Dear Colleagues:     

     On October 20, we publicly launched “Our Call to Beneficence”, the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in our University’s history.

     During an event attended by hundreds of our graduates and friends, I announced that we will raise more than $350 million during this campaign. So far, we are off to a great start—we’ve already raised more than $225 million during the leadership phase of the campaign. Watch the Oct. 20 launch online

     I am grateful for the many contributions and commitments we have already received from so many people—graduates, families, friends, fans, and philanthropic organizations. Each of these generous benefactors has a story—a story about what inspired them to answer “Our Call to Beneficence.”

     The name for our campaign honors both the iconic symbol of our University and the enduring values that distinguish Ball State.

     One of those enduring values is gratitude. We define gratitude as our commitment to expressing our appreciation and to demonstrating our appreciation through our actions.

     In that spirit, I ask you to reflect on your own Ball State story as you consider joining me and other people in contributing to this campaign.

     To learn more about our detailed fundraising goals and about how you can give, please visit the “Our Call to Beneficence” website.

     I look forward to witnessing how this campaign accelerates our progress while also enhancing our University’s impact on our friends and neighbors in our community.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University

“Our Call to Beneficence”, Ball State’s most ambitious comprehensive capital campaign in the University’s 100-plus-year history, is in full swing.

Publicly launched on Oct. 20, the campaign’s $350 million fundraising goal builds upon Ball State’s ongoing successes to achieve the goals articulated in the University’s strategic plan. Watch the Oct. 20 launch online. Fueled by the generous support of graduates and benefactors, “Our Call to Beneficence” focuses on three pillars to enhance the University’s mission: student opportunity and success; the academic experience; and campus and community impact.

Detailed fundraising goals and plans—including the specific plans of colleges and other academic and support units at the University—can be found on the “Our Call to Beneficence” website.

Commitments to “Our Call to Beneficence” can be made in several forms, including outright gifts, multi-year pledges, planned gifts, matching gifts, endowments, and naming opportunities. Flexible donation options include online payments, gifts by mail, monthly installments, a bequest or charitable trust, employer-matched gifts, stock transfers, and more. To make a gift, or for more information, including frequently asked questions, visit the campaign website or email campaign@bsu.edu.

     The Ball State Writer-in-Residence (WIR) program is hosting Newbery Honor-winning author Alicia D. Williams in Muncie, Ind., Nov. 6-10 to read, write, learn, and talk with students in Muncie-area community schools and after-school programs, as well as engage with community members around her award-winning books.

     Free public events in the evenings on Ball State’s campus will include a talk on writing for young people and a featured reading, followed by an on-stage interview with Ball State alum—and New York Times bestselling memoirist—Ashley C. Ford. These evening events will also feature a literary fair, book sales, signings, and refreshments. Ms. Williams will be reading from her award-winning middle-grade novel “Genesis Begins Again.” In addition, fifth-grade students from Burris Laboratory School will be studying two picture books: “Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston” and “Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress.”

Highlights:

Nov. 7—“Writing for Young People” with Alicia D. Williams, 7:30 p.m. in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom. This event is free and open to all. No tickets required.

Nov. 9—Featured Reading with Alicia D. Williams, 7:30 p.m. in the Burris Laboratory School Auditorium. Following this will be a conversation with Ashley C. Ford, the 2021 Writer-in-Residence This event is free and open to all. No tickets required.

     The residency is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English with generous support from the Efroymson Family Fund, the College of Sciences and Humanities, and the Office of the President, as well as invaluable co-sponsorship from the Office for Community Engagement, the Department for Women’s, Gender, and African American Studies, Muncie Community Schools, Burris Laboratory School, and Loudmouth Books. For more information, contact WIR program coordinator Jill Christman at jcchristman@bsu.edu. Also, learn more in this Ball State press release.

     On Sept. 15, the Ball State University Board of Trustees reviewed a comprehensive design for the University’s new Performing Arts Center—which will be the catalyst for the University’s revitalization plan for The Village, a commercial district located immediately adjacent to campus. Expected to be the site of more than 160 University performances and draw more than 35,000 attendees to The Village each year, the Performing Arts Center is expected to leverage approximately $80 million in private investments into the revitalization project. Read more about the designs reviewed during the Sept. 15 Board of Trustees meeting in this Ball State press release.

     Pending approvals, construction on the $60 million project, which will be located on the northeast corner of University and McKinley Avenues in Muncie, is scheduled to begin in Fall 2024 and to be completed by Fall 2026.

     In June 2023, Ball State’s Board of Trustees authorized Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns to execute a development agreement between the University and Fairmount Properties to create a best-in-class, multigenerational district driven by arts and culture, entertainment, and innovation that includes the Performing Arts Center and hotel and new dining, retail, and gathering options for the area. Read more in this Ball State press release.

     Author, Paralympic gold medalist, ESPN host and reporter, and motivational speaker Victoria Arlen will be the next featured speaker in the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series at Ball State University.

     Ms. Arlen’s lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Pruis Hall on Ball State’s campus. The lecture is free and open to the public, but general admission tickets are required for entry into the event. Free tickets can be obtained in advance from Ball State’s Emens box office, which is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets can also be ordered from the box office: 765-285-1539. Other important information about tickets for this event is available online.

     Among her many other accomplishments—which include setting a world record in swimming at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, being a contestant on the “Dancing With the Stars” television show, and hosting American Ninja Warrior Jr. in 2022—Ms. Arlen also founded the nonprofit Victoria’s Victory Foundation to assist others with mobility challenges achieve their goals. Ms. Arlen’s inspiration for creating Victoria’s Victory Foundation is rooted in her fight for life after being diagnosed with two rare neurological disorders in 2006 when she was 11 years old. Learn more about Ms. Arlen online and in this Ball State press release.

     Actors and producers David and Christina Arquette are spending two weeks on the campus of Ball State University this Fall semester as the first Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Visiting Experts in Residence for Media. Formerly the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Endowed Chair in Telecommunications program, the Visiting Expert in Residence for Media initiative in the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) brings media industry experts to campus to provide meaningful insights to students in and out of the classroom.

     The Arquettes’ time on campus as Visiting Experts in Residence for Media is being split into two weeks. They spent their first week leading the program Sept. 25-29 and will return to the Muncie, Ind., campus for another full week of programming in November. Read more in this Ball State press release.

     For the eighth consecutive year, Ball State University has received a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity magazine and website in higher education. The HEED Award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a recipient, Ball State will be featured in the magazine’s November/December 2023 issue, alongside 108 other institutions. Read more in this Ball State press release.

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