January 31, 2023
Stories of Gratitude
I am grateful to everyone within our Ball State campus community who coordinated or contributed to our Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast and Unity Week events earlier this month. It is commendable how well the leadership at our University’s Multicultural Center worked with numerous campus partners and community leaders to unify the community through enlightening social, cultural, and educational events.
l was also impressed by this year’s MLK Celebration Breakfast keynote speaker, Dr. Rashida Willard, associate vice president of Inclusive Excellence at Ball State. In her speech, Dr. Willard spoke with great passion about inclusion, diversity, and social justice. She discussed Dr. King’s dream, and she said we all have a duty to keep his dream alive through our work.
Dr. Willard’s dedication to these values is part of what makes her a good fit in her leadership role at our University. The Office of Inclusive Excellence helps all of us to integrate diversity, equity, and educational quality into our missions and operations. This office supports Ball State’s commitment to the practice of respecting and embracing equity, inclusion, and diversity in people, ideas, and opinions. I look forward to seeing more of the work Dr. Willard is doing on behalf of our University.
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Sincerely,
Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University
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Our Call to Beneficence Podcast
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Next Episode of Our Call to Beneficence Features Business Exec and Ball State Graduate Kate Doerksen
Kate (Endress) Doerksen, '05—the current head of revenue for Luna, a suite of technologies and services for eyewear retailers, brands and doctors around the world—is the guest on the next episode of the monthly podcast Our Call to Beneficence, hosted by Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns. This episode is available now.
Ms. Doerksen earned her degree in Entrepreneurship from Ball State. Her business career includes time spent as an investment banking analyst at Citi, followed by two years as a private equity associate—all prior to completing her master’s degree in Business at Stanford University in 2011. While at Stanford, she worked with two software engineers to create Ditto, a website that sold designer eyewear online to customers who, after creating a facial video, could then use a patented 3-D technology to virtually try on frames. In 2011, Ditto was acquired by the company, 1-800-CONTACTS, which created its sister company Luna in 2022.
While at Ball State, Ms. Doerksen played basketball for the Cardinals, receiving accolades as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Year (04-05), the state’s NCAA Woman of the Year (05), and the nation’s Academic All-American of the Year in women’s basketball (04-05). Her numerous collegiate sports achievements include becoming the second woman and one of only four players, male or female, in Ball State history to reach the 1,800-career point plateau. In total, her 1,843 points placed her No. 2 on the school's all-time scoring chart and No. 11 in MAC history. She was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2014-2015 class. After graduating from Ball State, Ms. Doerksen was drafted into the WNBA and played with the Connecticut Sun.
She became a member of the Ball State Foundation Board in November 2022.
All episodes of the Our Call to Beneficence podcast are available online, as well as on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscriptions and reviews are also encouraged to help grow the audience for this podcast.
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Use Lifeworks to Assess Your Health
LifeWorks Health Assessments are a series of questionnaires that give an overview of your current health. Intended for adults between the ages of 18 and 65, the assessments are comprised of a variety of simple health questionnaires, and biometric question sets, used to measure your well-being and level of risk in key health areas.
Each assessment takes just a couple of minutes to complete. You can choose to complete all questionnaires at one time for a comprehensive picture of your well-being or tackle them individually as topical question sets. After completing an assessment, you will receive immediate feedback in the form of a risk assessment, as well as an analysis of simple yet important lifestyle change recommendations based on your risk profile. Log into your Lifeworks account using Ball State’s Single Sign On (your Ball State username and password).
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| Ball State's Response to COVID-19
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All employees are strongly encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccination and then attest to their full vaccination using our online form. For more COVID-19 information, plans, and resources for faculty, staff, students, and campus visitors, visit the Ball State Cardinals Care website. All individuals visiting the clinic will be required to wear a face mask.
On-Campus COVID Vaccination Clinic Days, Hours of Operation
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Government Relations
Stay Current on the Latest Statehouse News
The Office of Governmental Relations invites you to subscribe to its weekly newsletter, Statehouse Update. The newsletter provides updates on key legislation being followed by the University and insights into the legislative process. Sign up or view past editions of the newsletter.
