May 18, 2022
Dear Colleagues:
The historic partnership between Ball State University and Muncie Community Schools continues to yield substantial progress needed to build a brighter future for the children and families served by the district. MCS has been on a positive trajectory since the start of the partnership in July 2018.
During Ball State’s Board of Trustees meeting on May 6, I shared highlights of some recent successes stemming from the University’s strong partnership with MCS:
- A stabilized student enrollment: With 5,082 students registered for the 2021-22 academic year, this year is the first since 2006 in which the school district experienced an increase in student enrollment.
- A balanced operating budget, with annual revenues exceeding expenditures for every year of the partnership: The district’s fund balance has increased from less than $5 million in 2017 to more than $35 million in 2021, with a current “rainy day” fund total of $12.1 million—approximately 19 times greater than the fund’s total in 2018 ($653,000).
- Increased teacher salaries, with plans to provide the largest pay raise in MCS history to teachers for the 2022-23 school year: Prior to 2018, MCS teachers and staff had not received a raise in 10 years. Increased compensation, greater professional development opportunities, and a shared sense of optimism about the partnership have catapulted teacher retention rates from 67 percent to 88 percent.
I am grateful to everyone involved in Ball State-MCS partnership. These people include the district’s leadership, faculty and staff; its students and their families; and members and leadership within our Ball State community. Their dedication and hard work helps the partnership succeed—ultimately leading to significant improvements in educational experiences and outcomes for MCS students—and for our community at large.
Below are a few more stories that I hope you will enjoy and then share. Let your friends and colleagues know how “We Fly” at Ball State.
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Sincerely,
Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University
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Ball State Returns to Tradition for 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremonies
Ball State University hosted Commencement ceremonies for Spring 2022 graduates on May 7, when 3,400 degrees were conferred. The day began with the University-wide main ceremony at 10 a.m. in the Quad—the first traditional Spring Commencement ceremony since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—followed by three ceremonies hosted by the academic colleges at Worthen Arena.
Delivering the Commencement address during the main ceremony were wife and husband Deborah and James Fallows—veteran journalists who have influenced American culture through their insights on politics, foreign affairs, and life in cities and towns across the America. The Fallows each were bestowed with an honorary degree (doctorate of arts) during the main ceremony. Read more about the University’s 2022 Spring Commencement in this Ball State News Center article.
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Next Episode of Our Call to Beneficence Features Deborah and James Fallows
Esteemed writers Deborah and James Fallows appear together as guests on the next episode of the monthly podcast Our Call to Beneficence, which is scheduled for release on or shortly after May 26.
The podcast features conversations between host, Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns, and graduates and friends of Ball State who embody the spirit of Beneficence through their professional success and personal service.
Jointly and separately, the Fallows have a long list of lifetime accomplishments and have a commitment to storytelling. Together, the Fallows delivered the address at Ball State’s main 2022 Spring Commencement ceremony on May 7, where they each were bestowed with an honorary degree (doctorate of arts).
Deborah Fallows is a writer and a linguist. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications, including The Atlantic, National Geographic, Slate, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Dr. Fallows has written about language, culture, family and work, China and travel. Additionally, she has written three books. Other highlights of Dr. Fallows’ career includes being a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center, the director of data architecture for Oxygen Media, and the assistant dean and assistant director of Admissions at Georgetown University.
James Fallows is a journalist and author. As longtime staff writer for The Atlantic magazine, Dr. Fallows has written hundreds of articles on various topics. His writing has appeared in numerous other national magazines and newspapers. Dr. Fallows worked as editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report. He has written 12 books and won the National Book Award, the National Magazine Award, and a documentary Emmy. He served as chief White House speechwriter during the first two years of the Jimmy Carter presidency.
The Fallows co-authored the 2018 New York Times bestseller, Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America.
All episodes of the Our Call to Beneficence podcast are available online, as well as on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscriptions and reviews are also encouraged to help grow the audience for this podcast.
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Indiana Department of Education Awards Grant to Muncie Community Schools
MCS will use the funding for primary literacy transformation at South View Elementary, Grissom Elementary, and Longfellow Elementary schools. The grant supports a one-year planning phase, followed by a three-year implementation phase. MCS will receive $558,000 in planning dollars for the 2022-23 school year plus implementation money, over three years, totaling $7.5 million. MCS will partner with SkyBound Education for strategic guidance and expertise.
The Next Gen SIG program, a competitive annual grant opportunity, is funded with federal Title I funds as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Ball State University and MCS have been in a historic partnership, since July 2018, to transform the district into a national model for innovative, holistic education. Among the many MCS successes stemming from the partnership with Ball State are stabilized student enrollment; a balanced operating budget, with annual revenues exceeding expenditures for every year of the partnership; and increased teacher salaries—with plans to provide the largest pay raise in MCS history to teachers for the 2022-23 school year.
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Ball State Graduates, and One Faculty Member Among Nominees for 2022 Tony Awards
Two Ball State University graduates and a Ball State faculty member—who has already won two Tony Awards for her Broadway performances—are among the 2022 Tony nominees:
- Sutton Foster, (honorary degree received in 2012) a Ball State Theatre and Dance faculty member in the University’s College of Fine Arts, received a nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for The Music Man.
- Nicholas Hussong, ’07 (Bachelor of Science degree in Design Technology, concentration in Theatre), received a nomination for Best Scenic Design of a Play for Skeleton Crew.
