Dear Colleagues:

     After an extensive national search, I selected Dr. Anand R. Marri as Ball State University’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
     Dr. Marri’s commitment to the success of our students, faculty, and staff is strong and unwavering. Since arriving at our University in July 2020, he has served our students and his colleagues with dedication and distinction. During Dr. Marri’s service as the dean of Teachers College at Ball State, enrollment in the college increased, and Teachers College faculty and staff generated an increase in external funding to support their research.
     While serving as our interim provost, Dr. Marri made several important contributions, including assisting with the ongoing implementation of our incentive-based budget model and with Ball State’s comprehensive student success initiatives. 
     Dr. Marri’s diverse professional experience includes serving as a tenured professor at Teachers College at Columbia University and as the vice president of outreach and education at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He also has impressive education credentials: a B.A. from Bowdoin College, a M.A. from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
     I look forward to continued collaboration with Dr. Marri as we implement the shared vision and goals articulated in Ball State’s strategic plan.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University

     Ball State University’s School of Journalism and Strategic Communication (SJSC) and the George and Frances Ball Foundation have announced a community partnership to address poverty in local neighborhoods.

     The collaboration, part of the George and Frances Ball Foundation’s Cradle to Career initiative, will result in Ball State students developing a strategic communication campaign focused on effectively reaching individuals in need in the Muncie, Ind., area. This community-wide collaborative initiative brings together more than 70 nonprofit organizations to provide valuable resources that contribute to the overall goal of providing education as a pathway out of poverty for Muncie’s neighborhoods.

     The Cradle to Career project will be completed by students in SJSC classes and at The McKinley Avenue Agency, a student-run media sales and strategic communications agency. Dr. Jim Parham, a distinguished Ball State alumnus and former CEO of Hirons, a leading Indianapolis-based agency, is serving as the director of strategic partnerships for the project.

     Ball State graduate Betsy Ross—author, successful entrepreneur, Emmy® award-winning sports reporter, and a former ESPN anchor—will be the guest on the November 2023 episode of the monthly podcast Our Call to Beneficence, hosted by Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns.

     Ms. Ross, ’72, graduated from Ball State with a degree in Journalism. She is president and founder of Game Day Communications in Cincinnati. Her journalism career included work at the South Bend Tribune in South Bend, Ind., and at South Bend’s ABC affiliate before earning a reporting—and later, an anchor—position at ESPN. After several years at ESPN, Ms. Ross returned to her home in the Cincinnati area, where she continues to support women in sports as a play-by-play announcer, public address announcer for women's college sports, and sports anchor and reporter for Cincinnati’s Fox TV news affiliate. Her book, “Playing Ball with the Boys: The Rise of Women in Men’s Sports,” was released in 2010.

     All episodes of the Our Call to Beneficence podcast are available on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscriptions and reviews are also encouraged to help grow the audience for this podcast.

     Marc Lore—serial entrepreneur, and co-owner of an NBA team and a WNBA team—will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Entrepreneurial Experience Lecture at Ball State University. The lecture is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 28 in Room 175 of the campus’ Art and Journalism Building, where Mr. Lore will be joining the in-person audience via Zoom. This in-person event is open to the public—but is limited to 250 attendees. Register for this event.

     Mr. Lore purchased Minnesota’s Timberwolves and Lynx in Spring 2021 with his business partner, Alex Rodriguez—businessman and former Major League Baseball player. Mr. Lore is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of Wonder Group, a company reinventing the at-home dining experience.

     This lecture is part of the Entrepreneurial Experience Speaker Series, held by Ball State’s Miller College of Business (MCOB). For this series, MCOB invites entrepreneurs and executives to campus to give students the opportunity to learn directly from and network with those who are leading their own businesses.

     Ball State Journalism student Meghan Sawitzke has been selected for the elite New York Times Corps mentorship program. Only 19 students nationwide were chosen for this talent pipeline program that connects each participating student with a mentor who is a New York Times journalist. The mentorship program spans each participating student’s college career. The program also offers students access to valuable speaker events and training sessions.

     A sophomore, Ms. Sawitzke is already an award-winning journalist. She earned a third-place individual award in the Associated Collegiate Press’ Story of the Year competition for one of her columns published in The Ball State Daily News, the University’s student newspaper. The winning column is about gun violence and domestic violence—and the fatal shooting of her high school friend committed by the victim’s boyfriend. The award was announced Oct. 30. Ms. Sawtizke’s column, “Guns Drawn in Spite of Tragedy: Society Falls into Complacency Until it Happens Again,” is available online. Also, learn more about Ms. Sawitzke and her New York Times Corp opportunity in this Ball State blog post.

     Ball State senior and field hockey player Michaela Graney has been named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Defensive Player of the Year. Ms. Graney is the first Cardinal named MAC Defensive Player of the Year since its inception in 2019. Her teammates, sophomore Fleur Knopert and graduate senior Kerrianne McClay, have earned first- and second-team All-MAC honors, respectively. Learn more in this Ball State Athletics press release.

     Additionally, Ball State junior and soccer player Lexi Fraley became the first player in program history to be named MAC Offensive Player of the Year. She also earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team for the second consecutive season, as did senior forward Avery Fenchel. Sophomore midfielder Delaney Caldwell was named to the All-MAC Second Team for the second straight year as well, while defender Audrey Goodyear was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. Learn more in this Ball State Athletics press release.

I'm a new paragraph block.

Follow us on social media to stay up to date with current campaigns, news and events