. Be part of the weekly “Self-Care for your Mind” series, featuring discussions on topics such as caregiving, dealing with change, self-compassion, and burnout. Visit our website for dates, times, and registration
Financial Workshops for investing, consolidating debt
If you need assistance with investing or consolidating debt, Fidelity can help. Join Andy Marsh, Fidelity retirement planner, for a complimentary learning event. “Navigating Market Volatility,” Fidelity’s live, educational webinar is scheduled for noon on July 13. This webinar will show you how to save more in a workplace savings account and understand how to pull money out of the market. As part of Ball State’s ongoing commitment to your financial wellbeing, Mr. Marsh is available for one-on-one consultations via Zoom or phone. Appointment times may fill up and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Set up a one-on-one appointment using Fidelity’s online scheduler or by calling 800-642-7131.
Workshops for improving financial life
In partnership with Ball State Financial (formerly Ball State Federal Credit Union), Ball State Working Well is offering a series of live personal finance workshops designed to help you improve your financial life. Register for this workshop, hosted by James Davidson, assistant vice president of Financial Literacy at Ball State Financial. Mr. Davidson is a Ball State University graduate.
- July 21, 2021 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Register
- July 22, 2021 @ 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Register
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Upcoming Events Summer Commencement ceremonies planned for July 24
Ball State University will hold in-person Commencement ceremonies for all Summer 2021 graduates on Saturday, July 24, in Worthen Arena. Further details will be available on the University’s Commencement website.
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University NewsR. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and PlanningArchitecture Degree Program accepted into major licensure initiative
The Master of Architecture Degree Program has been accepted into the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) initiative—becoming one of only 21 Departments of Architecture across the country that has been granted IPAL program status. It typically takes a candidate approximately 13 years to complete the core requirements for architectural licensure. With the IPAL option, Ball State will offer an immersive new pathway for students to potentially earn a license in less than eight years.
Associate professor earns University Design Research Fellowship
Natalie Yates, assistant professor of Landscape Architecture, was awarded a University Design Research Fellowship with Exhibit Columbus. Her research focuses on dynamic landscape illustration and simulation, using sensing methods in the design process, including Geographic Information Systems, and UAVs (drones) in responsive design, and post-industrial urban landscapes.
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Miller College of BusinessBall State’s Professional Selling Program makes list of top professional sales education programs
The Sales Education Foundation has included the Professional Selling Program within Ball State’s Department of Marketing in the foundation’s 2021 listing of Top Universities for Professional Sales Education in North America. The listing appears in the 2021 edition of the foundation’s magazine, Sales Education Annual.
Housing education for K-5 curriculum serves as Ball State Spring semester project
“HOME WORK: Housing Education for Indiana Grades K-5” was the 2021 Spring semester project in the Ball State University course, PMGT 400 Housing and Society. Students worked with the Indiana Department of Education and a group of property management alumni as project partners to create ideas for incorporating a broader range of housing options into the elementary school curriculum. Carla Earhart, professor of Residential Property Management at Ball State, served as the housing content expert and facilitator of the group. As a result of an Undergraduate Honors Fellowship, elementary education major Hannah McKellar served as a teaching assistant and elementary education content expert for the class.
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College of Communication, Information, and MediaImmersive learning project documentary earns international awards
Transatlantic Storytelling, a 76-minute feature documentary, was named a Silver Winner at the 42nd Annual Telly Awards, and earned a Silver Award of Distinction at the 2021 Communicator Awards. The documentary is the result of an immersive learning, global storytelling project between students at Ball State University and Cardiff Metropolitan University in Cardiff, Wales.
Ball State graduates honored in photo contests
Telecommunications graduate Skyler Wilson earned the grand prize at the 18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine photo contest for his photo, Into the Crowd. The picture features two Native American women of the Oglala Lakota tribe, with red hands painted on their faces in solidarity for missing and murdered indigenous women.
Additionally, Rebecca Slezak, a May 2021 Ball State graduate, recently was awarded second place in the photojournalism category of the 61st annual National Hearst Journalism Championships. Ms. Slezak, who earned a $7,500 scholarship for her efforts, excelled in her championship assignment, “Chaotic Normalcy,” in which she was tasked with documenting the “new normal that represents the American experience” affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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College of Fine ArtsTheater and Dance
Through the collaborative partnership with The Cabaret, the Department of Theatre and Dance successfully fulfilled the learning outcomes for the Bachelor of Fine Arts acting, dance, and musical theatre students by providing an opportunity for each student to audition and perform for a Chicago and New York Showcase. Both showcases are available for viewing.