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R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and PlanningHELP Grant Received
Mohsen Goodarzi, assistant professor of Construction Management, received a $100,000 Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP) grant through the National Housing Endowment. This grant will allow Ball State to strengthen ties to the residential sector and support the development of two new residential courses, which will be open to Design and Construction Management students.
Celebration Held for Ball State at Electric Works
Ball State University and the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) held "An Evening with Ball State Electric Works" in Fort Wayne, Ind., in December. The event celebrated the University's expanded presence in the newly-renovated former General Electric campus that has been transformed into a mixed-used development called Electric Works. CAP has a co-working space within the Electric Works facility where faculty and students will continue working with partners in and around Fort Wayne on projects that serve the greater good.
Miller College of BusinessEntrepreneurial Experience Lecture Series Scheduled for this Spring
Entrepreneurs will share their experiences during a speaker series offered this Spring by the Entrepreneurship Center. The center hosts provocative entrepreneurs—from all walks of life—who are changing the world economically and socially. Each lecture includes a presentation on the entrepreneur's story, lessons learned, and advice. Each speaker will speak at 11 a.m. in Room 175 of the Arts and Journalism Building (AJ). Learn more about the scheduled speakers.
- February 7- Caleb Churchill, owner of Pete's Bar & Grill
- March 2- Erin Hill, owner of Lois Pearl Designs
- March 14- Tiara Hicks, founder/owner of Rosebud Coffee House, and vice president of Human Resources at EnerDel
- March 16-Kaitlyn Caraway, enterprise customer success manager at Cobalt
- March 21- Connor Hitchcock, founder and CEO of Homefield
- March 23-Lathay Pegues, president and CEO of JohnTom's BBQ
- April 18-Matthew Rutherford, Johnny D. Pope Chair, School of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University
- April 25- Jennifer Wiese, founder and CEO of BeeFree Gluten Bakery
College of Communication, Information, and Media‘CCIM Outreach’ Launched
The College of Communication, Information, and Media recently launched “CCIM Outreach,” a new program office dedicated to educating and inspiring secondary school students and teachers to be better communicators, writers, editors, designers and media producers. Through this office, middle- and high-school students can participate in a nationwide student media and communications contest, attend Ball State’s annual JDay+/CCIM+ conference, and engage in a series of robust summer media and communications workshops. CCIM Outreach also coordinates programs—such as the CCIM+ Career & Internship Fair held each Fall; and CCIM Jump Start, a college transition program for first-time freshmen—for current Ball State students.
Upcoming Outreach Events & Deadlines
- Annual Student Contest Deadline: March 13, 2023
- JDay+/CCIM+ Conference Event Date: April 28, 2023
- CCIM Summer Workshops: June 25-27 & June 25-29, 2023
College of Fine ArtsAccolades and an Award
- Sidra Bell, instructor of Dance, was selected for the fourth quarter of the 2022 Marker’s List “Visionaries in Fine Arts,” published by Marquis Who’s Who. “The list commemorates pioneers in storytelling, art, music and more. These fine arts visionaries are celebrated for impacting society on a global scale.” Sidra is the first Black woman to choreograph for the New York City Ballet and is the artistic director of Sidra Bell Dance New York.
- Jennifer Blackmer's play Predictor—about the real-life story of Meg Crane, inventor of the home pregnancy test—will have a world premiere with Angels Theatre Company in Lincoln, Neb., in February, with subsequent productions with American Lives Theatre (Indianapolis) in May and Capital Stage (Sacramento) in June. Ms. Blackmer is the director of the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and a professor of Theatre.
- Jacinda Russell, associate professor of Art, is a 2022 DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award recipient. The Indy Arts Council annually supports six contemporary visual artists with grants for aspirational projects and an exhibition of their work at Gallery 924. Russell's series, Svalbard: 80º North, continues her longstanding investigations of ice, its relationship to human-accelerated climate change, its impermanence and fragility, and its natural and artificial preservation.
