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News for Ball State Faculty and Staff

December 12, 2019

     This month, I am grateful to every member of our facilities staff. These extraordinary women and men work hard every day—and every night, weekend, and holiday—in all sorts of weather. They design, construct, and maintain the buildings and grounds throughout our beautiful campus.

     In addition, they serve as ambassadors of our University, with their cheerfulness toward colleagues and campus visitors. They are an example of the welcoming culture Ball State is known for. Their selfless service makes it a pleasure for all of us to come to work.

     Place matters. That is particularly true on our beautiful campus, a source of great pride for every member of our University community. Please join me in expressing our appreciation to our colleagues.

     As the holidays approach, I wish everyone peace and joy.

     Sincerely,

     Geoff

At the December 13 meeting of the Board of Trustees, President Mearns will recommend the creation of the President’s Strategic Imperative Fund. The University will award up to $5 million from the fund over a three-year period (July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023). 

All members of the Ball State community are invited to submit a proposal for support from the fund. Proposed projects should make significant contributions to the strategic imperatives outlined in the five goals of our strategic plan, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path.

Applicants must first submit pre-proposals by January 15, 2020. To review and complete a proposal online or to learn more about the President’s Strategic Imperative Fund, visit the strategic plan website.

New Wellbeing Resources Available
Our online wellness tool, Lifeworks, is now live. It provides our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services and offers new features for Ball State employees, including wellness assessments, 100-day step challenges, perks and savings, and more. Connect to Working Well news through the new Lifeworks newsfeed and recognize the contributions of your colleagues. Log in using your Ball State credentials at bsu.lifeworks.com and download the new Lifeworks app to your mobile device. Please contact Working Well at 765-285-9355 if you need assistance or have questions. 

Tuition Remission Reminder
We support your professional development with tuition remission, which is a robust benefit that Ball State offers to eligible employees, spouses, and dependent children. With Spring semester right around the corner, the Office of Payroll and Employee Benefits would like to remind all benefit eligible employees that the Workflow deadline to submit for Spring sessions/semester tuition remission is Monday, January 6, 2020, at 5 p.m.

For more information, please contact the Office of Payroll and Employee Benefits at 765-285-8461 or visit the Payroll website.

Electronic Form W-2 Available Online in Early January 2020
The 2019 electronic form W-2 will be available online for our active employees in early January. Please be on the lookout for an email notification to let you know when they become available on Self-Service Banner (SSB). For instructions on how to access and print your W-2, visit the Payroll website. Payroll will host four events throughout January to assist employees with printing their W-2s. If you need assistance, please plan to attend one of the following sessions in Bracken Library (BL008):

Sign Up for the University’s Emergency Text Alerts
It is important for faculty and staff to be informed of campus emergencies as they occur. Sign up for the University’s emergency text alerts at bsu.edu/emergencytext. Signing up will allow you to receive text messages concerning emergencies, canceled classes, curtailment of services, and other information about inclement weather. With the exception of essential services personnel, employees who are unable to report to work because of weather or emergency conditions should, with their supervisor’s approval, use vacation time.

Winter Weather Preparedness
We care about your safety and make every effort to ensure the campus sidewalks are clear, but sometimes it is difficult to keep up with Mother Nature. As you prepare for the upcoming winter weather, please be mindful of slick sidewalks and parking lots. Whether you are walking to your office on campus or working outside in the elements, proper footwear can help prevent slips and falls on icy surfaces. In the event an employee experiences an accidental work injury during a holiday closure period, medical attention can be arranged at nearby urgent care clinics or the local emergency room. The most current and up-to-date information about care locations and reporting procedures is always available from the Ball State Department of Public Safety  (765-285-1832).

The College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) will hold its Spring SuperParty on Wednesday, January 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Many studies show that student involvement in campus clubs and organizations is a contributing factor in both student retention and persistence. That is what the CCIM SuperParty is all about. Every Fall and Spring, more than 650 participants join this social event and get the opportunity to meet with over 35 CCIM organizations that welcome students from any college and major. 

Students have said that attending SuperParty was a defining moment in their Ball State journey. A freshman and first-generation college student said, “CCIM SuperParty tonight was life changing for me. I was literally on the verge of giving up until I went to this event tonight. I signed up for so many clubs, like eSports club and Byte. Tonight restored hope for me, and I'm forever thankful for Ball State University.”

