Ball State University
Encyclopedia
Ball State University is a state-run
research
university
located in Muncie
, Indiana
. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.
Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans 731 acre and includes 106 buildings. The student body consists of more than 22,000 students, of whom nearly 4,000 are graduate students.
Originally a normal school
, Ball State has grown and expanded over the years. Ball State is classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
as a Research University (RU/H).
name.
The one-building school had a peak enrollment of 256 and charged $10 for a year's tuition. It operated until the spring of 1901, when it was closed by its president, F.A.Z. Kumler, due to the lack of funding. A year later, in the autumn of 1902, the school reopened as Palmer University for the next three years when Francis Palmer, a retired Indiana banker, gave the school a $100,000 endowment
.
Between 1905 and 1907, the school dropped the Palmer name and operated as the Indiana Normal College. It had two divisions, the Normal School for educating teachers and the College of Applied Sciences. The school had an average enrollment of approximately 200 students. Due to a diminishing enrollment and lack of funding, school president Francis Ingler closed Indiana Normal College at the end of the 1906–07 school year.
Between 1907 and 1912 the campus sat vacant. In 1912, a group of local investors led by Michael Kelly reopened the school as the Indiana Normal Institute. To pay for updated materials and refurbishing the once-abandoned Administration Building, the school operated under a mortgage from the Muncie Trust Company. Although the school had its largest student body with a peak enrollment of 806, officials could not maintain mortgage payments, and the school was forced to close once again in June 1917 when the Muncie Trust Company initiated foreclosure
proceedings.
On July 25, 1917, the Ball Brothers
, local industrialists and founders of the Ball Corp.
, bought the Indiana Normal Institute from foreclosure. For $35,100, the Balls bought the Administration Building and surrounding land bordered by University, McKinley, Riverside, and Tillotson Avenues, except the northwest quadrant which was maintained as a wildlife preserve (Christy Woods).
In early 1918, during the Indiana General Assembly
's short session, state legislators accepted the gift of the school and the land by the Ball Brothers. The state granted operating control of the Muncie Campus and school buildings to the administrators of the Indiana State Normal School
in Terre Haute
. That same year, the Marion
Normal Institute relocated to Muncie, adding its resources to what would officially be named the Indiana State Normal School, Eastern Division. Incidentally, the former Marion Normal Institute's campus was purchased in 1919 by what would become Indiana Wesleyan University
, currently the largest private university in Indiana.
The close relationship between the Balls and the school led to an unofficial moniker for the college as many students, faculty and local politicians casually referred to the school as "Ball State" as a shorthand alternative to its longer, official name. During the 1922 short session of the Indiana legislature, the state renamed the school as Ball Teachers College. This was in recognition to the Ball family's continuing beneficence to the institution. During this act, the state also reorganized its relationship with Terre Haute and established a separate local board of trustees for the Muncie campus.
In 1924, Ball Teachers College's trustees hired Benjamin J. Burris
as the first president of the state-funded college. The Ball brothers continued giving to the university and partially funded the construction of the Science Hall (now called Burkhardt Building) in 1924 and an addition to Ball Gymnasium in 1925. By the 1925–26 school year, Ball State enrollment reached 991 students: 697 women and 294 men. Based on the school's close relationship with the Ball Corporation, a long-running nickname for the school was "Fruit Jar Tech."
During the regular legislative session of 1929, the Indiana General Assembly formally separated the Terre Haute and Muncie campuses of the state teachers college system, but it placed the governing of the Ball State campus under the Indiana State Teachers College Board of Trustees based in Terre Haute. With this action, the school was renamed Ball State Teachers College. The following year, enrollment increased to 1,118, with 747 female and 371 male students.
In 1935, the school added the Arts Building for art, music, and dance instruction (now used by the Ball State University Museum of Art
and the Geological Science and Social Work departments). Enrollment that year reached 1,151: 723 women and 428 men.
As an expression of the many gifts from the Ball family since 1917, sculptor Daniel Chester French
was commissioned by the Muncie chamber of commerce
to cast a bronze fountain figure to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ball brothers' gift to the state. His creation, the statue "Beneficence
," still stands today between the Administration Building and Lucina Hall where Talley Avenue ends at University Avenue.
In 1961, Ball State became fully independent of Indiana State University via the creation of the Ball State College Board of Trustees, so that Ball State was no longer governed remotely by the Indiana State College Board of Trustees. The official name of the school also was changed to Ball State College.
In 1965, in recognition of its enrollment growth (10,066 students) and for becoming more than an institution to train only public school teachers, the Indiana General Assembly renamed the school Ball State University.
Ball State has seen a trend of near-constant growth since its creation, and current enrollment is the highest in the school's history. Seven academic colleges now offer 175 bachelor's, 103 master's, and 17 doctoral degrees, a sharp increase from the five degree programs initially offered by the University. The University continues a course of improving, expanding, and creating programs of study.
