June 27, 2024

     I want to express my gratitude to Jim Lowe, Ball State’s associate vice president for facilities planning and management, who will retire at the end of this month after 37 years of service to our University. Jim is one of Ball State’s most dedicated and dependable employees.

    As associate vice president for facilities planning and management, Jim has overseen the day-to-day operations and maintenance of all facilities on our large and beautiful campus. He has also managed the planning, design, and construction of all renovations and new construction on our campus. And he led the implementation of our geothermal project, which continues to draw interest and attention from around the world.

    Jim’s career has encompassed a series of major milestones throughout his time at Ball State. He has helped our University weather numerous challenges, from a recession to a global pandemic. His leadership has been instrumental in allowing our University to maintain its strategic focus on our bright future.

    Additionally, he has donated his time and talent to numerous boards in Muncie, including the YMCA, the Muncie Land Bank, and Muncie Community Schools.   

    In honor of Jim’s service and dedication to Ball State and Muncie, the University’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution on June 14 to name our East Mall the James W. Lowe East Mall. Also, on June 14, President Emerita Dr. Jo Ann Gora and I bestowed upon Jim the President’s Medal of Distinction, one of our University’s highest honors.

    I appreciate everything that Jim Lowe has done for our campus and community. His impact on Ball State and Muncie is a gift that we will all cherish for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University

Summer Commencement Set for July 20

Ball State University’s 2024 Summer Commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, at Worthen Arena. There will be one ceremony—expected to last about two hours—that recognizes all graduates together. The ceremony is not ticketed, so graduates can invite as many guests as they would like. Additional information about this year’s Summer Commencement is available online. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the website on the day of the event.

MyBallState is Your New Campus Portal; Here’s How to Get Started

For more than a year, the divisions of Information Technology and Marketing and Communications have collaborated to explore, identify, select, and implement a new digital platform that meets the needs of everyone at Ball State.

MyBallState is live and ready for all individuals with a Ball State login credential. MyBallState will eventually—but not immediately—replace my.bsu.edu; both sites will be available concurrently for a designated period of time, allowing ample time for users to become familiar with MyBallState. The sunset date for my.bsu.edu has yet to be determined.

Users can log in to MyBallState.bsu.edu using single sign-on credentials in three ways: 

Skill Courses Available This Summer for Teacher Professional Development

Lifetime Learning offers multiple skills courses to support teachers' professional growth over the Summer, including the new AI for K-12 Teachers—which will help learners understand the benefits and risks of integrating AI into classroom and school operations. This course provides hands-on experience with AI tools for language learning, assessments, and feedback. Teachers will also explore using AI prompts to generate lesson plans, develop lectures, and create assessments. Additionally, the course will include guidance on crafting a student contract for AI-generated content and will discuss ethical considerations specific to AI use in K-12 education.

For teachers mentoring other teachers, the four-module Teacher Mentoring course helps learners engage in self-assessment and self-reflection to understand how who they are as individuals impacts their work as educators.

Many schools are hiring registered behavior technicians. Lifetime Learning offers a 40-hour training course covering evidence-based behavior intervention techniques and strategies. Remote teaching, music arts education for Autism Spectrum Disorder, everyday behavior tools, and social-emotional learning are also offered. Learn more about Teacher Professional Development. 

Register Now for a New Faculty Workshop

Helping new faculty prepare for a successful start to their academic year is the goal of a synchronous Zoom workshop set for 9 a.m.-noon on Aug. 14. Participants will discuss and explore the goals of Ball State’s learners, prepare for the first day in the classroom, and explore the concepts of universal design and the University’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Also, the session will introduce the many services and supports offered via the Teaching Innovation Team, part of the Division of Online and Strategic Learning. The New Faculty Workshop is now open. For additional Summer programming from the Teaching Innovation Team, view the offerings calendar.

Supervisor Enhancement and Employee Development (SEED) Program

The Supervisor Enhancement and Employee Development (SEED) Program, a new training series, was launched in May 2024. SEED will initially be implemented for all new supervisors at Ball State University. This program is designed to inform supervisors about Ball State-specific resources to help support them in their supervisory roles. When new supervisors are identified through the hiring or promotion process, they will automatically be placed in the SEED program.

The SEED program is divided into three phases:

Only the “Know” phase of the program is currently being implemented. The “Go” and “Grow” phases will be added soon. 

Questions about the program can be directed to learndev@bsu.edu or 285-1819.

The 100th Season of Ball State Football Kicks off Sept. 7

The 2024 Ball State football season—its 100th season—kicks off Sept. 7, continuing a century of play since its inception in 1924. The Cardinals played football in Muncie every season except for 1943, when a team was not fielded because of World War II.

The football program honors a glorious past, including All-Americans, bowl games, and championships. Ball State Athletics has created a commemorative logo to celebrate the 100th season. Football alums will be honored during every home game of the upcoming season, and an All-Century Team will be selected via online balloting—when the season begins—by Ball State students and employees, fans, friends, parents, and alumni.

Ball State employees are encouraged to be part of this history and can purchase discounted season tickets for the 100th season of Ball State football. Visit or call the ticket office at 1-888-BSU-TICKET.

Student Accolade

Hanan Qasrawi, a Master of Urban Design student and Fulbright Scholar, received the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation (AHLP) student award and presented their research on the Oral History of Housing in Palestine at the 2024 Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation (AHLP) conference on May 24. 

