July 1, 2020
Dear Colleagues:
At Ball State University, we are excited about our students’ return to our beautiful campus next month, when we safely resume in-person classes. We will deliver the Ball State experience—where students and faculty are learning partners from day one—while following health and safety protocols to protect our campus community.
Our Summer enrollment is solid. To bolster our Fall enrollment, we are actively engaging with returning and future students through innovative, creative strategies. Throughout the Summer, we are enhancing our visibility in the marketplace, which includes a special new video illustrating the Ball State experience.
On June 1, we 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. Our University provides meaningful interactions to our incoming Cardinals, and more importantly, prepares them for a successful start to their academic careers.
The pandemic is causing significant financial distress and dislocation for many colleges and universities all across the country, including several institutions in our Midwest region. For several reasons, including our University’s prudent fiscal planning and management, we are in a more stable position, although we face our own financial challenges. We have the capacity to prioritize spending on our core mission, including our innovative academic programs, and invest in necessary health and safety measures.
In these unprecedented times, we will honor our commitment to provide our students the excellent education they need and deserve, and keep it affordable. Since 2015, we have kept tuition increases at 1.65% or less, below the inflation rate. We will also adjust room and board contracts to be consistent with the modified academic calendar for next Fall. Students will be billed only for 13 weeks, as opposed to the usual 16 weeks, saving our students and their families approximately $5.5 million.
We will fulfill our vital mission: transforming the lives of our students and enhancing the vitality of the communities that we serve. And we’ll do it by being true to our enduring values, which have sustained Ball State for more than 100 years.
Below are a few more stories that I hope you will enjoy and then share. Let your friends and colleagues know how “We Fly” at Ball State.
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Sincerely,
Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University
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Inclusiveness at Ball State
On June 4, a large, peaceful march, organized by students, started on the Ball State campus and proceeded to Muncie City Hall. I was able to walk in solidarity with our students and alumni, with our faculty and staff, with their children, and with our friends and neighbors—to demonstrate our individual and collective commitment to freedom, civil liberty, and equal justice for all people. It was one of our best days—and we have much more work to do. Inclusiveness is one of Ball State’s enduring values; inclusive excellence is integral to fulfilling our University’s mission and our strategic plan. Earlier this year, we launched Ball State’s first inclusive excellence plan, and in June, I released a progress report that enhances the strategies articulated in the plan. This work is as difficult as it is important, but I believe that we can achieve our ambitious goal: to create a campus climate and culture where every person is welcome, respected, and valued.
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New Foundation President
Jean Crosby will serve as the new president of the Ball State University Foundation and the vice president of university advancement. Jean, 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. 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.
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New Teachers College Dean
Dr. Anand R. Marri starts his service today as dean of Ball State’s Teachers College. Anand recently served as dean and professor of the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester in New York. He started his career as a high school social studies teacher, and he has served on the faculty of Teachers College at Columbia University. While on Columbia’s faculty, he served for five years as the highest-ranking officer for education in the Federal Reserve System. Anand shares our University’s enduring values, and he embraces TC’s commitment to students, community engagement, and inclusive excellence. I am confident he will lead the college with a collaborative vision.
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Esports Cardinals
Our new varsity esports team will provide our students innovative opportunities to learn and to make connections with their peers and within the community. Our University will join the other 11 members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during Fall semester for the 2020-21 season in the newly created independent Esports Collegiate Conference (ESC). This initiative, which is housed in the College of Communication, Information, and Media, will elevate the academic experiences that we offer across multiple disciplines, including digital sports production, business, computer science, animation, and sport administration. Learn more about Cardinal esports.
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Serving Our Neighbors
At Ball State, we’re about more than educating students. We also serve our neighbors. The Muncie Food Hub Partnership, led by Dr. Joshua Gruver, associate professor of natural resources and environmental management, made sure 1,500 gallons of excess milk from a nearby dairy didn’t go to waste. The Food Hub, in partnership with Purdue Extension, delivered the milk to local emergency food organizations.
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21st Century Scholars
The 21st Century Scholars program has helped close the achievement gap, curbed the brain drain, and more. As part of Indiana’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the program, Ball State is sharing stories of recipients who used the award to fund a transformative college education. One of the stories is about Ball State alumna Katie Huston, (’18), a digital marketing specialist for Endress & Hauser, a Greenwood-based firm that specializes in automation. For her story and others, visit bsu.edu/21stcenturyscholars.
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Helping High School Graduates Succeed in College Math
Our University’s Learning Center is serving recent high school graduates by providing free online tutoring to prepare for college math, regardless of where the college-bound students will continue their education. The tutors are helping students, including 21st Century Scholars and first-generation college students, to close learning gaps that may have occurred last Spring and to gain confidence to succeed. This initiative received support from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s Summer 2020 COVID-19 Learning Support Grant and Indiana GEAR UP.
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