Together WE FLY

News for Ball State Faculty and Staff

Stories of Gratitude

November 14, 2019

This month, I am grateful that Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills, Ball State University’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, was named a 2019 Woman of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal. Each year, IBJ recognizes a select group of women, whose members have demonstrated professional excellence and leadership in their careers and community service.

In just a little over a year serving as our provost, Susana has had a significant, positive impact on our University. She has been instrumental in the development of our University’s strategic plan and our new budget model. In addition, she and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Ro-Anne Royer Engle are leading efforts to improve the University’s retention rates, and she leads the Ball State and Muncie Community Schools' Joint Academic Innovation Council, part of a community-wide effort to transform the local school district into a national model.

Susana embodies our University’s enduring values: excellence, integrity, social responsibility, inclusiveness, gratitude, innovation, and courage. And she is committed to a campus culture where every student is empowered to succeed.

Please join me in congratulating Susana on this well-deserved honor.

Sincerely,

Geoff

Strategic Plan Update

Our strategic plan, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path, articulates five ambitious goals to reach by 2040, with strategic imperatives to reach by 2024. In May 2019, the Board of Trustees approved our 29 “Top Flight Metrics,” and in September, the Board approved 13 of the 29 targets. Our new executive dashboard website allows campus and community members to read more about our “Top Flight” metrics and to follow our progress towards our 2024 targets. View the executive dashboard.

For Your Benefit

Early Closure for Thanksgiving
We give thanks for our bright future, and we are grateful for our Ball State staff and faculty, who model courage and dedication as we challenge and inspire each other to excel. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the University will close offices at noon Wednesday, November 27, 2019, and offer early departure of four hours to provide our employees more time to spend with family and friends.

Contact your manager or supervisor, or call Payroll and Employee Benefits at 285-8461, for more information about eligibility and pay during this time.

Are You a Proud Veteran?
We salute our veterans and thank them for their service. As an equal opportunity/affirmative action (EO/AA) employer, Ball State engages in specific, targeted outreach to protected veterans and qualified people with disabilities about employment opportunities at our University. Help us measure how well we are doing in recruiting and providing opportunities for protected veterans and qualified people with disabilities by completing the confidential, voluntary, self-identification form in Self-Service Banner.

Read the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action webpage for more information.

Prepare for the New Year
As we approach the end of 2019, now is a good time to review your personal information in Self-Service Banner (SSB) via myBSU to ensure your information is up to date. Did you move? Do you want to change your tax withholding forms? Electronic W2s will be available in Self Service Banner in early January.

Visit the Payroll and Employee Benefits website for more information.

Upcoming Events

LEED Lab
Today, November 14, 2019, 3:30 p.m.
Lobby, Letterman Building

The campus community is invited to a reception with a brief program to celebrate a milestone for Ball State University and for Indiana. Ball State students are the first collegiate team in Indiana, the Midwest, and the Mid-American Conference—the fifth university team in the world—to certify that an existing building meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Speakers at the reception include Geoffrey S. Mearns, president of Ball State University; Susana Rivera-Mills, Ball State provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; and Aaron Albright, a construction management major and LEED Lab participant. Janet Fick, associate lecturer of construction management, and Dr. James Jones, chair of the Department of Construction Management and Interior Design and Roan Distinguished Professor of Construction Management, mentored the students.

University News Briefs

R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning
DesignIntelligence, an independent company dedicated to the success of organizations in architecture, engineering, construction and design, recently gave high marks to programs within the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning. The rankings include:

Most Admired Landscape Architecture Schools—8th among undergraduate programs, 12th among graduate programs
Top-Ranked Landscape Architecture Schools by Focus Areas—top 10 in all 12 areas among undergrad programs; top 10 in 10 areas (12 total) among graduate programs
Most Admired Landscape Architecture Educators—Malcolm Cairns
Most Hired From Interior Design Schools—10th among institutions of similar size
Most Hired From Architecture Schools—15th among institutions of similar size

Miller College of Business
Miller College of Business honored seven alumni at its 15th Annual Alumni Awards on October 25, 2019. Michael C. Ray, ’83, was inducted into the Miller College Hall of Fame. Mr. Ray is the retired president of Vera Bradley and currently serves on the Ball State Foundation Board of Directors. In addition, President Geoffrey S. Mearns and Dean Stephen Ferris presented awards to:

Awards of Distinction

Daniel L. Molinaro, ’68, NOW Inc.
Michael R. Wozniak, ’99, Wozniak Industries Inc.

