Dear Colleagues:       

     Ball State University is proud to be an active partner in Optimus Primary, a distinctive initiative funded by Ball Brothers Foundation. Optimus Primary engages our University as one of several educational and healthcare partners working collaboratively in the community to recruit more medical professionals to live and work in East Central Indiana.

     Ball State’s role in the initiative includes providing services to the community through our Healthy Lifestyle Center (HLC). The HLC provides direct patient care services to people while providing professional training and education to our students.

     Our University also supports the Optimus Primary initiative by managing the Maplewood Guest House, located on the grounds of Minnetrista in Muncie. The guest house provides short-term accommodations for medical students from Indiana University who are completing their degree requirements by working in healthcare settings in East Central Indiana. Ball State students studying in our residential property management and hospitality and food management programs handle the historic house's day-to-day operations and long-term management.

     Optimus Primary continues to strengthen the pipeline of healthcare professionals in our community. I am grateful that Ball State is in a position to play a key role in this initiative.

    Below are a few more stories I hope you will enjoy and share. Let your friends and colleagues know how “We Fly” at Ball State.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University

On Feb. 28, the Ball State University Board of Trustees authorized Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns to execute an agreement with Trademark Construction, a homebuilder based in East Central Indiana. The agreement will allow Trademark to construct 17 new attached townhomes and eight new single-family homes as part of the University’s ongoing Village revitalization project.

Located between North and Gilbert Streets, the new residential properties will accommodate different homebuyer preferences and price points. The development also includes new green space to be created by a partial vacancy of Dill Street. Site work is expected to begin this Spring, with the first homes available in 2026.

The new housing development is part of the University’s broader revitalization plan for The Village, a public-private initiative in partnership with city leaders and private developers, including Schahet Hotels.

The revitalization effort is transforming The Village into a dynamic district featuring new entertainment, residential, and dining spaces. Construction is underway on the University’s new Performing Arts Center and adjacent Cantio Hotel, both of which broke ground in November. More recently, construction began on a new Center for Innovation at the southeast intersection of Ashland Avenue and Martin Street, just south of the University’s Alderdice Gates.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

For the second time in program history, the Ball State women’s basketball team is going dancing. The Cardinals won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament title on March 15, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Ball State finished the regular season 27-7 overall and 16-2 in MAC play, capturing its first regular-season conference title since 2003. The MAC Tournament title is the Cardinals’ first since 2009, when Ball State famously upset perennial powerhouse Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 4 seed Iowa State.

The success of this year’s Cardinals team was evident in the year-end MAC awards, as senior Ally Becki was named MAC Player of the Year, senior Marie Keefer earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Brady Sallee was named MAC Coach of the Year. Ms. Becki also was named MAC Tournament MVP.

Visit the team’s website to recap the Cardinals’ historic season and follow the team on its NCAA Tournament journey. 

This year’s One Ball State Day (OBSD)—Ball State’s award-winning annual 24-hour online fundraising event—will take place April 2. Gifts can be made between midnight and 11:59 p.m. ET that day at oneballstate.bsu.edu. 

Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and supporters of Ball State are welcome to make gifts in support of a specific school, college, department, or area of choice. Gifts made on this day, which are tax-deductible, could also earn matching donation funds and contribute to the University’s overall fundraising efforts for the Our Call to Beneficence comprehensive campaign. Those who give are asked to share their OBSD gifting experiences. One way is to post on social media with #OneBallState and encourage friends to give, as well.

While Ball State celebrates all its donors year-round, OBSD is a special day for giving and highlighting the University’s impact on people and communities throughout the world.

Learn more about One Ball State Day 2025 and how to give on the event website.

The Ball State University Foundation has revealed the University’s 2025 “Top 100 Student Awards” recipients.

Established in the 2021-22 academic year, this annual awards program honors 100 exceptional junior and senior undergraduates who embody the spirit of Beneficence—Ball State’s iconic statue representing the generosity of the five Ball brothers, whose land donation helped establish the University. The complete list of Ball State’s 2025 Top 100 Students is available on the Foundation’s website.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

The David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) at Ball State University is displaying People and Places 1873-2000: A Selection of Photographs from DOMA’s Collection through May 23, 2025.

The exhibition showcases 40 photographs selected by guest curator Ronn Brown, a renowned television and film industry photographer. Born in Portland, Ind., Mr. Brown pursued a photography career that led him to Hollywood.

Mr. Brown’s selections for this special exhibition include works by notable photographers Margaret Bourke-White, Imogen Cunningham, Lotte Jacobi, Philippe Halsman, and John Coplans. The show provides a historical examination of the medium of photography and demonstrates its ability to capture a subject’s personality through gesture, facial expression, and setting.

DOMA is at 2021 W. Riverside Ave., in Ball State’s Fine Arts Building. It is open to the public from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays and 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturdays. There is no admission fee.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

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