News for Ball State Faculty and Staff
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Stories of Gratitude
May 18, 2020
As I reflect on the past several weeks, I am grateful to all of our Ball State University alumni who selflessly serve on the frontlines as health care workers and first responders.
Their life-saving skills and hard work reflect the excellent education they received from our talented faculty and the support provided by our dedicated staff. I am proud of these Cardinals who have gone on to have fulfilling careers and to lead meaningful lives. They demonstrate how Ball State is about more than educating students. We’re about serving our neighbors, near and far.
Their perseverance, courage, and sacrifice exemplify the enduring values that have guided our University through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and many other challenges. Our sustained commitment to these values, represented by Beneficence, will lead us through this pandemic to a brighter future.
As Cardinals, We Fly.
Sincerely,
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Updates on Ball State’s Response to COVID-19
To fulfill our mission to our students and to the communities we serve, President Mearns has created the Taskforce on Recovery and the University’s Strategic Transition (TRUST), led by Chief Strategy Officer Sue Hodges Moore. The taskforce will work in tandem with the Academic Planning Group to guide and coordinate Ball State’s transition to a safe and sustainable operating environment. TRUST is charged with providing recommendations regarding three major aspects of our planning processes: the safe transition of faculty and staff back to campus over the next few months, the safe return of our students back to campus in August, and maintaining a safe campus environment during the next academic year.
Watch the Communications Center Daily Digest for updates as they become available. You can also find resources and the latest announcements at bsu.edu/coronavirus.
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Strategic Plan Update
The final 28 proposals have now been submitted for the President’s Strategic Imperative Fund initiative. The SIF review committee will begin to review each proposal and provide a recommendation to President Mearns. As he stated in his April 17 email, the goals and strategies articulated in our strategic plan will continue to guide us; however, during the review process, we will also use these three guiding principles: student success, affordability, and excellence. The president will approve only those proposals that meet one or more of the three guiding principles listed above. All other proposals that have compelling merit will be deferred to the Fall, when the committee has more information about the University’s financial position.
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For Your Benefit
Personal Resources at Your Fingertips
Are you finding yourself in emotional, social, and financial situations that you haven’t experienced before? Could you use a little support or guidance on how to navigate these new waters? Working Well offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through LifeWorks. Support is there for you, any time, 24/7, for your mental, physical, social, and financial wellbeing. You can also browse hundreds of wellbeing resources in the “Life” section of the platform. Visit the Working Well website or log in to your LifeWorks account with your Ball State credentials. Download the free LifeWorks app for convenient access to a wealth of wellbeing content right at your fingertips. The app allows you to contact a LifeWorks advisor by phone with just one tap.
Make a Difference by Making Someone’s Day
Is someone making a difference in your life? Recognize a Ball State employee who is making a difference for you on the LifeWorks Newsfeed. There are 13 recognition badges to choose from, including being a Team Player, having a Positive Attitude, giving great Customer Service, finding Creative ways to navigate challenges, and demonstrating great Leadership. Log in to LifeWorks, using your Ball State credentials, to see the full list and share your appreciation for a member of our Ball State community.
Online Professional Development Resources
To address the realities of unexpectedly finding ourselves working remotely, the Division of Human Resources would like to provide University employees with resources that span across areas of expertise.
LinkedIn Learning: As a Ball State employee, you have full and free access LinkedIn Learning (LIL), which has organized a multitude of resources in learning paths and helps break the resources into bite-sized courses.
One such resource, the Managing Virtual Teams course by Phil Gold, is part of a larger “Remote Working” learning path. In this course, instructor Phil Gold provides managers with a clear approach for getting the most out of their remote teams. He zeros in on the key factors that will ensure productivity, engagement, and growth from teams.
EAB.com: EAB.com is a professional development resource that covers every area of a university’s operations. Serving as a great repository for COVID-19 related responses in higher education worldwide, EAB is available to all at Ball State. EAB resources are geared toward specific functional areas of a university: Institutional Support, Faculty and Staff Support, and Student Support. Visit EAB to see peer resources and other universities’ responses to the constraints caused by COVID-19.
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Honoring Longtime Employees and Retirees
Ball State would like to thank and recognize many longtime and retiring faculty, professional personnel, staff, and service personnel for their talent and their dedication to our University. They have supported Ball State’s mission, through celebratory and challenging times. Read more about our longtime employees honored for their years of service and our retirees.