Awards of Achievement

Kevin M. Callon, ’88, Deloitte and Touche LLP
Randie G. Dial, ’98, CLA LLP
Katherine E. Ittenbach, MBA ’12, SMARI
Michele F. Musson, ’06 MBA ’07, Eli Lilly and Company

College of Communication, Information, and Media
Know a student interested in operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly called a drone? This Spring, the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) will offer new drone classes open to all majors.

This series of three classes introduces drone operations and applications. The classes, listed as TCOM 299X, are worth 1 credit each and will build upon each other. TCOM 299X-501 prepares students for the remote pilot certification. TCOM 299X-502 introduces students to flight operations and performance, and TCOM 299X-503 centers on video applications and storytelling. To register, students will need to permission from instructors Tim Underhill (Department of Telecommunications) or Ryan Sparrow (Department of Journalism).

College of Fine Arts

The College of Fine Arts offers a variety of arts and entertainment events, many of which are free or available at a discount for faculty and staff.

Spend “An Artrageous Afternoon” at the David Owsley Museum of Art on Saturday, November 16, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Explore the Recent Acquisitions: Connecting to the Past, Committing to the Future exhibition with artist demonstrations, mini tours, and more in a festive atmosphere with refreshments and music. The museum and School of Art collaborated on this event.

On Saturday, December 7, the Owsley Museum will join in the annual community holiday festivities at its Holiday Community Open House from 6-9 p.m., with refreshments, children’s art and activities, pop-up shop, and live holiday music. Follow the pathway to the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass and Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard Orchid Greenhouse Holiday in Bloom from 6- 9 p.m. or visit the Charles W. Brown Planetarium for a program on The Christmas Star at 6:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. for more Ball State Cultural Corridor fun. Also ride the MITS trolley between the Enchanted Luminaria Walk at Minnetrista and campus. This event is in collaboration with the DOMA Art Alliance.

Ball State Opera Theatre will present Orpheus in the Underworld on Saturday, November 23, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 24, at 3 p.m. in Sursa Performance Hall. In one of the most satirical and hilarious operas of all time, Orpheus must travel through heaven and hell to rescue Eurydice. Sung in English, the performances will include full sets, costumes, and chamber orchestra under the stage direction of Jon Truitt and conducted by Cara Chowning.

The Department of Theatre and Dance will present Masters and Visionaries December 6-8 in University Theatre, featuring choreography by modern dance pioneer Martha Graham, classical ballet master Marius Petipa, and visionary choreographers Sidra Bell and Jamy Meek. Tickets are available online or at the University Theatre Box Office from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays.

The School of Art will exhibit the work of bachelor of fine arts students from December 6-14 in The Ned and Gloria Griner Art Gallery in the Art and Journalism Building.

College of Health
Faculty in the College of Health recently had articles published in scholarly journals and made presentations to professional organizations.

Published articles include:

“A comparative study of blood sampling from venipuncture and short peripheral catheters in pediatric inpatients,” by Dr. K. Renee Twibell, associate professor of nursing; Dr. Debra Siela, associate professor of nursing; and two other authors in The Art and Science of Infusion Nursing
“Making the diagnosis: Vaginal infections” by Dr. Beth Kelsey, assistant professor of nursing, in Women’s Healthcare: A Clinical Journal for NPs

Presentations include:

“Raising awareness about sickle cell anemia in high school students,” poster presented at American School Health Association in Cincinnati by Dr. Winnie Mucherah, professor of developmental psychology; Dr. Linda Siktberg, director of the School of Nursing; R. Thomas; Dr. Sheila Abebe, assistant professor of nursing; and Dr. Jayanthi Kandiah, associate dean for academic affairs, interim chair of the Department of Nutrition and Health Science, and professor of nutrition and dietetics
“A global health partnership of Ball State University and Masinde Muliro University Science and Technology: Development implementation, and evaluation of an interprofessional model of train-the-trainer on sickle cell anemia,” poster presented at National League for Nursing 2019 Education Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, by Dr. Abebe; Dr. Mucherah; Dr. Siktberg; Dr. Rebecca Brey, professor of nutrition and health science; Dr. Kandiah; and Amanda Davis, assistant clinical lecturer of nursing
“Academic and nonacademic predictor variables of at-risk students and first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates,” poster presented at National League for Nursing 2019 Education Summit by Dr. Siktberg and Dr. Diana Bantz, associate professor of nursing and associate director for graduate programs in the School of Nursing

College of Sciences and Humanities

To help with mental health awareness and the rising need for treatment options, departments have formed the Ball State University Meditation Partnership, which provides meditation and mindfulness programs for campus and community members to improve mental health and resilience. The Meditation Partnership is a collaboration of Working Well; the Counseling Center; the Office of Health, Alcohol, and Drug Education; the David Owsley Museum of Art; the Dr. Joe and Alice Rinard Orchid Greenhouse; and the Charles W. Brown Planetarium.