- Megan Farley, ’12 (Bachelor of Science degree in Musical Theatre, concentration in Theatre), received nominations in numerous categories—Best New Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography of a Musical—for her work on Six: The Musical. Ms. Farley is the production’s associate director and choreographer. Read more about Ms. Farley in this Ball State blog.
- Brandon Jackson, '12 (Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre, concentration in Directing/Stage Management), is part of the stage management team for The Music Man, which received six Tony Award nominations.
The Tony Awards is scheduled for June 12, and will air on CBS-TV and Paramount+.
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Ball State’s University Singers to Perform at Carnegie Hall
The University Singers have been invited to perform, along with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 29. The invitation was extended before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the singers are finally able to make the trip to New York City for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Members of the Muncie and East Central Indiana communities are invited to attend a version of the Carnegie Hall set on May 22 in Ball State’s Sursa Hall. Tickets for the performance at Sursa Hall are available here.
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Men’s Volleyball Team Wins MIVA Championship
The Cardinals then earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where their season came to an end with a hard-fought 3-2 loss to eventual national champion Hawaii in the national semifinals.
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Women’s Tennis Wins MAC Regular Season, Tournament Titles
The team followed up that performance by claiming the MAC Tournament championship—its second in program history—by way of its 4-3 victory over Toledo on May 1.
The Cardinals’ successful campaign came to an end May 6, when they fell to the University of Texas, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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PBS Program Picks Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning for Mini-Documentary
The R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State has been selected to have a mini-documentary shot for the Dennis Quaid-hosted PBS program “Viewpoints,” which runs on PBS channels nationwide. Topics included in the program will encompass social equity and inclusivity, and design’s role in environmental stewardship. The mini-documentary is in preliminary stages of production. More information, including a release date of the mini-documentary, will be forthcoming.
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Ball State’s Certificate in Election Administration, Technology and Security Program Wins National Award
Two Ball State University programs dedicated to election integrity have received national awards honoring best practices in election administration and training from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
Additionally, the Indiana Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) at Ball State, another partnership endeavor between the University, the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office, and the Indiana Election Commission, was selected as honorable mention.
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Two Ball State Professors Receive USDA Grant to Research Prosperity of Rural Communities
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently awarded two Ball State University professors a grant to study the effects of economic and social stress on those living in rural communities.
Dr. Emily Wornell, a research assistant professor in Ball State’s Indiana Communities Institute, and Dr. Ellen Whitehead, assistant professor of Sociology, received a $650,000 competitive grant through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative for their five-year research project, “Rural Informal Work in Economically, Socially, Culturally, and Technologically Changing Contexts.”
The Indiana Communities Institute brings together many of Ball State’s top research and outreach activities to assist Indiana communities as they strive to improve life experiences for residents, businesses, and visitors.
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Ball State’s Architecture Build Team Awarded $50,000 in International Competition
An affordable, net-zero energy duplex family home, which has been designed by a team of Ball State University students and faculty, is one step closer to being built.
CAP’s Solar Decathlon Build Team for the Alley House project was recently selected as one of 14 (out of 28) teams to advance to the construction stage of the competition. Ball State CAP’s Build Team was awarded $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for the build.
The plan is for the Alley House to be built in the Indianapolis neighborhood of Westminster/St. Philip Neri on the city’s Near Eastside. CAP is now working to raise the additional funding needed to build this duplex.
This Solar Decathlon effort is one of Ball State’s immersive learning projects—high-impact learning experiences that involve collaborative student-driven teams, guided by faculty mentors. Students earn credit for working with community partners such as businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to address community challenges through the creation of a product that has a lasting impact.
Read this Ball State blog post to learn more about The Alley House, the Solar Decathlon immersive learning project, and the CAP students’ commitment to keeping people at the forefront when planning and designing structures. CAP also maintains a Solar Decathlon site with more information on the Alley House project.
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Register by June 1 to be part of Ball State’s Day of Beneficence on June 11
Ball State's Day of Beneficence will be Saturday, June 11. Alumni and friends are encouraged to perform a service project in their communities. Register to participate in a project by June 1 to receive a Day of Beneficence T-shirt at your service site.
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Popular Fundraiser Rialzo Returns, Held This Year at Ball State
Ball State University was the location for this year’s Rialzo—the popular fundraising black-tie gala for Meridian Health Services in Muncie. After being on hold since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rialzo was held May 14 in the Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility, located next to Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium. The gala’s theme was the Kentucky Derby. Rialzo features dinner, dancing, fundraising auctions and entertainment. Money raised from Rialzo will benefit Meridian Health’s addictions and recovery programs.
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Ball State Employee United Way Campaign 2021 Results Released
Results of the annual Ball State Employee United Way campaign for 2021 were recently released:
- Total Pledged: $153,297.84
- Retiree Contribution: $27,836.87
- Active Employee Contribution: $125,460.97
- Active Employee Participation Rate: 19%
- Matching Funds from Ball Brothers Foundation: $44,755.14 (not included in total)
- Community Campaign Total for Heart of Indiana United Way: $1.8 Million
- Ball State's Contribution Percentage of Community Total: 11.7%
The financial gifts and passionate advocacy will help improve the health, education and financial stability of the Muncie and Delaware County communities.
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Cardinal Compass Episode, ‘A Look Back at a Big Year,’ airs May 20
The May 20 episode will reflect on previous conversations on topics including the promotion of inclusive excellence on campus, how Ball State contributes to the community through the University’s immersive learning programs, and how Ball State’s partnership with the local YMCA benefits the community.
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