College Sees Success with Summer Workshops

The Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (ECAP) has experienced overwhelming success with the college’s Summer workshops for high school students. All sessions were fully booked, and extra sessions were added to meet the high demand. Those workshops are as follows:

Finance and Insurance Department Receives Global Center of Insurance Excellence Designation

The International Insurance Society (IIS) has approved the renewal application for Ball State University's Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) Program to receive the Global Centers of Insurance Excellence (GCIE) designation. Ball State's RMI Program initially received the GCIE designation with the inaugural 2017 class. The GCIE is a prestigious certification program for universities and colleges with outstanding RMI programs designed to elevate the importance of risk management education. The GCIE recognition program has a total of 35 designees representing 11 countries. Read more in this Ball State blog post.

Finance Professor Earns Distinguished Paper Award

Associate Professor Reza Houston and his co-authors—M. Kabir Hassan and Zeynullay Gider, both of the University of New Orleans—received the McGraw-Hill Education Distinguished Paper Award at the annual meeting of the Society of Southern Economists. Their work, "The Heterogeneous Impact of Climate Change," examines the impact of climate change events like hurricanes and floods on housing prices for families with different incomes. They find that owners of less expensive homes primarily bear the impact of climate change events.

Dean Turner Departs CCIM

June is Dr. Paaige Turner’s final month as dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM). During her tenure, Dean Turner has been an advocate, leader, and friend to CCIM’s staff, faculty, and community members. She has been a fearless and dedicated champion of CCIM’s students, alumni, the college, and Ball State. Dean Turner saw the areas in CCIM that could use more structure and dove in to help provide that. She leaves an impressive legacy of success as she departs for her new role as Aurora University’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

CCIM Students Compete in Washington, D.C.

School of Journalism and Strategic Communication students Dana Jones and Skylar Workman earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 2024 Washington Media Scholars Media Plan Case Competition. In 2023, the pair began creating a comprehensive media plan that they presented to a panel of industry expert judges throughout the multiple rounds of competition. In March, the team was notified that they were among the six finalists selected to compete in Washington, D.C., in June. During their six-day stay, the students also visited and interacted with top media companies and organizations, engaged in intensive workshops, and attended hands-on learning sessions with industry leaders.

Professor and Graphic Design Program Earn High Accolades

For the sixth consecutive year, the Graphic Design program has been recognized as one of the top programs in the nation by Graphic Design USA magazine. This prestigious list features 76 design programs from across the country. View the complete list of 2024 GDUSA Top Design Schools.

Associate Professor of Art Shantanu Suman has won the 2024 American Package Design Award for his vinyl cover design for Non-Solo’s album Sarang. This 61st annual competition highlights the role of packaging in brand identity and storytelling. The winning design is featured in the 2024 GDUSA Package Design Annual. Prof. Suman also received a Graphis Poster 2025 Silver Award for his posters for "Humari Kahani," which celebrates South Asian art. Commissioned by The Tawoos Initiative and Virasat, these posters will be included in the Graphis Poster 2025 Awards annual publication.

Performance, and Lecture Appearance

Awards and Accolades

Free Fitness Classes Available This Summer
The Healthy Lifestyle Center (HLC) is hosting free classes during the Summer semester. The class selection includes Zumba, yoga, walking, strength and conditioning, Aqua Zumba, and water aerobics. These sessions suit all skill levels and are hosted at various Muncie locations. Download HLC’s flyer for the details. To ask questions, email hlc765@bsu.edu or call 765-285-1293. 

Applied Anthropology Laboratory wins Silver Telly Award for Traveling Exhibit

The Ball State Applied Anthropology Laboratory won a Silver Telly Award for its traveling exhibit “St. Clair's Defeat: A New View of the Conflict.” The annual Telly Awards are given to video and television programs that showcase the best creative works of the year. This award recognizes the hard work of the faculty and students who made it possible. Nominated in the “History - Non-Broadcast” category, the exhibit tells the story of St. Clair’s Defeat during the Northwest Indian War in present-day Fort Recovery, Ohio. The battle between Native American forces and the U.S. Military is considered the greatest victory Native Americans won in their fight against the U.S. government and its colonization of tribal lands.

Brown Planetarium Hosts Summer Programs

The Charles W. Brown Planetarium is hosting numerous public shows this Summer. These planetarium shows are free and open to everyone. Notable programs coming up include, “Our Night Sky,” “Birth of Planet Earth,” and “ASTRONAUT.” Visit the planetarium’s online calendar to learn more.

Dr. Katrina Bulkley Becomes Teachers College’s New Dean July 1

Dr. Katrina Bulkley has been selected as the next dean of Teachers College, effective July 1, 2024. 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.

Fellowship Award, Accolades, and a Published Paper

Dean Shaw Departs Ball State’s University Libraries

Matthew Shaw, dean of University Libraries, will leave Ball State at the end of June to accept his appointment as dean of University Libraries at the University of Dayton.

Under his leadership, Ball State’s University Libraries has developed strong campus partnerships to advance information literacy, digital scholarship, open-access publishing, and affordable learning. Dean Shaw helped plan the new branch libraries in the Health Professions and Foundational Sciences Buildings and has executed several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—centering the Libraries as a campus model for inclusive excellence.

Latest Edition of Student Success Handbook Available Now

The 2024-2025 Student Success Handbook, created by University College, is now available. The handbook (previously titled Advising Handbook) continues to serve as a resource for new undergraduate students and will be distributed through orientation programs during the 2024-25 academic year. While the handbook still includes important academic and advising information, it has intentionally been expanded to highlight other student success initiatives within University College and across campus.  

As in the past, the handbook has valuable information applicable to all incoming students, with a focus on first-year students. New content includes a general introduction to student success at Ball State, information about first-year success and first-year seminars, an overview of College Student Success Centers, and a section highlighting success resources on campus.

The digital version of the handbook is available via a link on several online locations, including the University College, Academic Advising, and First-Year Experience websites. The digital version of the handbook can also be accessed directly, and the entire printed version will initially be distributed through Summer Orientation sessions.

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