Together WE FLYNews for Ball State Faculty and Staff
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Stories of Gratitude
April 15, 2020
As we respond to the threat of COVID-19, I am grateful to all of our faculty and staff for your unwavering dedication to our University.
You have made selfless sacrifices to serve our students and our communities. Our outstanding faculty have quickly developed creative ways to complete their courses, and our dedicated staff have continued their support so that we can maintain essential services.
You all have adapted to an unprecedented challenge. Each day, you demonstrate how you live the enduring values symbolized by Beneficence. You prove how Ball State is about more than providing an excellent education. We’re about serving our neighbors, near and far.
You have my abiding gratitude for your many extraordinary contributions as we overcome this challenge. Because of you, I am confident that we will conquer the issues of these difficult times and enjoy a bright future together. And I am proud—indeed, fortunate—to serve as the president of this exceptional University.
Sincerely,
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Ball State’s COVID-19 Website
The safety of our community is paramount. Therefore, Ball State University has taken several aggressive measures to mitigate the threat from COVID-19. For updates, please visit bsu.edu/coronavirus.
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Strategic Plan Update
To allow individuals more time to focus on more pressing needs as our University responds to COVID-19, we have revised the timeline for the Strategic Imperative Fund proposals. Our goal is to keep the process moving along as expeditiously as possible while providing flexibility to those who are submitting proposals and need more time. We have asked proposal champions to submit as soon as practicable after April 1 but no later than May 15. The completion of the review process will depend on the volume of proposals submitted at the end of the cycle. We anticipate that award notification could be as early as May 22, but we may need to extend into early June.
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For Your Benefit
Working Well
Choose to see the love, kindness, teamwork, and bravery around you. Focusing on your wellbeing can help you feel more in control and centered during uncertain times. Working Well has pulled together several wellbeing resources that can help you stay on track. Resources include those that help you navigate new stress and anxiety, how to work remotely, and even a weekly Cardinal workout developed by Ball State Athletics. Use these resources to help you feel good during challenging times. Together, we can continue to find our way.
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R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning
The Gateway to Growing: Maring-Hunt Community Built Market Pavilion, Outdoor Kitchen, and Nature Play Pockets received an Honorable Mention Award in the Place Design category for the 2020 Great Places Awards. The project, submitted by Professor of Architecture Pam Harwood, received funding from a Provost Immersive Learning Grant and had 52 students participating in the design + build project.
Sponsored by The Environmental Design Research Association, in partnership with Project for Public Spaces, the 2020 Great Places Awards honor professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design. They recognize work that combines expertise in design, research, and practice, and contributes to the creation of dynamic, humane places that engage our attention and imagination. Winning projects reflect an interdisciplinary approach that is enduring, human-centered, sustainable, and concerned with the experiential relationship between people and their environment over time.
College of Communication, Information, and Media
The CCIM Digest article “When life throws you lemons (or a COVID-19 pandemic)” puts the spotlight on 10 of CCIM's "lemonade stories" and pays tribute to the resilience of its faculty, staff, and students. CCIM hopes that these stories can inspire you, our Ball State colleagues, and contribute to brightening your day—be sure to watch lemonade No. 10 all the way!
The Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) named Ball State “Television School of the Year” and bestowed 17 awards upon our students and young graduates. See the full list of CCIM winners, faculty mentors, and winning work.
College of Health
Although the Healthy Lifestyle Center has closed physical operations at Meridian Health Services and the Health Professions Building until further notice, it will continue to provide services and support to clients, including virtual individual consultations, online workshops, and topical discussions. HLC will answer questions about pursuing a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing and assist with needs for support. For more information, visit hlcmuncie.com.
Awards for COH Students and Faculty
- Recent graduate Jonathan Isbill received a Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) 21st Century Scholarship Award. Jonathan earned his bachelor’s in dietetics (with honors and honors in writing) in December 2018 and his master’s in nutrition and dietetics in December 2019.
- Katie Crawford, a dietetics major, was named the 2020 Outstanding Dietetics Student of the Year by Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- Grant Yoder, a teaching health and physical education major, was named the InSHAPE (Indiana Society for Health and Physical Education) Major of the Year for Ball State.