R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning
CAP Chat
CAP is offering video chats with current students for future students and parents who aren’t able to make it to campus during this unprecedented time but would like to know what life in CAP is like or who may have questions in general. CAP Chat is open to students interested in pursuing majors in architecture, construction management, interior design, landscape architecture, or urban planning. Students can arrange a chat by emailing Lori Pence at lpence@bsu.edu with their preferred date and time.
Sharing Expertise and Experience
- Professor of Urban Planning Dr. Michael Burayidi penned a column in The Star Press about how coronavirus will change cities and the way we live. Read his column.
- Jeb Reece, BUPD ’20, writes about his experience working with his teammates on the Mosaic District competition while learning remotely. Read his article on CAP’s blog.
Honor for CAP Faculty
Lohren Deeg, associate professor of urban planning, won a Rendering Award of Excellence from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI) for his “Pavilion in Christy Woods” illustration using Morpholio software. This is Prof. Deeg’s fourth award from ASAI.
Miller College of Business
Innovate WithIN
A team of three high school students from Lake County won first place in the Innovate WithIN 2020 State Finals pitching competition with their proposal to develop a therapeutic glove for people with arthritis. Innovate WithIN was co-sponsored by Ball State in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the Indiana Department of Education. Ball State also works with Small Business Development Centers to make the competition possible. Read the news release.
Accreditation
The Miller College of Business and Paul W. Parkison Department of Accounting have maintained dual accreditation by AACSB International—a hallmark of excellence in business education earned by less than 5% of the world’s business schools. Read the news release.
College of Communication, Information, and Media
Podcasts to Take Your Mind off the Daily Grind
CCIM podcast enthusiasts share their favorite shows and the reasons you should start listening to them. CCIM has curated podcasts that will inspire you with new ideas and uplift you in wonderful, personable visits with folks in the know. Read more on CCIM Digest.
Serving the State
Dr. Dennis Trinkle and Dr. Steve Jones from the Center for Information and Communication Sciences are participating on the Governor’s Broadband Roundtable to address the many broadband issues related to the COVID-19 threat. The task force meets weekly to provide solutions in areas where access is a challenge and to make sure that all Hoosiers have access necessary for work, school, and health.
Frog Baby Film Festival
In lieu of its traditional screening at Pruis Hall, the Frog Baby Film Festival was presented on YouTube Live. The program included the screening of 20 films written, directed, and produced by students, and the awards ceremony. Watch our students’ amazing work.
Interviews with Alumni
What Happens After CCIM? is a new interview series featuring amazing CCIM alumni. Interviewees reflect on their time at Ball State and discuss their professional journey. New spotlights are released every Wednesday.
College of Health
Accreditation
The Department of Social Work has achieved candidacy status for its master of social work (MSW) program from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Read more about this first step to full accreditation.
Funded Projects
- 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 “Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Pilot Programs to Address Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion.”
- Dr. Anthony Mahon (principal investigator, Human Performance Lab), Dr. Jay Kandiah (COH associate dean), and Dr. Lenny Kaminsky (Fisher Institute of Health and Well-Being director) received $249,770 from IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital for “Muncie Community Schools Child Health, Physical Activity, and Nutrition Education Initiative: An Innovative In-School Program.”
- Dr. Brandon Kistler (Nutrition and Health Science) and Dr. Andrew Del Pozzi (Kinesiology) received $2,000 from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for a pilot study on the effects of beverage temperature on postprandial hemodynamics (how blood circulates after a meal) in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Recognition for COH Faculty, Alumni, and Students
- Dr. James Johnson (Kinesiology) was named research fellow for the College Sport Research Institute.
- Dr. Kevin Gries received the 2019-2020 Ball State University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Dissertation Award.
- Radiography students Tamara Mayberry and Abbie True were awarded scholarships from the Indiana Society of Radiologic Technologists. The ISRT presented three scholarships to eligible applicants from 20 programs in Indiana.
College of Sciences and Humanities
Take a Poetry Break
Ball State English staff and faculty have been sharing poetry readings on their YouTube Channel. Next time you’re feeling stressed out or need a mental wellness break, visit the channel to hear the calming words of #BSUEnglish.