Despite the two quadrangles, the most heavily-utilized buildings on campus are situated along McKinley Avenue (which runs north-south) and Riverside Avenue (which runs east-west). The intersection of the two streets is nicknamed the "scramble light" after its pedestrian scramble
feature. The pedestrian phase stops all traffic allowing pedestrians to cross in all directions, thus causing everyone to "scramble."
Campus architecture
is primarily dominated by the use of brick buildings, with the lone exception of Pruis Hall, which is composed almost entirely of Indiana limestone
. No two buildings on the campus have identical facades, which is unusual for a large university. A 2005 survey conducted by Intel Corporation
rates Ball State as the number one wireless campus in the nation. Ball State's academic and administrative buildings, residence halls, and green spaces have wireless access fed by 625 Wi-Fi access points.
Dedicated in 2002, Shafer Tower
has become an unofficial landmark of Ball State University. It is a free-standing bell tower
, or campanile
, that is equipped with a carillon
. It is located in the median of McKinley Avenue, in the heart of University Green.
A small staircase in the tower leads to a control room of the carillon, which has 48 custom-made bells. From here, a musician can play the instrument on special occasions or for concerts. Normally, on days which classes are held, the bells are programmed by computer to chime automatically every 15 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Due to a construction defect in the type of mortar used to hold the bricks, about two-thirds of the brick on the tower had to be removed and reinstalled. The tower was, in effect, built twice. The architect of record was Edmund Hafer Associates of Evansville, Indiana
.
fields and houses five floors of university offices, classrooms, computer labs, private study suites, video viewing suites, and thousands of books, videos, and audio devices available to students. Bracken Library hosts the Ball State University Digital Media Repository
, an open access resource containing over 130,000 digital objects in 64 collections. Built in 1975, Bracken's most recent remodel finished in 1997.
The Bookmark Cafe, opened in January 2007, is a popular cafe and lounge area on the first floor.
In September 2006, the University rejected a proposal to build a new student center. In lieu of a new building, the University approved a remodel and expansion, which was completed recently.
By far the largest housing complex is LaFollette Complex
, which houses over 1,900 students. This co-ed facility, completed in 1967, has four L-shaped, eight-story units, and a ten story tower in the center that houses mainly non-traditional and international students. Johnson Complex, on the north end of campus, is a modern complex consisting of one eight-story building and two four-story buildings. The complex is the only one on campus to feature Z-shaped rooms.
In addition, Ball State has one all-female residence hall that houses approximately 600 students. The Woodworth Complex comprises four halls and also houses sorority suites. In the fall of 2007, a two-story dining facility and atrium attached to the complex re-opened after two years of renovations.
Of the current residence halls in operation, only one, Elliott Hall, has been in operation for most of the University's history. Constructed from 1937 to 1939, Elliott was formerly an all-male dormitory and, during World War II
, housed cadets and recruits from joint programs operated by the Army and Air Force. Elliott Hall is named for Frank Elliott Ball, who died in an airplane crash while at Princeton. To commemorate and honor him, the hall is an exact replica of the one in which he lived while at Princeton. Today the hall is home to 120 co-ed students.
University Residence Halls
In addition to the residence halls, two apartment complexes operated by the University provide affordable homes for single students and students with families. Apartments are available in one- and two-bedroom styles, and townhouses are available in two- and three-bedroom styles. The apartments are located close to campus, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and schools.
Three of Ball State's taller residence halls – Lafollette, Johnson B, and Studebaker East – have unusual elevator systems because the halls were early co-ed dorms. As such, their elevators serve only two floors: the first floor lobby and the sixth floor lobby, which duplicates the first floor almost exactly. This served to separate the male and female portions of the dormitory, as the stairs pass through lobby doors.
The Eastern Branch of the Indiana State Normal School, which later became Ball State University, opened in 1918. The Girls Club started within a year of the school's founding. This followed in the tradition of the organization at Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute. All girls were eligible to become club members. Local sororities started in sections of the club beginning with Alpha sorority in 1920, which later became Alpha Chi Omega
. With the inaccuracy of records before the Girls club's founding, Ball State University celebrates 1919 as the founding year for the Greek community at Ball State.
The Navajo social club, the first men's organization at Ball State, also was founded in 1920. The club later became Lambda Chi Alpha. Ball State did not have a large collection of national organizations until the mid-1950s, as many local organizations began affiliating with national fraternities and sororities.
Member fraternities of National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
Member fraternities of Interfraternity Council (IFC)
Member sororities of Panhellenic Council (PHC)
Member sororities of National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
, Pita Pit
, Jimmy John's
Gourmet Subs, Greek's Pizzeria, The Chug, and Dill Street Bar & Grill. During the heated 2008 Presidential primary season, President
Barack Obama
opened a campaign office in the heart of University Village.
