September 21, 2022
Dear Friend:
Since the start of the partnership between Ball State University and Muncie Community Schools in 2018, this collaboration has produced many positive, transformative changes to the quality of education at the district.
As we enter the second phase of MCS’s transformation, we are focusing on innovation that will also have meaningful and measurable impact on the lives of students in our public schools. One of these endeavors, the annual MCS-Ball State Academic Innovation Summit, provides the opportunity for MCS staff, Ball State professors, and community stakeholders to explore innovative strategies that support student success.
This summit serves as a dedicated space for meaningful dialogue among our community’s educators, and often features keynote speakers who are nationally known thought leaders in the education field. Outcomes from this summit inform the Academic Innovational and Financial Viability Plan and the MCS Strategic Plan.
The theme of this year’s summit, held Sept. 16 at Muncie Central High School, was “Focus Forward.” The keynote speaker, Geoffrey Canada, inspired us all with his story of social activism and pioneering work in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood as president and CEO for the Harlem Children’s Zone—a national model of place-based innovation and education reform. Mr. Canada was named to the 2011 “Time 100” list, the magazine’s selection of 100 of the most influential people of in the world. And in 2014, he was named one of Fortune magazine’s 50 greatest leaders in the world.
I am grateful to Mr. Canada, the other event speakers, and everyone else who contributed to or participated in what was another successful MCS-Ball State Academic Innovation Summit.
Below are a few more stories that I hope you will enjoy and then share. Let your friends and colleagues know how “We Fly” at Ball State.
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Sincerely,
Geoffrey S. Mearns
President
Ball State University
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Ball State Graduate and Pioneering Black Educator Receives President’s Medal of Distinction
A Ball State University graduate who became a pioneering Black educator and champion of civil rights in Indiana has received one of the University’s highest honors.
Annie Burns-Hicks ’58 received the President’s Medal of Distinction from Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns in recognition of her historic legal battle to become the first Black school teacher in Hammond, Indiana. President Mearns awarded the medal to Ms. Burns-Hicks at the end of his Fall Convocation address, which he delivered Aug. 19 at Emens Auditorium.
Ms. Burns-Hicks graduated from Ball State Teachers College in 1958. When she returned home to Hammond to teach, she was informed by school officials that the city “wasn’t ready for a colored teacher.” Ms. Burns-Hicks decided to sue the school district in federal court and won a legal battle to become Hammond’s first Black teacher in 1960.
Earlier this year, Hammond school officials approved the renaming of Maywood Elementary—where Ms. Burns-Hicks attended school and taught for more than 40 years—as the Annie Burns-Hicks Elementary School.
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Next Episode of Our Call to Beneficence Features Michael Lewis, Ball State Head Men’s Basketball Coach
Ball State head men’s basketball coach Michael Lewis is the guest on the next episode of the monthly podcast Our Call to Beneficence, hosted by Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns. This episode is scheduled for release on or shortly after Sept. 29.
Coach Lewis, a Jasper, Indiana, native and a former college athlete, has spent 18 seasons as a college coach, including the last three at UCLA. His experience also includes stints as an assistant coach at Butler University, the University of Nebraska, Eastern Illinois University, and Stephen F. Austin University, plus two seasons as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech under his former college head coach, Bob Knight.
As a student-athlete in Indiana, Mr. Lewis was a well-known prep school and college basketball performer. He was a standout guard at Indiana University under Coach Knight. In his senior year at IU, Mr. Lewis served as team captain and secured third-team All-Big Ten honors. He was named to the Big Ten Conference’s All-Star Team that toured Europe in 1997. He earned his undergraduate degree in Sports Management from IU in 2000 before playing professional basketball for two seasons, both domestically and overseas.
All episodes of the Our Call to Beneficence podcast are available online, as well as on multiple platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscriptions and reviews are also encouraged to help grow the audience for this podcast.
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Ball State’s Fall Homecoming 2022 Runs Oct. 17-22
Ball State University's Fall Homecoming returns with a week of fun and exciting in-person events, starting Oct. 17 and culminating with the Cardinals' football game against Eastern Michigan University at Scheumann Stadium at 2 p.m. on Oct. 22. Conveniently located next to the Alumni Center and Scheumann Stadium, Reunion Row offers a premier tailgating location in preparation for the Homecoming football game.
Other Homecoming Week Events:
- Faculty and Staff Homecoming Reception: Thursday, Oct. 14
- Homecoming Village-Food Truck Festival: Monday, Oct. 17
- Talent Search: Tuesday, Oct. 18
- Blood Drive: Wednesday, Oct. 19
- The David Letterman Distinguished Lecture Series: Stedman Graham: Wednesday, Oct. 19
- Air Jam: Thursday, Oct. 20
- Bed Race: Friday, Oct. 21
- Chase Charlie 5K, Parade, and CharlieTown: Saturday, Oct. 22
Learn more about this year's Homecoming celebration.