School of Music
Ryan Hourigan, director of the School of Music, will be the keynote speaker at the July 12 Midwest Arts Integration Conference. The conference will be co-sponsored by Butler University and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Dr. Jon Truitt, associate director of the School of Music and director of Opera, will return as stage director for the Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis. Union Avenue will resume live, in-person opera with performances of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia at The Big Top in St. Louis’ Grand Center district July 22-24. COVID-19 mitigation policies will be in place.
David Owsley Museum of Art
Learn what it is like to be a volunteer docent for the David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA). Watch DOMA’s new Docent Spotlight videos on the Docents web page and learn about the volunteer docent program, which is open to students, faculty and staff, and community members.
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College of HealthBall State professor wins 2021 MAC Outstanding Faculty Award
Dr. Lindsey Blom, professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology in the School of Kinesiology, was named winner of the 2021 MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. This annual award recognizes the outstanding efforts by faculty at schools within the Mid-American Conference who support students, enhance the collegiate experience, establish and support inclusive environments, prepare students for success after graduation, and promote lifelong learning.
Diabetes prevention course scheduled to start in September
The Healthy Lifestyle Center will offer a Diabetes Prevention Program starting at 5:30 p.m. September 13 at the Health Professions Building. The program—a 16-week course that meets weekly, followed by monthly sessions for six months—is free and open to anyone in the community. For more details, email hlc765@bsu.edu or visit www.hlcmuncie.com.
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College of Sciences and HumanitiesArticle on recreational fishing sector cited in international press releases
Key stakeholders team up to develop a writing center for Burris Laboratory School
The Indiana Department of Education-funded project to create a writing center at Burris Laboratory School is shaping up to be an excellent collaboration between Burris administration, Burris teachers, Indiana Writing Project, and the Ball State Writing Center. This year, English faculty members Dr. Susanna Benko and Dr. Jackie Grutsch McKinney coached Burris faculty as they launched an after-school peer tutoring program. Next year, the program will become a writing center at Burris, which will partner with Ball State's Writing Center.
Two books developed as part of Conservation Tales project
Biology professor Tom McConnell and Art professor Barbara Giorgio-Booher have announced that two books developed by their 10 students in the Conservation Tales project have been published and are now available to the public on Amazon and the Conservation Tales website. Professors McConnell and Giorgio-Booher will continue their project through the Provost’s Initiative Sustainable Immersive Learning Course grant, with a team of 13 students next Spring.
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Teachers CollegeTeachers College gets $2.9 million grant for student learning recovery
The Indiana Department of Education has awarded Teachers College a $2.9 million grant to fund COVID-19 student learning recovery programs. The programs will serve local students in Muncie Community Schools, the Indiana Academy, Burris Laboratory School, and Inspire Academy.
Books and journals published- Dr. Andy Markelz and Dr. Argnue Chitiyo in the Department of Special Education have created the Journal of Special Education Preparation—a new peer-reviewed, open-access journal in the field of special education teacher preparation. The journal’s first issue, published at the end of May, featured five articles that examined the integration of high-leverage practices in special education teacher preparation.
- Dr. Patricia Clark, Dr. Eva Zygmunt, Dr. Susan Tancock, and Dr. Kristin Cipollone authored a book, The Power of Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation, which was recently published by Teachers College Press.
Teachers College offers new scholarship
Through a new Teachers College Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Scholarship, DoDEA employees and retirees can take Ball State Teachers College online graduate-level courses for certification/licensure, and pursue masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees with a scholarship at in-state tuition rates. Teachers College is dedicated to supporting U.S. military-connected personnel. For nearly 20 years, Teachers College has partnered with the DoDEA to provide student teaching opportunities in Germany.
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Achieving Academic Excellence
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Brad Condie
Assistant professor Brad Condie’s film credits include “Lilo & Stitch,” “Mulan,” “Pocahontas,” “Brother Bear,” “Atlantis,” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Not bad for someone who “tripped into” animation.
Before becoming an assistant professor of animation in Ball State’s College of Fine Arts, Mr. Condie spent 17 years in the animation industry working on feature films and video games.
Mr. Condie teaches traditional 2D animation, 3D animation, experimental animation, drawing, and character design courses to undergrad and graduate students. Mr. Condie spent seven years as a 3D in-game character animator for Electronic Arts, working on games such as “The Sims 3” and “The Sims 4.” But his expertise in traditional animation was displayed in his 2018 award-winning short film, “A Drawing.”
With the theme of dealing with loss, “A Drawing” pairs pencil-drawn animation on paper with 4K resolution that intimately reveals the artist’s human touch.
Mr. Condie began teaching, he says, out of a desire to give back and share his experience with young artists.
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