Dear Colleagues:

     At Ball State University, we recognize and celebrate student achievement in many ways. One of those is the Ball State University Foundation’s annual “Top 100 Student Awards,” which honors 100 exceptional junior and senior undergraduates who excel in academic excellence, campus leadership, and community impact.

    On February 16, the Ball State University Foundation revealed the recipients of the fifth annual “Top 100 Student Awards.” The full list of this year’s recipients is available on the Foundation’s website. All recipients and their families were recognized at the Top 100 celebration on March 21. I had the privilege of addressing the honorees and their guests and assisting in presenting the awards.

    I am grateful to the Ball State University Foundation for its leadership of this award program. This effort shines a well-deserved spotlight on students who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to growing as leaders, scholars, and engaged community members during their time at our University. You can read more about this year’s “Top 100 Student Awards” in this Ball State press release.

    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

Ball State University has named Chris Capko the 21st head coach of the Cardinals men’s basketball team. He was formally introduced March 24 at the Ball State Alumni Center.

Coach Capko arrives in Muncie with a national reputation as a recruiter and player-development specialist. He has spent the past 10 seasons working under coach Andy Enfield at SMU and USC, where he was recognized by national outlets as one of the country’s top assistants.

During his two seasons at SMU, the Mustangs went 44-25 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017; the program was also noted for landing the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class. Across his coaching stops, Coach Capko has helped develop 11 NBA players.

Read more about Coach Capko—with remarks from Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns and Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell at the March 24 public introduction—in this Ball State Athletics Department press release.

The Ball State University Board of Trustees approved the scope, budget, and site plan for Village Green—Site 4 of the University’s Village Revitalization Plan—during the Board’s meeting on Feb. 27.

Village Green will be located on the southwest corner of Martin Street and University Avenue in Muncie. It will be a welcoming gathering space designed to strengthen connections between Ball State’s campus and the broader Muncie community.

The plan for Village Green incorporates design insights gathered through a Fall 2025 Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (ECAP) student design competition, which drew 54 submissions and nearly 2,000 public votes. The plan includes green space, a signature gateway element featuring public art, shaded seating, game-ready hardscape, food-truck staging space, and enhanced lighting.

Also, the plan includes improvements to Martin Street that will create a more pedestrian-friendly corridor that better links The Village to the campus via the Alderdice Gates and the James Lowe East Mall. It includes a shared-street concept and intersection and streetscape enhancements.

The cost of Village Green’s development will be approximately $5.4 million, with the majority of funding coming from the $35 million grant that the University received in December 2023 from Lilly Endowment’s College and Community Collaboration initiative. Full design work will be completed in 2026, with construction anticipated to begin in Spring 2027. The project will be completed in Fall 2027.

Later this year, Ball State expects major progress and openings across The Village, including the Performing Arts Center and the Center for Innovation and Collaboration (CIC)—each scheduled to open this Fall. The Cantio Hotel, part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection, is also scheduled to open this Fall.

Read more in this Ball State press release.

The Ball State women’s basketball team finished its 2025–26 season with a 26-7 record, including an impressive 16-2 record against conference opponents, earning a share of the 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season title. This marks the first time in program history Ball State has won back-to-back regular-season crowns.

The Cardinals earned the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, where they defeated No. 7 seed Bowling Green, 75-63, in the quarterfinals before falling to the University of Toledo, 69-65, in the semifinal round.

Ball State’s 16 MAC wins ties a program record for most league victories in a season—a mark the Cardinals have reached in each of the past three seasons. Read more about Ball State’s women’s basketball team online.

Students who participated in this year’s Ball State University Dance Marathon (BSUDM), held Feb. 7, helped raise more than $281,000 during BSUDM’s 2026 fundraising cycle to benefit Riley Hospital for Children.

Money raised by BSUDM support two specific areas at Riley: the hospital’s palliative care team and the Magic Castle Cart program, which provides gifts to patients and their family members during their stay.

Since BSUDM began in 2003, participating Ball State students have raised millions of dollars for Riley Hospital for Children.

For a third straight year, Leo Furlong, a seventh grader at Burris Laboratory School, is the champion of the Ball State PBS Regional Spelling Bee.

At this year’s competition, held March 7 at Ball State’s Sursa Performance Hall, Mr. Furlong correctly spelled “collegiality” to secure the regional title and earn a return trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The 2026 Ball State PBS Regional Spelling Bee featured 35 spellers from 35 local schools and lasted nine rounds.

Mr. Furlong once again advances to compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee near Washington, D.C. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for May 26–28.

Established by Ball State’s Teachers College, Burris Laboratory School is a K-12 school consistently ranked as one of Indiana’s best. Burris provides valuable teaching and learning experience for Ball State education majors.

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