News for Ball State Faculty and Staff
| |
Stories of Gratitude
April 30, 2021
Our University’s third annual One Ball State Day on April 6 was a great success because of the generosity of so many people.
Our students and families, our faculty and staff, and our alumni and friends made more than 9,000 gifts, which totaled more than $775,000. Ball State received gifts from people in all 50 states and around the world.
Gifts made during the 24-hour fundraiser are vital to advancing Ball State’s strategic priorities. This generous philanthropy will help continue to transform our campus and community by supporting students, faculty and staff, programs, and athletics.
It is especially inspiring that a Ball State student made the first donation for this year’s One Ball State Day. I am grateful to everyone who supported our University on One Ball State Day.
I am grateful to employees at the Ball State University Foundation, to employees across the University who served on various planning committees, and to our One Ball State Day ambassadors who promoted our efforts through emails and social media.
To all of you who played a part in this year’s success, thank you.
One Ball State Day generated positive energy, optimism, and Cardinal Pride. We continue to demonstrate that Beneficence is not just a word we say—it is a value by which we live.
Sincerely,
| |
Ball State Response to COVID-19
COVID-19 Dashboard Update
In the 13th week of the Spring semester, COVID-19 cases have remained relatively steady. See the dashboard.
Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine
On April 19, President Mearns delivered an email encouraging Ball State’s campus community — faculty, staff, and students — to get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible. Watch a video of President Mearns sharing information about where and how to get vaccinated on our campus.
Vaccination Clinic Hours Extended
Ball State University has extended the hours of its on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The clinic is open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday through May 21, 2021, at the Health Professions Building’s Interprofessional Community Clinics, 1613 W. Riverside Ave. Parking is available on the east side of the building.
Vaccines are distributed by appointment only. Individuals must meet the state’s eligibility criteria and register by visiting ourshot.in.gov or calling 211. After signing up, individuals can request to be on the clinic’s waiting list to receive a vaccine sooner than their scheduled appointment.
| |
Strategic Plan Update
The Chief Strategy Officer division is pleased to announce a new Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, Analytics, and Decision Support. Effective May 3, Dr. Robert Smith will join Ball State University. Dr. Smith will play a critical role in the implementation of our strategic plan, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path, and our continued implementation in creating a robust data management and data analytics environment.
Dr. Smith joins Ball State from East Stroudsburg University, where he is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Planning, and Assessment and Director of Kemp Library. He has 28 years of leadership experience in institutional research, assessment, effectiveness, planning, curriculum management, program review, and faculty affairs.
| |
For Your Benefit
Financial Wellbeing Workshops with Fidelity
Join Andy Marsh, Retirement Planner with Fidelity, for workshops where you can learn strategies and tips to help manage your financial future. Fidelity is also offering free webinars this Spring.
- May 7, 2021 – Learn the Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security – 3-3:30 p.m. Register soon.
- May 13, 2021 – Create a Budget, Ditch Your Debt, and Start Building for the Future – 1-2 p.m. Register soon.
Tuition Remission
The Summer tuition remission deadline is quickly approaching. Ball State offers a generous tuition remission benefit for eligible employees, their spouses, and dependent children. A request for tuition remission must be completed every semester after registering for classes. The online request form is currently available via the Workflow system, accessed through my.bsu.edu. Online request forms will soon be transitioning to the ServiceNow system. Additional communications will be sent when the system change occurs, but for Summer 2021, please use the Workflow system.
| |
Upcoming Events
Spring Commencement to be held May 7, 8, and 15
Ball State is holding a series of smaller, outdoor commencement ceremonies at Scheumann Stadium for the Class of 2020 and Spring 2021 graduates. The ceremonies are on May 7, 8, and 15 and will be outdoors, rain or shine. All graduates and attendees of Spring Commencement exercises must wear masks. Learn more on the commencement website.
| |
University NewsR. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning
Construction Management
Sherif Attallah received the “Educator of the Year” award from the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). Attallah founded the MCAA Student Chapter at Ball State.
Architecture
Jonathan C. Spodek, professor of architecture, was appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to the 12-person National Park Service advisory board for preservation technology. Read more.
Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab)
IDIA Lab is collaborating on a $3 million National Science Foundation grant with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Educational Testing Services, and Indiana University to create simulations for elementary math and science classrooms. Read more.