Do you want to help students connect with like-minded individuals, get involved on campus, and find their paths? Help CCIM spread the word by sharing its Facebook event and its SuperParty highlight video.

The College of Fine Arts offers arts and entertainment, many of which are free or available at a discount for faculty and staff.

The School of Art will feature Bennie Flores Ansell at its Visiting Artist Talk from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, January 9, in the Griner Gallery in the Art and Journalism Building.

On Friday, January 17, the Department of Theatre and Dance will present The Long and Winding Road: From Yesterday to BFA. Under the guidance of two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster and Ball State faculty members Michael Rafter, Johnna Tavianini, and Bill Jenkins, the class of 2020 bachelor of fine arts (BFA) musical theatre students will perform at 8 p.m. in The Cabaret in Indianapolis. More information on tickets and seating options is available at thecabaret.org. 

At the David Owsley Museum of Art, enjoy Recent Acquisitions: Connecting to the Past, Committing to the Future through December 20. The special exhibition features nearly 100 works of art new to the museum’s collection, including art from Africa, Asia, North America, Europe, and the Pacific Islands. Admission to the museum—and this exhibition—is free.

College of Sciences and Humanities

Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Jennifer Erickson’s research interests include refugee resettlement, welfare, gender, race, ethnicity, and urban anthropology with a geographical focus on the Midwest United States, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and South Sudan. Her soon to be published book, Race-ing Fargo: Refugees and the Transformation of Small Cities (2020, Cornell University Press), compares and contrasts citizenship practices among refugee resettlement and welfare agencies and between Bosnian and Southern Sudanese refugees in Fargo, North Dakota. Read more about Dr. Erickson’s research.

The Stars to Steer By speaker series, part of the Compass Initiative, helps students majoring in the humanities see the connection between their studies and possible careers. The series, a partnership between the College of Sciences and Humanities dean’s office and the Career Center, will begin in the Spring semester with a full lineup. Humanities alumni will visit campus to share their successes, and the series encourages current students to look beyond traditional career paths and realize the potential of their degrees and the skill sets they can offer future employers. 

The talks will take place in North Quad 160, with pizza and prizes. All events are free and open to the public.

Seven faculty members (more than half) of the Department of Educational Leadership presented conference research papers at eight different national and international research conferences in the Fall of 2019. Twenty-three separate research papers were presented by Lori Boyland, Fenwick English, Rachel Geesa, Robin Phelps-Ward, Marilynn Quick, Serena Salloum, and Thalia Mulvihill. The conferences were the American Education Research Association (AERA), Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), American College of Personnel Association (ACPA), the Australian Association of Research in Education (AARE), University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA), the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP), the International Congress for Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI), and TQR.

In the Department of Educational Psychology, the school psychology PhD program, under the direction of Dr. Janay Sander, was accredited by the American Psychological Association for 10 years—the longest awarded accreditation possible. Rachel Thomas, a doctoral student in educational psychology, received the Ball State Excellence in Teaching Award and has been nominated for the regional award for the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools. 

During the legislative session, the Office of Governmental Relations produces a weekly legislative update to provide interested Ball State employees with information on what is happening at the Statehouse. The 2020 session will start in January and end by March 14. To sign up for the updates or view the archive, please visit the Office of Governmental Relations website.

Basketball
The approaching Mid-American Conference (MAC) campaigns will provide an opportunity to showcase the talent and depth of men’s and women’s rosters. So far, women’s basketball had solid wins over Butler and Xavier universities, while the men’s team knocked off Indiana State at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on the road in Chicago. Fans are encouraged to check out the Pick 3 Plan. Select any three men’s or women’s basketball games and receive tickets for each for only $19 plus a gift. Call 888-BSU-TICKET or buy tickets online. 

Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team had a remarkable season with a record of 20-12 (11-5 in the MAC). On November 24, the Cardinals won the MAC Volleyball Championship Tournament. They increased their winning streak to nine and earned a berth in the NCAA 2019 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship tournament this month.

Football
Ball State senior offensive lineman Danny Pinter was one of seven MAC players who earned a spot on the 2019 Pro Football Focus (PFF) All-America Team. Danny Pinter, who started every game at right tackle the last two years, was also invited to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on January 18, 2020, in Pasadena, California. 

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