Most evenings, Mark Carter, more commonly known as "the hot dog man," sells his "nearly world famous" hot dogs to patrons of the numerous bars in the village area adjacent to the BSU campus. Carter was named number fifty-one on Sports Illustrated's "The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate" list, published in 2003. Humorously enough, Carter's first name is erroneously listed as James in the accompanying article. For a time, Carter operated a storefront location on Martin Street in The Village but returned to his original method of selling from a cart at the intersection of Dill Street and University Avenue several years ago. Carter's most popular item is the chili cheese dog
, although he also offers bratwurst
, Italian
, and polish sausages.
The newest academic building on campus is the David Letterman
Communication and Media Building, named for Ball State's arguably most famous alumnus. It was dedicated during a ceremony on September 7, 2007, with Letterman as the guest of honor.
The tallest structure on campus is Shafer Tower. The tallest habitable building is Teachers College, which, at 138 feet (42 m), is also the tallest building in Muncie.
Two streets located in close proximity to campus, named Ball and Dicks, have their street signs stolen at least once each academic year. Just off campus, the High Street sign often is missing as well.
certification standards and diverts 20% of its waste from landfills through its recycling efforts. The University also invests extensively in hybrid vehicles, hybrid-electric shuttle buses, and vehicles that use E85
for its transportation needs.
At the Spring 2009 Commencement, President Jo Ann M. Gora
, alongside Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, announced Ball State's plan for the nation's largest geothermal energy project. Ball State has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80,000 tons annually through the installation of the $65 million geothermal heating and cooling system and the closing of all four coal-fired boilers on campus. Expected to save the University $2 million in fuel costs annually, the system will consist of 4,000 boreholes 4 inches (10.2 cm)-5 inches (12.7 cm) in diameter and two energy stations in two locations on campus. Approximately 1,800 of the boreholes are complete, along with the first energy station, all located on the north end of campus near the Duck Pond. The remainder of the boreholes and the second energy station will be located on the south end of campus near Christy Woods
and the existing coal-fired boilers. The system will consist of two underground loops, one hot [150 °F (65.6 °C)] and one cold [42 °F (5.6 °C)], to circulate water for heating and cooling throughout campus.
.
staff to provide an enjoyable, informative, and accredited catalog from which students may choose. In addition to academic and residency provisions, enrollment in the London Center includes admission to 8-10 major theatre productions and guided tours of London. Weekly day trips also are arranged to English cities and locales at the discresion of the Director appointed each semester. Destinations include Liverpool, Brighton & Hove, Canterbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge.
, along with the Rinker Center for International Programs, will host the Prague Center. The inaugural session at the Prague Center will run during the 2010 fall semester and will include weekly cultural excursions. Directed by a Miller College of Business
faculty member, the center will offer classes in business as well as electives that meet Ball State’s core curriculum. These courses will be taught by Ball State faculty and local experts. Long weekends allow students the time to travel to other European countries such as Germany, Poland, Austria, and Switzerland.
, the Worcester Center offers students an opportunity to experience the best of British life and culture while earning academic credit in liberal arts subjects. Just a few miles away from Stratford-upon-Avon
, Shakespeare’s birthplace, as well as a number of bustling cities such as Birmingham
, there is no shortage of activities near Worcester
.
Ball State University is academically organized into seven degree-granting colleges:
Miller College of Business
Ball State University also has two non-degree-granting colleges:
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
continuously since 1925.
Ball State competes in the NCAA
Division I / IA and is part of the Mid-American Conference
(MAC) in all sports except for men's volleyball
, where it competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
(MIVA).
Ball State athletics also has Cheerleading
, a non-NCAA sport.
Charlie Cardinal
is Ball State's anthropomorphized
cardinal
mascot
. He is sometimes called simply "Charlie."
The Code Red Dance team performs at many BSU sporting events.
The University's two main sporting facilities are Scheumann Stadium
and John E. Worthen Arena
. Ball Gymnasium and Irving Gymnasium
are sporting complexes open to Ball State students. Irving has undergone renovations that were completed in August 2010. Lewellen Pool is the campus aquatic center.
and former United States Ambassador to Lebanon
, Jeffrey D. Feltman
. Ball State graduates have particularly left their mark in the fields of American professional sports and popular entertainment. The most recognizable alumnus of Ball State is American television host
, David Letterman
, of Late Show with David Letterman
on CBS. He is joined by fellow television performers, Joyce DeWitt
, who played Janet Wood
in the 1970s sitcom
Three's Company
, and Anthony Montgomery
, who played Travis Mayweather
on Star Trek: Enterprise
on UPN
. Andy Devine, character actor and comic cowboy sidekick Oct 7 1905 - Feb 18 1977 played football at the university. South Korean comedic actress Kim Suna (김선아) attended for several years before leaving Ball State for school in Japan. Stedman Graham
the love interest of talk show host Oprah Winfrey
also attended Ball State when receiving his masters degree.
