Dear Colleagues:

     Ball State University’s Sports Link, the nation’s first academic track in sports media production, continues to earn high praise and accolades.

     The latest in a long list of honors through the years came in May when Sports Link won several College Sports Media Awards from the Sports Video Group (SVG). The awards were in numerous categories, including “Outstanding Live Game Production,” “Outstanding Special Feature - Scripted,” and “Outstanding In-Venue Video.”

     Housed in Ball State’s Department of Media, within the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM), Sports Link—an immersive learning experience—has for years been a national leader in student sports media and journalism. Many CCIM graduates who worked in Sports Link are now employed by ESPN, Turner Sports, Fox Sports, MLB, Indy Car, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA athletics departments across the country.

     Sports Link reached another milestone recently, with the dedication of the Betsy Ross Sports Link Studio on June 14. Ms. Ross, a 1972 Ball State graduate, is president and founder of Game Day Communications in Cincinnati. Her extensive career includes being an author, a successful entrepreneur, an Emmy® award-winning sports reporter, and a former ESPN anchor.

     Ms. Ross has been actively involved with her alma mater for many years—engaging with our students, providing generous philanthropic support to our mission, and serving on our Foundation’s board of directors and our Women of Beneficence Leadership Council. I was fortunate to have had Ms. Ross as a guest on the November 2023 episode of my monthly podcast, “Our Call to Beneficence.”

     I am grateful to Ms. Ross for embodying what we desire for all our students: that the excellent education they receive at Ball State prepares them to pursue fulfilling careers and lead meaningful lives.

     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

    The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has bestowed top honors upon several Ball State student-athletes:

     Dr. Katrina Bulkley will join the leadership team at Ball State University as dean of Teachers College, effective July 1, 2024, President Geoffrey S. Mearns announced recently. Dr. Bulkley currently serves as a university innovation fellow at Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., where she collaborates with university leadership on initiatives to further the institution’s strategic approach to utilizing data and analytics to further student success. Read more about Dr. Bulkley in this Ball State press release.

     As the largest educator preparation provider in Indiana, Teachers College aspires to transform entrepreneurial learners into educational leaders who are sensitive and responsive to diversity and the contextual foundations of teaching, learning, and human development.

     Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns appointed Dr. Kathleen Washburn, an anticoagulation pharmacist in IU Health’s East Central region, to the Muncie Community Schools (MCS) Board of Trustees. Dr. Washburn’s appointment to the MCS Board began June 17, 2024, and runs through June 30, 2026.

     As part of its historic partnership with MCS—which began in July 2018 to provide excellent public education to every student in Muncie—the University appointed a seven-member governing board for the school district. Five members are appointed by the Ball State Board of Trustees based upon recommendations from President Mearns. The remaining two members are appointed by President Mearns (one chosen from three nominations by the Muncie mayor and one selected from three nominations by the Muncie City Council). Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour nominated Dr. Washburn. Read more in this Ball State press release. 

     Dr. Jeff Spanke, associate professor of English and director of the English education program at Ball State University, was selected as one of four recipients nationwide for the esteemed Fulbright Roving Scholar of American Studies Fellowship. The Fulbright Program strives to promote dialogue and collaboration between nations through immersive cultural experiences. Recipients of the Fulbright Roving Scholar Fellowship have the unique opportunity to travel to Norway—the only country in the world offering this specific program. Dr. Spanke will spend 11 months in this Scandinavian country during the 2024-25 academic year. Read more in this Ball State press release.

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