August 18, 2021
Dear Colleagues:
Next week, we will hold classes in our new state-of-the-art Foundational Sciences Building—home to our University’s Chemistry and Biology departments.
This building is an important asset in our ability to provide a premier on-campus undergraduate experience to our students. It is also a significant way in which Ball State is addressing its strategic imperative of meeting the growing demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals in Indiana and beyond.
Our five-story Foundational Sciences Building has more than 70 laboratories with high-tech equipment, collaborative spaces, and many other features that enhance the education process. Students and faculty here have access to professional tools for cutting-edge research and education.
The Foundational Sciences Building, and our Health Professions Building located next door, form Ball State’s new East Quad. These buildings allow our University to introduce a new gateway into our vibrant campus and expand Ball State’s connection to the Muncie community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Foundational Sciences Building is on October 1.
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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Two in-person ceremonies honor Ball State’s 2021 Summer graduates
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Ball State students help shape the future of air travel
With deep dives into how to keep the public healthy and safe post-COVID-19, Ball State University Computer Information Systems students have weeded through society’s air travel expectations and uncovered what could be done to help meet them. More than 30 students worked with the Indianapolis Airport Authority, owner and operator of the Indianapolis International Airport, for the students’ immersive learning projects during the 2020–2021 academic year.
To provide insight into the larger complexity of the airport environment, students worked with experts in planning and development, air service, parking, retail, public affairs, IT, and public safety, as well as the Indiana federal security director from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The students presented the airport authority with a strategic plan that focuses on what travel may look like through 2026. Read more.
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Vice Provost at Ball State named Research Leader Fellow
Dr. Susan McDowell, Vice Provost for Research at Ball State University, has been named an Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) Council on Research Leader Fellow. The APLU Council on Research (CoR) is comprised of senior research officers at the nation’s public research universities. The fellowship allows new vice presidents, vice chancellors, or vice provosts for research—or those aspiring to these positions—to develop critical knowledge and new skills. Dr. McDowell, who is one of eight new fellows, joined three previous cohorts of fellows selected earlier this Summer. Read more.
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Ball State works with community partners to create public education program
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Accutech earns 2021 Ball State University Community Partner of the Year Award
Accutech Systems Corporation was named the recipient of the 2021 Ball State University Community Partner of the Year Award. Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns presented the award on Aug. 2 to Accutech President and Ball State alum Adam Unger. The annual award recognizes an East Central Indiana business, organization, or agency that demonstrated excellence as part of a Ball State community-based learning experience during the previous year. Partners are nominated by Ball State faculty and staff.Accutech, a financial trust accounting and investment management software company headquartered in downtown Muncie, has partnered with Ball State students on multiple software projects in recent years. Students had access to the latest industry tools and were welcomed into Accutech workspaces until March 2020, when work continued virtually. Three software products were completed in Spring 2020 and transferred to Accutech. The partnership continued in 2020-2021 with 17 new students across four new projects. Accutech has since hired five Ball State students and brought on a sixth student as an intern. Read more.
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Ball State graduate wins mural design contest
Ball State University graduate and Indianapolis graphic designer Leah Pinney won this year’s “Color the County” mural contest held by the Johnson County Community Foundation in Indiana. The contest brings artists and local residents together to beautify the community. Mrs. Pinney’s mural design features cardinals—Indiana’s state bird and Ball State’s mascot—against a blue and green background. Members of the public had the chance to help paint the design on an exterior wall at McCarty Mulch and Stone in Johnson County’s White River Township this month. Read more.
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Top 100 Student Awards honor outstanding Ball State juniors and seniors
The Top 100 Student Awards, a new program established by The Ball State University Foundation, will honor 100 outstanding Ball State juniors and seniors who excel in three categories: academic excellence, campus leadership, and community impact. This awards program is also an opportunity to educate students on the importance of staying connected to Ball State once they graduate, while also continuing to grow the culture of philanthropy. Any Ball State faculty or staff member can nominate an eligible student. Self-nominations are also accepted. The nomination period is Aug. 23-Oct. 15, 2021. Learn more.
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College of Fine Arts announces Arts Alive 2021
The Arts Alive schedule includes:
- Sept. 23-Dec. 22, 2021
David Owsley Museum of Art will exhibit Memories and Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art. - Oct. 19, 2021
The School of Art will host performance artist Nick Cave at Sursa Hall. There will be a lecture from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Oct. 30, 2021
The School of Music will host the Wycliffe Gordon quintet at Sursa Hall. - Jan. 22, 2022
The Department of Theatre and Dance will host artist collective Applied Mechanics in the David Owsley Museum of Art for two performances. - Jan. 28, 2022
The Department of Theatre and Dance will host tap dancer Ayodele Cassel at Sursa Hall.
Additional information on these events, including ticket prices and packages, will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Jen Gilbert, Ball State graduate, earns bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Ball State University graduate and notable former student-athlete Jen Gilbert has helped make history for her home country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Ms. Gilbert’s Canadian Olympic softball team earned its first-ever Olympic medal, defeating Mexico 3-2 in the bronze medal game in Yokohama, Japan. Ms. Gilbert played in five of Team Canada’s six Olympic games, hitting a solo home run in Canada’s final opening-round game against Italy. An outfielder, Ms. Gilbert also recorded three defensive putouts.A two-time All-American left fielder as a student-athlete for Ball State from 2011 to 2014, Ms. Gilbert helped guide the Cardinals to three Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season championships (2012, 2013, and 2014) over her playing career. Read more.
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