Brady Hoke
, a former Ball State football player, alumnus, and head coach from 2003–08, was hired as the 19th head coach of the University of Michigan football team on January 12, 2011. Hoke led Ball State to a school-best 12-1 record in 2008 before leaving for San Diego State, where he went 4-8 and 9-4 in 2009-10, winning the school's first bowl game in 41 years.
Many alumni from the Miller College of Business
have gone on to successful business careers like Kent C. Nelson
, Retired President and CEO, United Parcel Service
and John Schnatter
, Founder and Chairman of Papa John's Pizza
restaurants.
In the field of comics
, artist Jim Davis
, the cartoonist creator of Garfield
also is a graduate of Ball State. Sam Smith, a retired sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune
, is a graduate of Ball State.
Actor Doug Jones
, was the school mascot, Charlie Cardinal, during his time at BSU and has since featured in more than 25 films (including Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
, Hellboy
, Pan's Labyrinth
, Men in Black II
, and Batman Returns
), television series, and commercials (most notably the McDonald's
"Mac Tonight
" campaign) and music videos. Additionally, Jones acted in "My Name is Jerry
", a movie produced by Ball State's Institute for Digital Education and Entertainment.
Sportswriter
Jason Whitlock
currently writes for The Kansas City Star
and Fox Sports
with previous stints at ESPN
and AOL
Sports and Mike Lopresti
is a national sportswriter for the Gannett News Service
. Brian Collins
, now a report for KXXV in Waco Texas, is best known for the viral video showing him fumbling through a Ball State sportscast. Also, Notable ESPN Producer Matt Houston hails from Ball State University. Radio sportscaster Mark Champion
is a Muncie native and graduate of Ball State. He is currently the voice of the Detroit Pistons
as well as the narrator of the famous I'm going to Disney World!
Super Bowl
commercials.
Journalist Michael Konopasek works as a general assignment reporter at the CBS affiliate, KWTV
, Channel 9 in Oklahoma City. While at Ball State, Konopasek and Zachary Perlinski represented the university on national television as they were honored with being named winners of the 2010 Fox News College Challenge.
Reality television star Dawn Swain
, the Medical Expert from the G4
program Human Wrecking Balls
is a graduate from Ball State University. She majored in nursing and still practices in an Intensive Care Unit in Los Angeles, CA when not participating on the program.
Several professional athletes participated in Ball State sports before turning pro. They include NFL
players such as Reggie Hodges
, a punter drafted in 2005 by the St. Louis Rams
; Blaine Bishop
, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
; Brad Maynard
, a punter with the Houston Texans
; Bernie Parmalee
, formerly of the Miami Dolphins
and current tight ends coach at the University of Notre Dame
;, Dante Ridgeway
, a wide receiver
for the New Orleans Saints
, and Ed Konopasek
, formerly of the Green Bay Packers
. NBA
players Theron Smith
of the Charlotte Bobcats
and Bonzi Wells
of the New Orleans Hornets competed on the NCAA
level at Ball State as did Major League Baseball
players, including Larry Bigbie
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
, Bryan Bullington
, pitcher
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
, and Thomas Howard ("Tank"), formerly of the San Diego Padres
, Cincinnati Reds
, and several other major league teams. Nate Davis
, a former standout quarterback on the Ball State football team, was drafted in 2009 by the San Francisco 49ers.
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.
Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans 731 acre and includes 106 buildings. The student body consists of more than 22,000 students, of whom nearly 4,000 are graduate students.
Originally a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
, Ball State has grown and expanded over the years. Ball State is classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for classifying, or grouping, colleges and universities in the United States. The primary purpose of the framework is for educational research and analysis, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly...
as a Research University (RU/H).
History
Ball State University was not the first school to operate at its location. Previous educational institutions operated at the intersection of University and McKinley Avenues before 1918; however, they were neither public nor did they carry the "Ball"Ball Brothers
The Ball brothers were the founders of the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Business which eventually became Ball Corporation. They greatly improved the quality of life of Muncie, Indiana through their philanthropy and business. They were instrumental in the creation of Ball State University, and...
name.
The pre-Ball years
The area of Muncie, Indiana that is now known as Ball State University had its start in 1899 as a private school called the Eastern Indiana Normal School to educate teachers. The entire school, including classrooms, library, and the president's residence were housed in what is now known as the Ball State Administration building.The one-building school had a peak enrollment of 256 and charged $10 for a year's tuition. It operated until the spring of 1901, when it was closed by its president, F.A.Z. Kumler, due to the lack of funding. A year later, in the autumn of 1902, the school reopened as Palmer University for the next three years when Francis Palmer, a retired Indiana banker, gave the school a $100,000 endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
.
