Dear Colleagues:         

     As Ball State University and our community partners continue to advance the plan to revitalize The Village—the commercial district adjacent to our Muncie campus—we invited our students to help envision a key component of that effort: a new public event plaza.

    This Fall, the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (ECAP) conducted a student design competition for the plaza, which sits on the former site of a bank branch. The competition drew 52 team submissions, each reviewed by ECAP faculty and staff. The top designs, unveiled at the Oct. 2 First Thursday ArtsWalk in ECAP’s downtown design center, align with the revitalization plan’s overarching goal: to create a best-in-class, multigenerational district shaped by arts, culture, entertainment, and innovation through robust public-private partnerships.

    Community feedback and faculty input helped determine five finalists, who presented their concepts to a jury on Nov. 7. Awards were given to the top three submissions:

    Elements from multiple designs may be incorporated into the final plaza plans, which will be developed by a professional design team. Construction is scheduled to begin in Fall 2026.

    I encourage you to look at all of the designs, which can be viewed online. Our students did excellent work. I am grateful that they shared their time and talent with the community.

    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

On Nov. 14, actor Hugh Jackman returned to our campus and to Muncie—this time to host a screening for his new film, Song Sung Blue, which is out in theaters on Dec. 25.

The film features Mr. Jackman and actress Kate Hudson as real-life couple Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed in the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. The Muncie screening, and Mr. Jackman’s promotional appearance, were coordinated by Focus Features, the film’s distributor. More than 800 members of the Ball State and the local communities attended the screening, including first responders.

During his visit, Mr. Jackman met with the Muncie Police Department. Mr. Jackman also paid his respects to the family of Corporal Blake Reynolds, who died on Nov. 12 after giving his life in the line of duty while serving the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

Ball State University has announced the launch of CREATE250: Expanding the Civic Promise for All, a statewide expansion of the University’s successful CREATE initiative, led by the Center for Economic and Civic Learning (CECL).

Supported by a multi-year, $1.76 million award from the U.S. Department of Education, CREATE250 will build a statewide community of practice for K-12 educators—particularly those serving Title I schools—and culminate in Semiquincentennial (America250) learning experiences and events for teachers and students across Indiana.

Purpose-built for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, CREATE250 pairs close study of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Federalist Papers with community-based civic practice and student showcases. The initiative moves beyond traditional, one-time professional development by providing a sustained, statewide pathway for Title I educators—connecting teacher-led civic learning to visible student outcomes through an evidence-based model.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

Michael G. Fowler will serve as Ball State University’s next vice president for business affairs and treasurer, effective Jan. 5, 2026. 

Mr. Fowler joins Ball State after more than a decade of leadership at Indiana University Bloomington, where he has served in multiple senior financial roles. Presently, he serves as the assistant dean of finance and administration in the College of Arts and Sciences, which comprises more than 1,500 faculty and staff and includes more than 60 facilities. He also served as assistant vice provost for finance and budget, supporting campus-wide financial planning and modeling.

In these roles, Mr. Fowler designed and implemented internal budget models aligning financial resources with academic and research priorities, advanced forecasting tools to meet financial and enrollment management needs, and co-chaired the Big Ten Liberal Arts Finance Group. His peers and supervisors have consistently praised his thoughtful, strategic approach to resource allocation and his ability to build collaborative, cohesive teams.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

Ball State University has formally launched The Speaking Center, a campus-wide resource designed to help students, faculty, and staff strengthen their public speaking and presentation skills.

Located on the third floor of the David Letterman Communication and Media Building, the center now offers expanded services, innovative technology, and one-on-one coaching to help all members of the Ball State community become more confident and effective speakers.

The center’s formal launch was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Oct. 1, marking a new chapter for this signature resource housed within the Department of Communication Studies.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

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