#YourUniverse
The Charles W. Brown Planetarium has a new online series, “#YourUniverse.” With posts every day, you will learn about space, partake in trivia and activities, and even have the chance to join the staff in hangout sessions where you can ask your space questions live. To follow along, visit any one of the Brown Planetarium social medial accounts on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Free Science Teaching Resources
The Ball State students and faculty behind Conservation Tales, a children's book series that educates young readers on wildlife conservation, has created a series of free teaching resources. Activities can be done online or with easy-to-find materials at home. Students practice science process skills as they learn about biology, environmental science, and conservation actions.
Honors College
Did you know that Ball State recently celebrated its 12th Goldwater Scholarship winner? Did you know that 35 Ball State students and recent alumni have been selected for Fulbright U.S. Student grants over the past decade?
And did you know that Ball State faculty and staff are the single most important resource for identifying candidates for nationally competitive scholarships?
If you happened to miss Dr. Barb Stedman’s annual call for your best and brightest students, there’s still time to pass along your suggestions. As director of national and international scholarships, Dr. Stedman is looking for exceptional students who might be eligible for major national scholarships for graduate school, study abroad, and other opportunities.
She especially wants to know about outstanding freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who have impressed you as genuinely gifted, accomplished, and dedicated to serving and leading others—students who will likely have a major impact on society and/or their professions. You’re also welcome to pass along the names of seniors or first-year grad students who may need scholarship funding for later stages of their graduate careers.
Just send the names of your most impressive and promising students to Dr. Stedman at bstedman@bsu.edu. That’s it! She’ll take it from there and contact the students.
Enrollment Planning and Management
Paula Luff began her service as our new vice president for enrollment planning and management in April 2020. Her personal experience as a first-generation college graduate inspired her to dedicate her professional career to helping others obtain a college education that will change the trajectory of their lives.
With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Vice President Luff joined us from DePaul University in Chicago, where she was interim vice president for enrollment management and marketing. In her new role, she oversees the ongoing implementation of our University’s new strategic enrollment plan, and she will provide leadership for all of our admissions areas. She also oversees the offices of the Registrar and Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Vice President Luff and her team are creatively engaging with future Cardinals on virtual platforms. Learn more on the Admissions and Orientation websites.
Governmental Affairs
On May 8, President Mearns chatted with Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our University, how we are managing, and what the future might hold. Visit the City of Muncie’s Facebook page to view the conversation.
Student Health Center
Ball State cares about our students’ health and wellbeing. Our Student Health Center is open, and it can serve students in person by appointment, or when appropriate, provide care by phone or through virtual visits. Please watch a brief video from Dr. Deidre Dorman to learn more and share with students who may benefit from Health Center services.
Athletics
Resources from Ball State Athletics
In this unique environment, Ball State Athletics has put together several opportunities to engage.
In conjunction with Working Well, the “Train Like a Cardinal” workout will be posted on Wednesdays. The Cardinal Couriers program is underway with volunteers from Athletics running key errands for the community. If you know someone who may benefit from Cardinal Couriers, encourage them to visit ballstatesports.com and submit a request. Inject school pride into your next virtual conference with custom Zoom meeting backgrounds. In addition, as families look for children’s activities, download and print the Cardinals Activity Book (PDF). Support the Cards while giving the mind a workout. Lastly, please support Athletics’ local restaurant partners with terrific deals and convenient carry-out options.
Pinter drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
Ball State football’s Danny Pinter was the first player from the Mid-American Conference selected in the 2020 National Football League Draft when the Indianapolis Colts took the offensive lineman in the fifth round with pick number 149. Read more at ballstatesports.com.
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| Achieving Academic Excellence
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Dr. Jean Marie Place’s research ranges from infant mortality to maternal opioid abuse disorder to post-partum depression, and it makes an impact beyond the family.
“The bottom line is that I help moms in Indiana have healthy pregnancies so when that baby is born, the infant has the best chance at health in the first year of life, when the risks are higher,” said Place, an assistant professor of health science in the College of Health. “A child’s first five years of life are a period of incredible brain development. If we can invest in children and help to build brain architecture and help moms to interact with children in productive ways, we can change trajectories of lives.
“When we lift up women and we lift up children, we are lifting up communities. We are helping neighborhoods to thrive.
“Ball State cares about communities, and Ball State cares about strengthening the neighborhoods we live in. Investing in women and children is key to a healthy community.”
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