As a part of this initiative, partnership members have developed Sunset Meditation, a full-length, full-dome planetarium program, which will be premiered at Brown Planetarium on Tuesday, November 19, at 3 p.m. During the program, planetarium guests will enjoy a unique guided meditation experience from Ball State University.

Sunset Meditation is available for free for planetariums to use around the globe. So far, it has been downloaded nearly 60 times by facilities from all over the world, including those in Argentina, Australia, England, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, and Turkey.

Teachers College

Organizers of the World Conference on Transformative Education (WCTE) in Cape Coast, Ghana, are seeking proposals from professionals in many fields, including scholars of education, humanities, STEM, and the arts. One of the organizers is Dr. Michael T. Ndemanu, Ball State associate professor of multicultural education and social foundations in education.

The conference will be July 29-31, 2020, with the theme, “The Future of Africa and the Role of Transformative Education.” Scholars eager to share their research and expertise on education with robust transformative practices and outcomes are invited to submit a 300-word abstract on the relevant themes of the conference by December 31, 2019.

Organizers are seeking proposals for panels, symposia, individual papers, roundtable discussions, interactive workshops, school presentations, poster sessions, art exhibition/public action workshops, and book talks. High quality papers will be considered for publication in a special issue of Global Journal of Transformative Education, which Dr. Ndemanu edits.

The conference is a partnership of the Global Institute for Transformative Education (GITE) and the School Project Foundation (SPF) in conjunction with the University of Cape Coast (UCC). For more information, email Dr. Ndemanu at mtndemanu@bsu.edu.

Student Affairs

As part of Ball State’s commitment to student success, including first generation college students, the University is developing a plan to support, recognize, celebrate, and connect first generation Cardinals. As part of this effort, the Division of Student Affairs hosted the "I Am First Celebration" on November 8 in conjunction with the annual National First-Generation College Celebration. Student Affairs will evaluate the responses to a survey that was conducted during the event. The survey results will inform future initiatives to celebrate and support first generation Cardinals and their families.

Athletics

Football at the Sheu

Two more home games await the Cardinals, who are working toward bowl eligibility: November 16 vs. Central Michigan and November 29 vs. Miami in the Redbird Rivalry matchup. You can watch Cardinals football at special rates. And for a little more, you can support the United Way. Details about the upcoming games are at BallStateSports.com.

Faculty/Staff Season Tickets for Basketball

Flexible, affordable season tickets are on sale now for Ball State men’s and women’s basketball. All faculty and staff enjoy a special price and are eligible for preferred seating. Get your fix of college hoops in your backyard as the Cardinals' basketball squads take on challenging schedules at Worthen Arena. The women’s team plays the likes of Butler, Xavier, and Western Kentucky, while the men’s team hosts 2018 Final Four team Loyola-Chicago. Those games are in addition to the always entertaining match-ups with Mid-American Conference foes. Call 765-285-1474.

Hall of Fame Class Announced

Ball State Athletics has unveiled its latest Hall of Fame induction class, featuring an All-American football player in the trenches, a dominating softball pitcher, an NBA draft pick, a record-setting volleyball player, a Major League Baseball first-round draft choice, a longtime coach/administrator, and the University's winningest football team. Read more.

Information Technology

As part of Better Together, the Digital Corps sent about a dozen creative people to join Website Thru The Night, an all-night website-building event to benefit local nonprofits. This is the third year the Digital Corps has sent a team.

Team members created a site for The Honor Stride, which raises awareness of myocarditis, a rare heart disease, through community outreach and philanthropic efforts.

Faculty/Staff Spotlight

Dr. Shiau-Yun Chen, assistant professor of history and women’s and gender studies, investigates inter-relationships of state, gender, and family in Ming China (1368-1644), with a special focus on state-sanctioned “legitimate violence” performed by women in positions of authority, including mothers, wives, and masters. Dr. Chen is working on a book manuscript, based on her dissertation. In her work, she examines how certain forms of womanly violence in late imperial China emerged as integral to the very structure of Chinese families. She also investigates attitudes about jealousy in Ming China and the idea that women’s thwarted emotions caused bodily changes.

“When designing my syllabus, I think about what kind of learning experience I want my students to have in my courses, and I think about what kind of transferable skills they might have after they leave the classroom,” she says. “I learned to prioritize concepts before historical details, and this approach helps students make connections that enable them to absorb those details.”

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2000 W. University Ave.
Muncie, IN | 47306 US

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