Interior Design
Participants are needed for the “Lighting Effect on Children with Autism” research. Dr. Shireen Kanakri, in the Interior Design’s Health and Environmental Design Research lab, is looking for participants between 5 and 11 years old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research focuses on lighting, acoustics, and color. It measures the behavior and physical responses of the children when introduced to different environmental changes. For more information, contact Dr. Kanakri.
| |
Miller College of Business
Indiana Communities Institute
The Indiana Communities Institute (ICI) is offering webinars focused on a variety of community development topics. A three-part series sharing tips and tools for finding, using, and displaying data, wrapped up in late March. The one-hour webinars are part of the ICI Academy. Longer online training sessions and in-person courses are scheduled for 2021. More information is available on the ICI website.
Additionally, at the invitation of the Ripley County Community Foundation, ICI recently conducted its first on-site Community Development Course since early 2020. The multi-day Community Development Course is the result of an ongoing partnership with the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance that supports Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VII initiative.
CBER Policy Briefs
The Center for Business and Economic Research, Indiana Communities Institute, and the Bowen Center for Public Affairs recently published three policy briefs examining local government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- What Was the Role of Computer Technology and Internet Access in Complying with COVID-19 Directives? by Emily Wornell and Michael Hicks
- Local Municipalities’ Public Engagement During COVID-19 by Jacob Ihrie and Emily Wornell.
- Local Government Partnerships and Communications Early in the Pandemic by Dagney Faulk and Charles Taylor.
| |
College of Communication, Information, and Media
Esports Center unveiled
On April 5, Ball State held a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Esports Center on campus. The 3,611 square-foot Esports Center houses the Ball State varsity esports program and an innovative learning environment.
Awards and Accolades
- Students and recent graduates from the Departments of Telecommunications and Journalism won 21 awards at the 2021 Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) College Broadcasting Competition. Ball State was also named “Television School of the Year” for the fourth year in a row. Read more.
- Every year, the Information and Telecommunications Education and Research Association (ITERA) holds a National Student Case Competition where teams of students are challenged to work on solutions to real-world client challenges linked to cybersecurity. On April 16, the “Bulwark Consulting Team” — comprised of three Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) students — won first place in the competition.
| |
College of Fine Arts
Theater and Dance
Earlier this semester, Theatre and Dance faculty member Melanie Swihart led a partnership with PlySpace — an immersive artist-in-residence program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council, to bring guest artist Indya Childs of Peace, Love, Dance Atlanta to campus. Through community conversations about “The Creative Use of Difference,” Indya choreographed a dance filmed and edited by guest artist Joshua Cleveland. The dance film premieres on April 30. Tickets and additional information are available.
School of Music
The Ball State Opera Theatre will virtually present Mozart’s The Magic Flute from April 30 to May 14. This streamed production will take advantage of digital technology to bring visual magic to the piece, along with the talented student singers and orchestra’s beautiful music. Virtual tickets are available to help support future productions. Learn more.
Alumni Spotlight
Ball State University graduate Andrei Muravev, a bassoonist, appeared on WFMT Chicago in a performance streamed live on April 7. Watch the performance.
| |
College of Health
The Northeast Indiana Area Health Education Center (NEI-AHEC) in the College of Health has formed a partnership with Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU), Virti Inc., and the Wells County Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program at Bluffton High School to provide high school CNA students with access to the Virti VR virtual reality platform. The NEI-AHEC and Virti Inc. are providing access to the platform and Google Cardboard VR headsets for each student.
Awards and Accolades
- Dr. Lawrence Judge, Professor of Kinesiology, was selected as the 2020-2021 Excellence in Graduate Recruiting award recipient by the Ball State University Graduate School.
- Nate Brown, Lecturer of Exercise Science, was elected as state director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NCSA).
- Dr. Tony Mahon, Associate Dean for Scholarship and Faculty Development, received the 2021 AHEC Hero Award from the Indiana AHEC Network for his work as a Principal Investigator with Northeast Indiana AHEC.
In the Media
| |
College of Sciences and Humanities
New Minor in Health Humanities coming this Fall
Ball State College of Sciences and Humanities is excited to announce a new, multidisciplinary Minor in Health Humanities for Fall 2021. This 15-hour program, developed by Dr. Kevin Harrelson and colleagues, focuses on learning about health and wellbeing throughout history, literature, philosophy, and other disciplines to equip students for a wide range of health-related careers.