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Author, Educator, Business Advisor Stedman Graham to Speak at Ball State as part of Letterman Lecture Series, Oct. 19
Mr. Graham’s lecture, titled “Identity Leadership,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Sursa Performance Hall. Free tickets for Ball State students, faculty, and staff are available online, at the College of Fine Arts box office in Sursa Hall, or by calling 765-285-8749. Tickets will be available to the general public starting Sept. 10. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Chairman and CEO of S. Graham and Associates, Mr. Graham’s “Identity Leadership” concept is based on the philosophy that people cannot lead others until they first lead themselves. His book, also titled “Identity Leadership,” about this concept was published in 2019. It is one of many books Mr. Graham has written.
As an educator, Mr. Graham has been a distinguished visiting professor at various colleges and universities around the nation. He is a former adjunct professor at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Business where he taught the course, “The Dynamics of Leadership.” Learn more.
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Ball State University Professors Selected for LEAP Indiana 2022 Faculty Awards
Seven faculty members at Ball State University have been selected as honorees for this year’s Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Indiana Faculty Awards.
LEAP Indiana Paragon Award
Dr. Adam Kuban, professor of Journalism, was selected as this year’s LEAP Indiana Paragon Award recipient. The Paragon Award honors the sustained professional achievement of an individual who exemplifies LEAP Indiana's mission and vision as a teacher or teaching and learning advocate. LEAP Indiana aims to establish and foster connections among diverse faculty, from all Indiana colleges and universities, who are passionate about teaching and the exploration of innovative pedagogies aligned with AAC&U's LEAP States Initiative.
LEAP Indiana COVID Character Honors
Six Ball State faculty members were among several faculty members across the state recognized as part of the LEAP Indiana COVID Character Honors program. Nominees were selected by LEAP chapter members, who submitted stories about colleagues who assisted one or more students during the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ball State faculty members selected to receive this honor were:
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Ball State University, Muncie Community Schools Awarded Grants from State, Federal Departments of Education
Ball State University has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, totaling more than $1.3 million over three years, for its project, Civic Renewal through Education for Agency, or CREATE. The project is aligned with the American History and Civics Education-National Activities program, which is funded by Congress as part of the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA), Public Law 114–95. In cooperation with Muncie Community Schools (MCS), Ball State will develop the project as an innovative approach to instruction, student learning, and professional development in civics that will integrate American history, geography, government, and media literacy.
And in May, MCS became one of just eight districts statewide to receive a Next Generation School Improvement Grant from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). During this competitive grant cycle, the IDOE awarded $8.1 million to MCS. This new grant will allow MCS to partner with other education experts over the next four years to improve student performance in several ways, including kindergarten preparedness, third grade reading and math, and student attendance.
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Academically Talented, Low-Income Biology, Chemistry Students
Ball State University’s College of Sciences and Humanities has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation that is expected to play a major role in increasing retention and graduation rates among academically talented low-income students in Chemistry and Biology.
The National Sciences Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF-S-STEM) Grant awarded to the college—totaling $750,000 over five years—will be used to provide scholarships to 16 high-achieving undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need, recruited in two cohorts of eight and supported for up to four years.
The grant project, titled “Pathways to STEM Degrees through Integrated Academic Support, Career Enhancement, and Personal Development (I-ASCEND),” will also enable the University to build programming based on high-impact practices (HIPs) targeting students’ academic preparation and career enhancement, such as: a first-year seminar; undergraduate research; faculty/peer mentoring; living-learning communities; internships/co-op experiences; and interactive industry seminars hosted by top Indiana employers. Workshops and activities to promote mental health, self-awareness, and social integration will also be incorporated in the programming to address Ball State students’ needs.
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NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Awarded to Ball State University Graduate Student, Former Student-Athlete
Ball State University Spring 2021 graduate Karleigh Conner, of Maineville, Ohio, has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in recognition of her accomplishments in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, and community service. A member of Ball State’s track and field and cross-country teams, Ms. Conner was one of only 21 female Spring sport athletes nationwide to receive this $10,000 scholarship.
Ms. Conner completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychological Science, with minors in Spanish, Interpersonal Relations, Psychology of Human Development, and Autism Spectrum Disorders from Ball State—graduating summa cum laude. She has begun the second year of Ball State’s combined Master of Arts/Specialist in Education in School Psychology program. Ms. Conner plans to become a school psychologist, with the eventual goal of becoming director of special education for a school district.
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Ball State earns MAC Institutional Academic Achievement Award for 2021-22
For the third time in program history, Ball State University has been named the winner of the 2021-22 Mid-American Conference Institutional Academic (MAC) Achievement Award. The honor is presented annually to the MAC institution which achieves the highest overall institutional grade point average (GPA) for student-athletes competing in institutionally sponsored sports for the academic year.
