Dear Colleagues:

      At Ball State University’s Commencement ceremony on July 20, approximately 1,200 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and baccalaureate degrees were conferred. 

     Dr. Jerrell Cassady, professor of educational psychology at Ball State and an internationally recognized scholar, delivered the address to our Class of 2024 at our Summer Commencement ceremony. Dr. Cassady, who has been at Ball State since 1999, is the most recent recipient of the University’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

     His wise words at Commencement empowered our graduates to embrace their potential to become influential and transformative individuals, understand their true selves, and be willing to grow throughout their lives.

     Dr. Cassady’s message aligns with Ball State’s mission of preparing students to pursue fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. During my remarks at Commencement, I encouraged our graduates to seek professional fulfillment and strive to make contributions that positively impact the lives of other people. To that, I added, “Life is a precious gift. And to lead a meaningful life, you should share that gift with other people who need you.”

     Read more about our 2024 Summer Commencement in this Ball State press release.

     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

Former Ball State student-athlete and swimmer Apsara Sakbun, ’23, will represent Cambodia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which begins July 26 in Paris. Ms. Sakbun is the only female swimmer selected to represent Cambodia. With a stellar college athletic career—setting multiple program records and being chosen as a three-time academic all-conference selection—Ms. Sakbun is the fifth former Ball State student-athlete to be an Olympian. She joins William Marlin (Pete) Lee (1976, Greco-Roman Wrestling), Marco Teran (1976, Freestyle Wrestling), Phil Eatherton (2004, Men’s Volleyball), and Jennifer Gilbert (2020, Softball). Now working as an analyst at Wells Fargo, Ms. Sakbun earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics from Ball State’s Miller College of Business. Read more in this Ball State Athletics Department press release.

Ball State University graduate Kalyn Melham, ’23 MS ’24, was named Miss Indiana 2024 on June 29 in Zionsville, Ind. By winning the state pageant, she receives $11,000 in scholarships and the chance to compete for the title of Miss America in January. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and professional writing and a master’s in information and communication sciences from Ball State.

Ms. Melham is committed to helping people. Her service initiative, Advocating for Change through Theater (ACT), was founded in 2019 when Ms. Melham was at a play at Muncie Civic Theatre and invited audience members to bring a can of food to each performance. After 13 plays, she helped accumulate more than 200 pounds of food for Blood ‘n’ Fire Ministries, a door-to-door ministry that provides weekly outreach and serves meals to those in need. She said she will continue collaborating with theaters across Indiana in ways that help charities.

Read more in this Ball State blog.

Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded the Ball State University Foundation a $2.5 million grant to support the construction of the new Performing Arts Center in The Village, the commercial district immediately adjacent to Ball State’s campus. The Performing Arts Center will be the catalyst that is essential to restoring the vibrancy to The Village. Learn more about the plans to revitalize The Village in this Ball State press release.

Also, Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded Ball State University a $25,000 grant to develop an on-campus cyberspace internship space, the Cardinal Academy of Digital Security and Education.

Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of people with Parkinson’s, named the Ball State University Speech Pathology Clinic a 2024 SPEAK OUT! Grant Program recipient. Grant recipients include hospitals, universities, private practices, and other organizations providing speech therapy across the United States and abroad. Each Clinical Education grant recipient receives training for their speech-language pathologists and students, SPEAK OUT! eLibrary access, and the opportunity to receive SPEAK OUT! workbooks and other materials. Read more in this Ball State blog.

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