News for Ball State Faculty and Staff
| |
Stories of Gratitude
June 15, 2020
As we prepare for classes on our beautiful campus this Fall, I write to express my appreciation for our colleagues in Enrollment Planning and Management, who have found creative ways to engage future Cardinals virtually this Spring and Summer.
Since May 4, our Fall 2020 students began interacting with each other through a special social media platform. Our dedicated orientation leaders created content for our incoming students, answered all of their questions, and supported the Office of Orientation. Preliminary results are impressive. Within the first month, more than 2,400 students joined the platform’s Ball State community. Videos by orientation leaders received over 70,000 views, and students exchanged more than 45,000 messages through public and private channels. These results demonstrate the special connection Ball State has with its students, even when we can’t be with each other in person.
The social media platform is one of many ways our University provides meaningful interactions to our incoming Cardinals, and more importantly, prepares them for a successful start to their academic careers. On June 1, our University launched an online orientation for students, a resource website for their families, and a variety of virtual sessions, and we are extending activities into early August.
I appreciate our colleagues’ hard work. I look forward to welcoming all of our students to campus this Fall.
Sincerely,
| |
|
Updates on Ball State’s Response to COVID-19
The Task Force on Recovery and the University’s Strategic Transition (TRUST) continues its work to ensure a safe return to campus. As the University makes decision, it will post updates to bsu.edu/coronavirus.
Recent updates to Ball State's COVID-19 website include:
| |
Strategic Plan Update
We are making some great strides in the University’s strategic plan. Here are a few wonderful examples of progress in Community Engagement and Impact (Goal 3) and Institutional and Inclusive Excellence (Goal 5).
Community Engagement and Impact
The East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center (ECISBDC), a part of the Office of Community Engagement, helps small businesses address challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, ECISBDC advisors have consulted with more than 150 businesses in its 11-county territory about the Federal Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance program. They provided virtual workshops on Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for partners in Winchester, Hartford City, Wayne County, and Henry County.
The Office of Community Engagement’s Building Better Neighborhoods (BBN) program nominated the 8twelve Coalition for national recognition at the Neighborhoods USA 2020 conference. BBN has been a part of the coalition for the last six years, connecting Ball State faculty, students, and staff with 8twelve projects to beautify streets, rehabilitate homes, and develop programs in the Thomas Park-Avondale and South Central neighborhoods. 8twelve Coalition received third place in the Multi-Neighborhood Partnership category and second place for its neighborhood newsletter.
Institutional and Inclusive Excellence
To maintain our commitment to leadership in inclusive excellence, the Office of Inclusive Excellence has rolled out the Inclusive Excellence Toolkit to assist departments, units, and colleges in implementing Ball State's Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan. The Inclusive Excellence Toolkit includes a self-assessment and analysis section to aid in the creation of school, department, and unit level action plans.
| |
For Your Benefit
Bravery. Gratitude. Perseverance.
When we understand our greatest strengths, we can use them to be our best selves. Each of us possesses a unique blend of 24 character strengths that impact how we think, feel, and behave. We can choose to look for the bravery, gratitude, perseverance, and hope around us. During challenging times, it’s important to know our character strengths and lean on them to support ourselves and others.
Stay Connected: Update Your Personal Information in Self-Service Banner
It is important for our community—our faculty and staff—to stay connected. You are encouraged to review your personal information in Self-Service Banner via myBSU if any of these situations apply:
- Have you moved? Or cancelled your home phone?
- Is your emergency contact person and phone number current?
- Are your W-4 deductions in line with the new form effective January 1, 2020?
- Has there been any change in your disability status?
Reminder: Vacation Deadlines Are Approaching
During these unusual times, the rhythms of our year are disrupted. But even if vacation looks different this year, Ball State University continues to provide robust vacation and/or paid time off (PTO) benefits to our employees. As you are aware, nonexempt staff and service employees must use vacation/PTO earned during the prior fiscal year by June 30. Professional and exempt staff must use vacation days during the 14-month period commencing with July 1 of each fiscal year and ending on August 31 the following year.
Remember to work with your supervisor to schedule your vacation at mutually agreeable time and in accordance with the needs of the department before the deadlines.
| |
A Message from Two Trustees
Trustees Matt Momper and Henry Hall are also parents of Ball State students. In a new video, they discuss why they are looking forward to on-campus classes this Fall and what it means to their children. Watch the video.
| |
R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning
CAP’s Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab) has developed Meet3D, a virtual collaboration space that brings people together to share, learn, and work—wherever they are. Meet3D brings remote participants together in a common space and facilitates a sense of physical presence. Private or public auditoriums, classrooms, conference halls, or offices can be joined by any group or audience on demand. The platform is available in both browser-based and executable versions. Learn more about Meet3D.
College of Communication, Information, and Media
Insights
Dr. Steve Jones and Dr. Frank Groom, professors in the Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS), recently published their 12th book together, but this book comes with a twist. The authors of the chapters are CICS alumni and experts in information communication technology. In this blog post, Dr. Jones explains how you too can use alumni outreach to support your research agenda.
Community Engagement
CCIM is piloting Ball State’s first immersive learning collaborative—a two- to three-year, collegewide partnership with one community partner. Read a blog post about the community partner CCIM selected and the model it is establishing in partnership with the Office of Immersive Learning.
CCIM News
College of Fine Arts
David Owsley Museum of Art
Through a new custom search page made possible in part by a grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation, the David Owsley Museum of Art can share its collection with art lovers everywhere. Visitors can now view many of their favorite works and learn about others by searching a new online collection. Guests can browse an initial catalog of more than 1,000 objects from DOMA’s collection of more than 11,000 works of art. Visit bsu.edu/doma/collection to browse thematic portfolios and to search the collection. Send questions and comments to artmuseum@bsu.edu.
