Dear Friend:

     On August 15, I spoke to our faculty and staff at our annual Fall Opening Convocation, where I shared an exciting update to our University’s strategic plan.

     Since its launch in 2019, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path has served as a bold and visionary guide for Ball State University. This next iteration of our long-term strategic plan reaffirms our long-term vision while enhancing our focus on several important new priorities, including purpose exploration, relationship-rich education, and the integration of artificial intelligence.

     This plan is the result of a year-long, inclusive process that engaged thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Their input underscored the strength of our original vision—and challenged us to elevate it.

     If you missed this year’s Fall Opening Convocation, it is available on Ball State’s YouTube channel.

     Together, we remain committed to preparing our students for fulfilling careers and inspiring them to lead meaningful lives. With this updated strategic plan, we are charting our course for an even brighter future.

         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

A new Forbes article recognizes Ball State University as a national example of how higher education institutions can deliver meaningful value through access, student success, and community engagement.

The article, “Degrees of Opportunity: Rethinking Value in Higher Ed,” highlights Ball State as the only public university in Indiana to earn the new “Opportunity College” designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. It notes that Ball State serves a diverse student body, helps graduates achieve economic mobility, and strengthens Indiana communities through workforce and civic partnerships.

Ball State’s County Ambassador Program and Third Way Civics initiative are cited as examples of innovation that prepare graduates for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. With three Carnegie classifications— Opportunity College & University; Research 2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production); and Community Engagement—Ball State is one of only 14 institutions nationwide to excel across all areas of its public mission.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has appointed Aidan Davis as the new student representative on the Ball State University Board of Trustees.

Mr. Davis, whose appointment began July 10, 2025, will serve a two-year term through June 30, 2027. He succeeds Hope Churchill, who recently finished her two-year term as Ball State’s student trustee. In May, Ms. Churchill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with minors in communications and human resource management.

Mr. Davis is a biochemistry major at Ball State with a concentration in pre-medical preparation. He has been recognized for his academic excellence and leadership and has received multiple departmental awards—including the General Chemistry Award, the McIntyre Scholarship for pre-med students, and the Dr. Wiseman Park Scholarship. He maintains a strong academic record while balancing his role as a teaching assistant in anatomy and physiology and conducting undergraduate research in microbiology and organic chemistry.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner recently recognized Muncie Community Schools (MCS) for significant growth in elementary reading scores. MCS improved more than nine percentage points on the IREAD-3 assessment and achieved a 79.2% passing rate.

This success follows the adoption of the “Science of Reading” curriculum across MCS elementary schools, supported in part through Ball State’s historic partnership with the district. All six MCS elementary schools are now in the state’s high-growth quadrant, and the district’s high school graduation rate has climbed to 91 percent—exceeding the state average.

Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns highlighted these results during his Fall Convocation address, crediting MCS leaders, teachers, and staff for their commitment to public education. The University remains a proud partner, providing support through Teachers College and collaborative efforts that reflect Ball State’s mission to serve the Muncie community.

Read more in this MCS press release.

Ball State University’s Teachers College, in collaboration with Ball State Online, has partnered with Muncie Community Schools (MCS) to expand the district’s leadership pipeline by supporting current educators who aspire to become school leaders.

Through the program, eligible MCS employees who enroll in Ball State’s online Master of Arts in Education (MAE) in Educational Administration and Supervision will receive a 50 percent tuition reduction on the full 36-credit-hour degree. The initiative reflects both institutions’ shared commitment to building strong, sustainable educational leadership from within the Muncie community.

In addition to Ball State’s tuition support, MCS is offering a package of incentives to participating educators. This initiative builds on a longstanding partnership between Ball State University and Muncie Community Schools.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

The Ball State University women’s golf team has been honored with the prestigious 2024-25 WGCA (Women’s Golf Coaches Association) All-Scholar Team GPA Award, recognizing the collegiate program with the highest cumulative team GPA in the nation.

With an outstanding average cumulative GPA of 3.968, the Cardinals led all NCAA Division I women’s golf programs. The award accounts for the academic performance of all nine student-athletes on Ball State’s 2024-25 roster. Each team member has achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.704 over their collegiate career, with perfect 4.000 GPAs recorded by seniors Payton Bennett and Sabrina Langerak, junior Sarah Gallagher, and sophomore Madelyn Young.

Read more about this recognition in this Ball State Athletics’ press release. Visit Ball State Athletics’ website to learn about other individual and team achievements.

Ball State University has been awarded a $300,000 grant from Lumina Foundation to support the statewide expansion of Third Way Civics, an undergraduate civic learning initiative that helps students connect their personal and professional goals to the broader public good.

Over the next two years, the Third Way Civics: Indiana Advances (3WCIA) initiative aims to support at least a dozen Indiana colleges and universities in implementing this innovative curriculum, which combines historical inquiry, peer discussion, and interdisciplinary learning to promote civic understanding and engagement.

Piloted at Ball State in 2022, Third Way Civics was developed by Dr. Trygve Throntveit, who now serves as research professor and associate director of Ball State’s Center for Economic and Civic Learning (CECL). Dr. Anand R. Marri, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Ball State, will lead this initiative at Ball State along with Dr. Throntveit.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

Ball State University’s College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) earned recognition at the 2025 NATAS Central Great Lakes Regional Emmy® Awards, with faculty, staff, and students receiving awards and nominations across several categories for professional and student-produced work.

At the professional level, Ball State was recognized with two Regional Emmy® Awards. Ball State students were also honored in the Student Production Awards, with multiple wins for work produced through Ball State Sports Link.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

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