Ball State student-athletes posted an overall GPA of 3.353 for the 2021-22 academic year based on 318 students in 17 sports.
Ball State earned the highest GPA of 3.054 in football and earned over a 3.4 in three additional programs, while the women's sport programs earned the highest rankings in field hockey (3.702), women's soccer (3.768), and volleyball (3.842).
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President Mearns Appoints Ken Bothof Interim Director of Athletics
Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns appointed Ken Bothof to be the interim director of athletics, the University announced on Sept. 9. Mr. Bothof succeeds Beth Goetz, who has accepted a position as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer at the University of Iowa Athletics Department.
Mr. Bothof has 35 years of administrative experience in college athletics, including nine years at Northern Kentucky University, where he retired as vice president and director of athletics in June. From 2013-17, Mr. Bothof served in that role under President Mearns, formerly the president at Northern Kentucky.
President Mearns has started the process of forming a screening committee to help him select the next full-time director of athletics. He thanked Ms. Goetz for guiding the University’s Athletics Department to new heights both competitively and in the classroom.
Over the last four years, Ball State’s teams have won 12 Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and conference tournament championships, and its student-athletes have won 15 individual MAC championships. And, in 2020, the Ball State football team won its first postseason bowl game in program history.
Last academic year, across all sport programs, Ball State student-athletes earned a collective GPA of 3.35. As a result, the University received the 2022 MAC Institutional Academic Achievement Award, which is presented each year to the institution with the highest GPA in the MAC.
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Lifetime Learning by Ball State Launches with New Course Offerings
Ball State University is expanding its reach and impact along the continuum of human development by serving adults throughout their lifetime educational journey with the University’s “Lifetime Learning” offerings. Ball State provides a flexible learning community to guide individuals to a fulfilling career and meaningful life.
This new array of micro-credentials, badges, and skill-building programs are collaborative, innovative, and designed for distance learning—allowing learners in all stages of life to interact and learn from each other in ways that make everyone better.
Ball State alumni and mid-career professionals can upskill and qualify for promotion through industry certifications and skills courses such as “Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Leading Innovation: A Structured Approach.” Community members ready for a new career can re-train for new, in-demand career fields, including Clinical Medical Assisting. Students prepare to pass licensure exams on the first try.
Read more in this Fall/Winter 2022-23 catalog.
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IU Health Participated in Networking Event with Ball State Students at Campus’ Indiana Connection Lounge
The Career Center hosted an in-person networking event for students—an Indiana Connection Experience—on Sept. 13 at the Indiana Connection Lounge in Ball State’s Career Center in Lucina Hall. During this event, students had the opportunity to connect in a no-pressure environment with employers from IU Health.
Appearing at the event were Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns and Dr. Jeff Bird, president of IU Health Ball Memorial.
This was the first networking event held at the new Indiana Connection Lounge, which was established to assist students in gaining the social capital necessary to take advantage of the socioeconomic ladder that higher education offers.
The Indiana Connection Lounge is a site for employers and organizations from across the state to be on Ball State’s campus for a day to meet students considering jobs and careers in their industries. This is one of the many ways that Ball State University engages Indiana employers and industry leaders to help the state flourish—and help fill the Hoosier State’s workforce pipeline.
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Student-Run Ball State Publications Named as Finalists for Pinnacle Awards
Ball State Daily News, Ball State’s student-run newspaper, and Ball Bearings Magazine, the University’s student-run magazine, has been named a finalist in several categories in this year’s College Media Association Pinnacle Awards. Winners will be announced Oct. 27 in Washington, D.C.
In the individual categories, the Daily News is a finalist in Best Display Ad, Best Rate Card/Media Kit, Best Social Media Strategy, Best Newspaper Entertainment Page/Spread, Best Newspaper Front Page, Best Newspaper Nameplate, Best Newspaper News Page/Spread, Best Newspaper Opinion Page/Spread, and Best Viral Video.
Ball Bearings is a finalist in Best Social Media Presence and Best Portrait. In the organizational category, Ball Bearings is a finalist in the Four-Year Feature Magazine of the Year.
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Ball State’s College of Communication, Information, and Media Nationally Recognized For Esports, Sports Broadcasting Programs
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College of Fine Arts Performances, Programs Slated for September
Ball State University’s College of Fine Arts is presenting several programs and performances in September:
- Ball State Jazz Ensembles: 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Sursa Hall
- Ball State Symphony Orchestra: 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Sursa Hall
- Ball State Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony: 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Sursa Hall
- David Owsley Museum of Art Fall Exhibition: “Regionalism, Surrealism, and Climate Change: Recent Loans and Acquisitions,” Opening Sept. 29
- Rings-Revolutions and Repairs, presented by Maria Elena Gonzáles: 6 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Sursa Hall (this event is part of this year’s Arts Alive, the College of Fine Arts’ annual event series aimed at making arts and entertainment more accessible to community members and students.)
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