Between 1905 and 1907, the school dropped the Palmer name and operated as the Indiana Normal College. It had two divisions, the Normal School for educating teachers and the College of Applied Sciences. The school had an average enrollment of approximately 200 students. Due to a diminishing enrollment and lack of funding, school president Francis Ingler closed Indiana Normal College at the end of the 1906–07 school year.
Between 1907 and 1912 the campus sat vacant. In 1912, a group of local investors led by Michael Kelly reopened the school as the Indiana Normal Institute. To pay for updated materials and refurbishing the once-abandoned Administration Building, the school operated under a mortgage from the Muncie Trust Company. Although the school had its largest student body with a peak enrollment of 806, officials could not maintain mortgage payments, and the school was forced to close once again in June 1917 when the Muncie Trust Company initiated foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
proceedings.
Ball Brothers intervene
Ball Brothers
The Ball brothers were the founders of the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Business which eventually became Ball Corporation. They greatly improved the quality of life of Muncie, Indiana through their philanthropy and business. They were instrumental in the creation of Ball State University, and...
, local industrialists and founders of the Ball Corp.
Ball Corp.
Ball Corporation , originally Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company, is an American company famous for producing glass canning jars. Founded in 1880, it is currently headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company has expanded into other areas such as avionics, space systems, metal beverage...
, bought the Indiana Normal Institute from foreclosure. For $35,100, the Balls bought the Administration Building and surrounding land bordered by University, McKinley, Riverside, and Tillotson Avenues, except the northwest quadrant which was maintained as a wildlife preserve (Christy Woods).
In early 1918, during the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
's short session, state legislators accepted the gift of the school and the land by the Ball Brothers. The state granted operating control of the Muncie Campus and school buildings to the administrators of the Indiana State Normal School
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
in Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. That same year, the Marion
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
Normal Institute relocated to Muncie, adding its resources to what would officially be named the Indiana State Normal School, Eastern Division. Incidentally, the former Marion Normal Institute's campus was purchased in 1919 by what would become Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination...
, currently the largest private university in Indiana.
The close relationship between the Balls and the school led to an unofficial moniker for the college as many students, faculty and local politicians casually referred to the school as "Ball State" as a shorthand alternative to its longer, official name. During the 1922 short session of the Indiana legislature, the state renamed the school as Ball Teachers College. This was in recognition to the Ball family's continuing beneficence to the institution. During this act, the state also reorganized its relationship with Terre Haute and established a separate local board of trustees for the Muncie campus.
In 1924, Ball Teachers College's trustees hired Benjamin J. Burris
Benjamin J. Burris
Benjamin Jackson Burris is best known for being a past president of Ball State University and held many different occupations...
as the first president of the state-funded college. The Ball brothers continued giving to the university and partially funded the construction of the Science Hall (now called Burkhardt Building) in 1924 and an addition to Ball Gymnasium in 1925. By the 1925–26 school year, Ball State enrollment reached 991 students: 697 women and 294 men. Based on the school's close relationship with the Ball Corporation, a long-running nickname for the school was "Fruit Jar Tech."
Ball State Teachers College
In 1935, the school added the Arts Building for art, music, and dance instruction (now used by the Ball State University Museum of Art
Ball State University Museum of Art
The Ball State University Museum of Art is an art museum located in the Fine Arts building on the campus of Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA....
and the Geological Science and Social Work departments). Enrollment that year reached 1,151: 723 women and 428 men.
As an expression of the many gifts from the Ball family since 1917, sculptor Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
was commissioned by the Muncie chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
to cast a bronze fountain figure to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ball brothers' gift to the state. His creation, the statue "Beneficence
Beneficence
Beneficence is a bronze statue on the campus of Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. It is referred to as "Benny" by the students.-History:...
," still stands today between the Administration Building and Lucina Hall where Talley Avenue ends at University Avenue.
In 1961, Ball State became fully independent of Indiana State University via the creation of the Ball State College Board of Trustees, so that Ball State was no longer governed remotely by the Indiana State College Board of Trustees. The official name of the school also was changed to Ball State College.
Ball State University
Ball State has seen a trend of near-constant growth since its creation, and current enrollment is the highest in the school's history. Seven academic colleges now offer 175 bachelor's, 103 master's, and 17 doctoral degrees, a sharp increase from the five degree programs initially offered by the University. The University continues a course of improving, expanding, and creating programs of study.