College of HealthFaculty and Graduate Students Serve as Subject Matter Experts
The College of Heath has had faculty and graduate students lend their expertise on a variety of health topics by being interviewed and quoted by the media. Among the latest examples of this:
- Dr. Lindsay Blom, department chair of the School of Kinesiology and professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology, was quoted by NPR in a December 2022 segment on the station’s show “Morning Edition,” on youth soccer. The NPR story can be read or heard online.
- Dr. Laura G. Stevenson, director of the Audiology Clinic; and graduate student Macie McDaniel, were guests on the Ball State PBS show, “Wellness Matters,” where they discussed hearing loss, over-the-counter hearing aids, balance challenges, and the Audiology Clinic. This episode originally aired Dec. 17, 2022. Listen to the show online.
Speaker Series Planned for February
The College of Health Speaker Series for February includes an online session and an in-person session.
- Dr. Kalyn Renbarger, assistant professor of Nursing, will speak at 1 p.m. on Feb. 8 via Zoom with a presentation titled, “Addressing Maternal Mental Health in Delaware County through a Community-University Partnership.”
- Dr. Jerome Kotecki professor of Heath Science, will speak in-person at noon on Feb. 20 in Room 205 of the Health Professions Building (HB). His presentation is titled, “Development of a Food Quality Screener to Measure Diet as a Vital Sign.”
College of Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Paper Accepted for Publication
Dr. Mellisa Holtzman, professor of Sociology and Graduate Program Director; Dr. Ellen Whitehead, assistant professor of Sociology; and Ayrlia Welch’s paper “Adjusting Class Policies Amid a Pandemic: How Lessons Learned During COVID-19 Can Help Faculty Prepare for Other Institution-Wide Crises” has been accepted in Teaching and Learning Inquiry. Ayrlia Welch was a student pursuing her master’s degree in Sociology when she co-authored this research paper. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
Grant Received for Computer Science Faculty Research for New Infrastructure Framework
Dr. Lan Lin, associate professor of Computer Science, was recently awarded a federal grant ($69,999) from the National Science Foundation to continue her collaborative, interdisciplinary work with computer and domain science researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Indiana University to develop a new open source cyber infrastructure framework called "CyberWater2." The new infrastructure framework will support complex model calibration and data assimilation processes to benefit diverse research communities including water, climate, coastal, engineering and beyond.
Applied Anthropology Laboratories (AAL) Discovers Forgotten Burial Site
Dr. Kevin Nolan, director and senior archaeologist in the AAL, recently led a survey of a section of Henry County’s Memorial Park in Indiana to discover the possible site of the Henry County Poor Farm Cemetery. The AAL’s work was featured in local news and will be the basis for a proposed Indiana Heritage Cemetery Sign at the site.
Teachers CollegePublications, Grant Award, and a Workshop
- Dr. Jon Clausen, assistant professor of Secondary Education in the Department of Educational Studies, published “EdTec Tour of What’s Possible: Challenging Concepts of Technology Use in the Classroom Through BreakoutEDU” in the journal Inquiry in Education.
- Dr. Amanda Latz, associate professor of Higher Education and Community College Leadership, published “Leveraging Prosocial Rule Breaking Among Community College Adjunct Faculty” in the Journal of Applied Research in Community Colleges.
- Dr. Andy Markelz, assistant professor of Special Education, published a book, The Essentials of Special Education Law.
- Dr. Roy Weaver, retired dean of Teachers College; Shawn Sriver, accreditation and assessment coordinator of Teachers College; and Ball State alum David Sullivan published the book, Running Against the Grain: The Story of Philadelphia Eagle and Movie Star Timmy Brown on Nov. 21, 2022. Mr. Brown played football at Ball State.
- Dr. Gerardo Ramirez, associate professor of Educational Psychology, was awarded an Aspire Advance Research grant for his project, “Relationship Building Program of Work.”
- Dr. Seongmi Lim, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education, facilitated a workshop in South Korea titled, “Play & Reggio Emilia Approach: Curriculum, Documentation, and Environment.” Dr. Lim is the content expert for the course ECYF 252–Creative Experience for Young Children.
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