- Faculty coach Dr. Marty Wood, associate professor of health science, and health education and promotion majors Charlee Krugler, Sarah Mueller, Taylor Young, and Maurita Greene won the SOPHE Case Study Competition. They presented virtually after the conference was moved online due to COVID-19.
College of Sciences and Humanities
Geoff Hutchinson, who studied biochemistry and pre-medicine at Ball State, is part of a team working to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. He and other researchers are working through mountains of data to understand how the disease is spreading and how it can be stopped. Read his full story in Ball State Magazine.
Earlier this year, Abdul Elnajdi, a PhD student in the environmental sciences program, spent two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The station hosts highly qualified teams of researchers year-round to develop new technologies and solutions for human space exploration. Read more about Abdul’s experience on the CSH blog.
Honors College
During the Spring 2019 semester an incredible group of students helped to create a new nonprofit, Beneficence Family Scholars (BFS), which seeks to help single parents attain a four-year college degree, while focusing 100% of their energies on their own and their children’s education. BFS makes this happen by providing full funding and resources for housing, health care, nutrition, access to technology, career readiness, and financial literacy, among many other services.
Within the first year, BFS already has scholars enrolled at Ball State and Ivy Tech, it is working with almost three dozen other single parents, and it has hired a wonderful full-time director committed to its vision. While the annual spring Stand Behind Beneficence night of celebration and generosity has been postponed to a later date, you can stay informed by visiting bfscholars.org.
Enrollment Planning and Management
Prospective and admitted students often choose to become Cardinals when they visit our beautiful campus and personally experience our size, our people, our culture, our technology, and our amenities. With prospective and admitted students unable to visit in person this Spring, Enrollment Planning and Management has found creative ways for them to continue to engage with Ball State.
For example, prospective students can attend virtual Welcome Center sessions, which include time for live questions and answers, and our virtual campus tour is available 24/7. In mid-April, admitted students and their families can participate in virtual college information sessions moderated by a dean, student, or other Ball State representative. Learn more on the Admissions website. In addition, some dedicated students created a one-minute tour of campus that we hope you will enjoy and share.
Now more than ever, all of our faculty and staff need to help tell the Ball State story and what it means to be a Cardinal. Let prospective and admitted students know how We Fly!
Athletics
Resources from Ball State Athletics
In this unique environment, Ball State Athletics has put together a trio of opportunities to engage.
In conjunction with Working Well, the “Train Like a Cardinal” workout will be posted on Wednesdays. The Cardinal Couriers program is underway with volunteers from Athletics running key errands for the community. If you know someone who may benefit from Cardinal Couriers, encourage them to visit ballstatesports.com and submit a request. Lastly, as families look for children’s activities, download and print the Cardinals Activity Book (PDF). Spread school spirit while giving the mind a workout.
Basketball Awards Pile Up for the Cards
Basketball Cardinals have received recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Representing the Ball State men’s basketball team, Tahjai Teague was named to the NABC All-District First Team. He had been selected to the All-MAC First Team and All-MAC Defensive Team, following a terrific season that was cut short for the Cards. Read more at ballstatesports.com.
On the women’s basketball side, Oshlynn Brown was named All-MAC First Team while newcomer Sydney Freeman was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. Read more at ballstatesports.com.
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| Achieving Academic Excellence
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Dr. Maoyong Fan’s diverse studies all have a common theme: how economics can make life better for the most vulnerable and underrepresented people.
A leading expert in environmental health, he said his interest stems from his childhood in a small town in China, where many residents suffered from liver cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses caused by air and water pollution.
“Environmental pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health. The whole family is affected if one member gets sick, especially in developing countries. Yet research into the costs and consequences of environmental degradation in developing countries is extraordinarily limited,” he said. “My hope is to provide research to policymakers to assist them in understanding the true costs and consequences of air and water pollution. With this knowledge, they can implement policies that improve the environment and their people’s wellbeing and welfare.
“When I was looking for a faculty position in 2009, I was seeking a place that values excellent research and top-notch teaching. Ball State University’s Miller College of Business provides that environment for me.”
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