Campus life
Ball State's campus life revolves around two main quadrangles. The original historic quadrangle is at the south end of campus near L. A. Pittenger Student Center. The newer quadrangle is located to the north and consists of a variety of modern buildings, including Bracken Library and the cultural venue for recitals, ensembles, and films, Pruis Hall.Despite the two quadrangles, the most heavily-utilized buildings on campus are situated along McKinley Avenue (which runs north-south) and Riverside Avenue (which runs east-west). The intersection of the two streets is nicknamed the "scramble light" after its pedestrian scramble
Pedestrian scramble
A pedestrian scramble, also known as a 'X' Crossing , diagonal crossing , scramble intersection , and more poetically Barnes Dance, is a pedestrian crossing system that stops all vehicular traffic and allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same...
feature. The pedestrian phase stops all traffic allowing pedestrians to cross in all directions, thus causing everyone to "scramble."
Campus architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
is primarily dominated by the use of brick buildings, with the lone exception of Pruis Hall, which is composed almost entirely of Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
. No two buildings on the campus have identical facades, which is unusual for a large university. A 2005 survey conducted by Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
rates Ball State as the number one wireless campus in the nation. Ball State's academic and administrative buildings, residence halls, and green spaces have wireless access fed by 625 Wi-Fi access points.
Shafer Tower
Shafer Tower
Shafer Tower is a free-standing bell tower, or campanile with a carillon and chiming clock located in the middle of the campus of Ball State University....
has become an unofficial landmark of Ball State University. It is a free-standing bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, or campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
, that is equipped with a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
. It is located in the median of McKinley Avenue, in the heart of University Green.
A small staircase in the tower leads to a control room of the carillon, which has 48 custom-made bells. From here, a musician can play the instrument on special occasions or for concerts. Normally, on days which classes are held, the bells are programmed by computer to chime automatically every 15 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Due to a construction defect in the type of mortar used to hold the bricks, about two-thirds of the brick on the tower had to be removed and reinstalled. The tower was, in effect, built twice. The architect of record was Edmund Hafer Associates of Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
.
Emens Auditorium
A cultural center for the University and the Muncie community, Emens Auditorium hosts many events annually, ranging from music concerts to Broadway musicals to guest lecturers. Built in 1964 with a capacity of 3,575, the auditorium is named for former Ball State President John R. Emens.Bracken Library
The Alexander M. Bracken Library is the main library on the Ball State campus. It has the floor area of nearly seven American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fields and houses five floors of university offices, classrooms, computer labs, private study suites, video viewing suites, and thousands of books, videos, and audio devices available to students. Bracken Library hosts the Ball State University Digital Media Repository
Digital Media Repository
Established in 2004, the Digital Media Repository is an innovation of Ball State University Libraries. The DMR is a publicly-accessible collection of more than 130,000 digital artifacts in sixty-four browsable and searchable collections...
, an open access resource containing over 130,000 digital objects in 64 collections. Built in 1975, Bracken's most recent remodel finished in 1997.
The Bookmark Cafe, opened in January 2007, is a popular cafe and lounge area on the first floor.
L. A. Pittenger Student Center
Completed in 1952, the Student Center houses the University's hotel, meeting rooms, a food court, and various forms of recreation for students, including a bowling alley. It is also home to other services, such as student programming and the University-owned campus barbershop.In September 2006, the University rejected a proposal to build a new student center. In lieu of a new building, the University approved a remodel and expansion, which was completed recently.
Ball Honors House
The Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Honors House is the new home of Ball State University’s Honor College. The white Colonial-style house, which was originally built in the 1930s, has undergone $1.3 million in renovations. The home is only a short distance from the DeHority Complex, which houses many Honors College students. The home has three classrooms (two of them fully technology-equipped), administrative offices for staff, a full kitchen, and private gathering areas for students. The Honors College was previous located in the basement of Carmichael Hall.Student Housing
The University currently operates ten residence complexes that house nearly 7,000 students. Ball State's freshman residence hall program is listed as one of the best in the nation by the "Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the Most Interesting Colleges."By far the largest housing complex is LaFollette Complex
LaFollette Complex
LaFollette Complex is the largest residence hall complex on the Ball State University Campus in Muncie, Indiana. The complex houses 1,900 men and women in nine halls. They have nine hall directors and the building itself has a net worth of 11 million dollars. The basement of LaFollette houses...
, which houses over 1,900 students. This co-ed facility, completed in 1967, has four L-shaped, eight-story units, and a ten story tower in the center that houses mainly non-traditional and international students. Johnson Complex, on the north end of campus, is a modern complex consisting of one eight-story building and two four-story buildings. The complex is the only one on campus to feature Z-shaped rooms.
In addition, Ball State has one all-female residence hall that houses approximately 600 students. The Woodworth Complex comprises four halls and also houses sorority suites. In the fall of 2007, a two-story dining facility and atrium attached to the complex re-opened after two years of renovations.