School of Art
The School of Art’s virtual art gallery is live, showcasing the work of our many talented students and faculty. Visit the gallery.
School of Music
- Professor of Music Education Dr. Don Ester received the 2020 Outstanding Hoosier Musician Award by the Indiana Music Education Association. This lifetime achievement award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the advancement of music education in Indiana and who has provided outstanding service to local, state, and national music organizations.
- Under the direction of Director of Bands Dr. Thomas Caneva, the Ball State Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the 2021 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference in Georgia. This will be its third appearance at this prestigious event following a juried national audition process.
College of Health
The Healthy Lifestyle Center (HLC) is offering a free virtual yoga class every Friday through July 17, from 10 to 11 a.m. This course is open to Ball State and Muncie community members. Register for the class. Visit the HLC website for more information about HLC’s virtual services available during the pandemic closure of its clinics.
COH News
- Health science professor Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani was quoted by Insider, and several other media outlets, regarding the use of antiviral medications to prevent or treat infections. Read the Insider article, which appears on Yahoo News.
- Health science professors Dr. Jean Marie Place and Dr. Mengxi Zhang harness the power of text messaging to improve maternal health in Burmese women living in Indianapolis. Visit the WISH-TV website to learn more.
- Dr. Greta Slater (Social Work) and her team received a two-year grant of $174,713 from the State of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions for “Prevention, Education, Early Screening, and Reduction (PEER) of Substance Misuse at Ball State University.”
College of Sciences and Humanities
Anthropology professor Dr. Jennifer Erickson was awarded a U.S. Scholar award from the Fulbright Program to conduct research and teach in Bosnia-Herzegovina during Spring 2021 semester. Dr. Erickson’s research project, “The Good Life: Examining Everyday Life in Postwar/Postindustrial Zenica,” will examine life in Zenica, a city of about 115,000 people in the heart of Bosnia. The study will focus on the everyday practices of local residents during a rapid transformation as a result of the civil war that engulfed the region in the early 1990s. Read more about Dr. Erickson’s project.
Honors College
Projects by Ball Brothers Foundation Honors College Faculty Fellows Dr. Emily Ruth Rutter and Dr. Adam Kuban address social justice.
- Dr. Emily Ruth Rutter received a Ball State Creative Teaching Grant to develop Understanding Race and Becoming an Antiracist, a new course that will be taught in the Honors College in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 and in the Department of English and African American Studies program in Spring 2021. To develop the course, Dr. Rutter is partnering with the newly launched Student Antiracism and Intersectionality Advisory Council (SAIAC), as well as Honors faculty members Drs. Jackson Bartlett and Obed Frausto Gatica, both of whom will also teach sections of the course. In addition, the SAIAC is creating social media resources to engage current and prospective students in learning more about antiracism and intersectionality. These faculty and student efforts will help us realize our diversity and inclusion goals within both the Honors College and the Ball State community at large.
- Un Futuro Vivo (A Living Future) is the short documentary about obtaining drinkable water, filmed in Costa Rica last Summer by Dr. Adam Kuban and several Honors College colloquium students. It was screened online at the Show Me Justice Film Festival at the end of April.
Ball State University Foundation
Jean Crosby will serve as the long-term president of the Ball State University Foundation and the vice president of university advancement. Ms. Crosby, a Ball State alumna with a long career in philanthropy, joined Ball State in 2011. She has twice served as the Foundation’s interim president.
“Jean continues to demonstrate that she has the skills, the temperament, and the work ethic to lead the Foundation effectively,” President Mearns said. “She also has established credibility and respect among every University constituency—from the Foundation Board and staff, to the Alumni Council, to our cabinet and our deans. And she personifies our enduring values.”
Immersive Learning
Each year, the Offices of the Provost and Immersive Learning honor faculty mentors for exemplary work in the creation, mentoring, and execution of immersive learning projects.
In Spring 2020, six faculty received a $1,000 stipend and online recognition for projects having a positive impact on community and campus stakeholders from January 1, 2018, to July 30, 2019. Off-campus projects included a study of blood lead levels for local residents, the development of computer science curriculum for middle and high school students, and computer information systems projects for regional businesses. On campus, faculty and student teams prepared a report on Ball State’s sustainability and curated late show memorabilia into a unique audience experience. Learn more about the 2020 Immersive Learning Faculty Award Winners.
| |
Greg Zirkle is director of Executive Programs, a newly launched initiative from the Miller College of Business. The vision for Executive Programs is to extend the expertise of the Miller College into the business community with the goal of meeting needs and helping organizations succeed.
Through Executive Programs, Mr. Zirkle will partner with companies and associations to assess needs and then coordinate the delivery of expert content from the vast resources inside the Miller College. Content will include all disciplines of the Miller College, from entrepreneurship and professional selling to supply chain management and digital marketing.
Educational programs will range from asynchronous online modules to fully customized, on-site facilitations designed in collaboration with the clients to meet their specific needs. The mission is to create meaningful real-world change in business performance.
Mr. Zirkle has specialized in providing marketing services to small businesses and financial institutions for over 20 years. He has authored several articles on various marketing subjects and presented workshops on salesmanship, marketing, digital channels, and business plan execution.
If you have questions about Executive Programs or a business connection to refer, please contact Greg Zirkle at grzirkle@bsu.edu.
| |
|
|
|
|