Summer Spotlight
Drs. Dave Call and Reuben Allen of the Geography department will lead a storm-chasing field study this summer, tentatively set to depart at the end of May. Their team of 8-10 students will travel an average of 450 miles/day across ten states and gain weather prediction, data recognition, and career readiness experience.
| |
Teachers College
Awards and Accolades
- Dr. Bo Chang, associate professor of Adult and Community Education in the Department of Educational Studies, has been awarded an Aspire Advance Research grant in support of her project, “Trends and Direction of Adult Education.”
- Department of Educational Studies professor Dr. Sheron Fraser-Burgess was awarded a 2021 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award for her book, Making Sense of Race in Education: Practices for Change in Difficult Times.
- Dr. Rosalinda Ortiz is the 2020-2021 Ball State University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Dissertation Award recipient. Dr. Ortiz earned an EdD in Higher Education, with a concentration in Community College Leadership in 2020, from the Department of Educational Leadership. Her dissertation chair was Dr. Amanda Latz.
- Ball State’s graduate elementary education program tied for 13th in the nation in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools Rankings” list, an improvement from last year’s ranking of 17th. Ball State also tied for 22nd in graduate secondary education programs and tied for 29th in curriculum and instruction — a specialty category. Learn more.
| |
Honors College
A recent Honors Undergraduate Fellowship collaboration of 2021 Honors College graduate Emily McGuire and Fellowship mentor Jennifer DeSilva has resulted in a referred 42-page article, Revising Mary Queen of Scots: from Protestant Persecution to Patriarchal Struggle, in the Journal of Religion and Film. Over fifty Fellowships are supported each year; their work is typically disseminated through professional presentations, posters, and articles. For details, visit www.bsu.edu/honors.
This year’s annual Odyssey volume is available on request at the Ball Honors House. Odyssey is an undergraduate-run journal produced by the Ball State Honors College, which celebrates talented Honors College students by selecting their best creative work. This volume, co-edited by Kallie Hunchman and Julia Tharp, includes the work of 21 students with majors representative of the University’s breadth.
| |
Athletics
Football Hosts Spring Game May 1
The defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State football team will take to the Scheumann Stadium turf on May 1 for the Spring Game presented by Northwest Bank, starting at 11 a.m. It will feature individual drills and approximately 45 minutes of competition between the offense and defense. Limited general public attendance will be permitted. Fans wishing to attend must reserve free tickets in advance. Face coverings are required, and COVID-19 health and safety protocols, including pod seating and physical distancing, will be in place.
United In Flight: CVC Membership Drive
On April 2, Ball State Athletics introduced United In Flight – a collective opportunity to INVEST, IMPACT and INSPIRE the student-athlete experience. Cardinals fans took the message to heart on One Ball State Day, supporting the department with a record 1,803 gifts totaling more than $162,000. The next phase of the initiative kicked off April 15, with the 2021 Cardinal Varsity Club (CVC) Membership Drive. The time is now to support Ball State student-athletes by renewing or initiating your CVC Membership. As part of the membership kickoff, Ball State is excited to announce an improved CVC website.
| |
Inclusive Excellence
The third installment of Ball State’s Inclusive Excellence Roundtable discussion series has been published. The fourth and final roundtable event will take place on May 13 at the Alumni Center. Like the others, it will be recorded and published on our website. Watch highlights from previous roundtable discussions or view the entire event.
| |
Achieving Academic Excellence
| |
Dr. Laura Bassette
People with autism are at higher risk of a sedentary lifestyle. Dr. Laura Bassette wants to find a solution to the problem.
An assistant professor of applied behavior analysis in Teachers College’s Department of Special Education, Bassette is finding ways to encourage adolescents and young adults with autism to exercise at their local gym.
An estimated one in 59 Americans have an autism diagnosis.
In working with younger people, Bassette hopes to develop a strategy for lifelong healthy habits.
“People with autism, just like everybody else, have the right to a healthy life. But they may not know how to exercise, or they may not be comfortable when they are at the gym—similar to a lot of other people.”
| |
|
|
|
|