Of the current residence halls in operation, only one, Elliott Hall, has been in operation for most of the University's history. Constructed from 1937 to 1939, Elliott was formerly an all-male dormitory and, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, housed cadets and recruits from joint programs operated by the Army and Air Force. Elliott Hall is named for Frank Elliott Ball, who died in an airplane crash while at Princeton. To commemorate and honor him, the hall is an exact replica of the one in which he lived while at Princeton. Today the hall is home to 120 co-ed students.
University Residence Halls
- DeHority Complex (Honors Halls)
- Beeman/DeMotte and Tichenor/Trane Halls
- Elliott Hall
- Johnson Complex
- Johnson A (Botsford and Swinford Halls)
- Johnson B (Schmidt and Wilson Halls)
- LaFollette ComplexLaFollette ComplexLaFollette Complex is the largest residence hall complex on the Ball State University Campus in Muncie, Indiana. The complex houses 1,900 men and women in nine halls. They have nine hall directors and the building itself has a net worth of 11 million dollars. The basement of LaFollette houses...
- Brayton/Clevenger, Knotts/Edwards, Mysch/Hurst, Woody/Shales, Shively halls
- Kinghorn Hall (designed to meet LEED certification standards)
- Noyer Complex
- Howick/Williams and Baker/Klipple Halls
- Park Hall (designed to meet LEED certification standards)
- Studebaker Complex
- Studebaker West (Palmer/Davidson and Painter/Whitcraft Hall)
- Studebaker East (Menk/Hurlbut Halls)
- Woodworth Complex
- Brady/Wood and Crosley/Rogers Halls
- Wagoner Complex (Houses Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and HumanitiesIndiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and HumanitiesThe Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities is a two-year residential public high school located on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, although it operates as a separate entity...
Students)(Burkhardt and Jeep Halls)
In addition to the residence halls, two apartment complexes operated by the University provide affordable homes for single students and students with families. Apartments are available in one- and two-bedroom styles, and townhouses are available in two- and three-bedroom styles. The apartments are located close to campus, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and schools.
Three of Ball State's taller residence halls – Lafollette, Johnson B, and Studebaker East – have unusual elevator systems because the halls were early co-ed dorms. As such, their elevators serve only two floors: the first floor lobby and the sixth floor lobby, which duplicates the first floor almost exactly. This served to separate the male and female portions of the dormitory, as the stairs pass through lobby doors.
Honor Societies
- National Society of Collegiate ScholarsNational Society of Collegiate ScholarsThe National Society of Collegiate Scholars is a national nonprofit academic honor society for college students in the United States. NSCS has active chapters at more than 280 colleges and universities in the United States, including in the District of Columbia, and in Puerto Rico, consisting of a...
- Golden Key International Honour SocietyGolden Key International Honour SocietyThe Golden Key International Honour Society is an Atlanta, Georgia-based non-profit organization founded in 1977 to recognise academic achievement among college and university students in all disciplines....
- Phi Kappa PhiPhi Kappa PhiThe Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
History
Fraternities and sororities have been active on the Ball State campus since 1919, but this date was chosen due to an inaccuracy in records. It could be said that Greek-letter organizations at Ball State date back to 1905 with the founding of Indiana Normal School and College of Applied Science, Ball State's predecessor. Historical records are not specific regarding the number of Greek-letter organizations founded during this time. However, records show that, in 1907 the president, Francis M. Ingler decreed all fraternities to be disbanded. This was decided after a cow was discovered roaming through the Phi Sigma Theta fraternity house. Indiana Normal School and College of Applied Science also closed in 1907.The Eastern Branch of the Indiana State Normal School, which later became Ball State University, opened in 1918. The Girls Club started within a year of the school's founding. This followed in the tradition of the organization at Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute. All girls were eligible to become club members. Local sororities started in sections of the club beginning with Alpha sorority in 1920, which later became Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
. With the inaccuracy of records before the Girls club's founding, Ball State University celebrates 1919 as the founding year for the Greek community at Ball State.
The Navajo social club, the first men's organization at Ball State, also was founded in 1920. The club later became Lambda Chi Alpha. Ball State did not have a large collection of national organizations until the mid-1950s, as many local organizations began affiliating with national fraternities and sororities.
Chapters
Ball State is home to 27 Greek organizations on campus, including 15 fraternities and 12 sororities. Around eight percent of all undergraduates are members of the Greek community, with over 1,200 students maintaining membership in a Greek organization.Fraternities
Member fraternities of National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
|
Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I... Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos... |
Member fraternities of Interfraternity Council (IFC)
|
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South... Sigma Chi Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon... Sigma Nu Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia... Sigma Pi Sigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee... colony Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,... Theta Chi Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta... |
Sororities
Member sororities of Panhellenic Council (PHC)
|
Delta Zeta Delta Zeta is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada... Kappa Delta Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university... Phi Mu Phi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year... Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and... Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn... |
Member sororities of National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
|
Professional Fraternities
|
University Village
The commercial district immediately adjacent to campus, known as University Village, plays an integral part of campus life for students who live on- and off-campus. Known informally as "The Village," the district is home to a set of shops and restaurants located immediately east of the southern part of campus. Although most of the buildings have been rebuilt over the years, The Village has existed in its present location since the early 1920s. Current businesses include Be Here Now, Village Green Records, MT Cup, White Rabbit, Art Mart, Locker Room, Wizard's Keep, Scotty's Brewhouse, and 420 Underground. Dining options include SubwaySubway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, Pita Pit
Pita Pit
The Pita Pit is a quick-service restaurant franchise serving pita sandwiches. Its headquarters are in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its United States headquarters is in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho....
, Jimmy John's
Jimmy John's
Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The franchise has over 1000 locations in 39 states and has opened approximately 200 units per year for the last three years...
Gourmet Subs, Greek's Pizzeria, The Chug, and Dill Street Bar & Grill. During the heated 2008 Presidential primary season, President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
opened a campaign office in the heart of University Village.
Most evenings, Mark Carter, more commonly known as "the hot dog man," sells his "nearly world famous" hot dogs to patrons of the numerous bars in the village area adjacent to the BSU campus. Carter was named number fifty-one on Sports Illustrated's "The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate" list, published in 2003. Humorously enough, Carter's first name is erroneously listed as James in the accompanying article. For a time, Carter operated a storefront location on Martin Street in The Village but returned to his original method of selling from a cart at the intersection of Dill Street and University Avenue several years ago. Carter's most popular item is the chili cheese dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
, although he also offers bratwurst
Bratwurst
A bratwurst is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef. The plural in German is Bratwürste....
, Italian
Italian sausage
In the United States, Italian sausage most often refers to a style of pork sausage noted for being seasoned with fennel and/or anise as the primary seasoning...
, and polish sausages.
Other campus features
The Cow Path, a north-south pedestrian pathway, extends along part of the western border of the campus from the Johnson residence halls to Riverside Avenue, passing to the west of the McKinley Avenue buildings. At one time, it also linked the intersection of Neely and McKinley Avenues, cutting a trail across a grassy field on which the Bell Building now stands.The newest academic building on campus is the David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
Communication and Media Building, named for Ball State's arguably most famous alumnus. It was dedicated during a ceremony on September 7, 2007, with Letterman as the guest of honor.
The tallest structure on campus is Shafer Tower. The tallest habitable building is Teachers College, which, at 138 feet (42 m), is also the tallest building in Muncie.
Two streets located in close proximity to campus, named Ball and Dicks, have their street signs stolen at least once each academic year. Just off campus, the High Street sign often is missing as well.
Sustainability
In 2011 the Sustainable Endowments Institute gave Ball State a College Sustainability Report Card grade of "C+." President Jo Ann Gora was one of the founding members of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an initiative taken by several colleges to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses. Recognized by Kiwi Magazine in the 2008 Green College Report, Ball State requires all new campus constructions to meet LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certification standards and diverts 20% of its waste from landfills through its recycling efforts. The University also invests extensively in hybrid vehicles, hybrid-electric shuttle buses, and vehicles that use E85
E85
E85 is an abbreviation for an ethanol fuel blend of up to 85% denatured ethanol fuel and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. E85 is commonly used by flex-fuel vehicles in the US, Canada, and Europe. Some of the benefits of E85 over conventional gasoline powered vehicles include the potential...
for its transportation needs.
At the Spring 2009 Commencement, President Jo Ann M. Gora
Jo Ann M. Gora
Dr. Jo Ann Marie Gora is the 14th President of Ball State University. Before coming to Ball State she was a chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, and, prior to that, she was the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Gora, a native New...
, alongside Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, announced Ball State's plan for the nation's largest geothermal energy project. Ball State has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80,000 tons annually through the installation of the $65 million geothermal heating and cooling system and the closing of all four coal-fired boilers on campus. Expected to save the University $2 million in fuel costs annually, the system will consist of 4,000 boreholes 4 inches (10.2 cm)-5 inches (12.7 cm) in diameter and two energy stations in two locations on campus. Approximately 1,800 of the boreholes are complete, along with the first energy station, all located on the north end of campus near the Duck Pond. The remainder of the boreholes and the second energy station will be located on the south end of campus near Christy Woods
Christy Woods
Christy Woods is an arboretum and botanical garden located on the southwest corner of the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana, and focusing on Indiana's native plants and ecosystems....
and the existing coal-fired boilers. The system will consist of two underground loops, one hot [150 °F (65.6 °C)] and one cold [42 °F (5.6 °C)], to circulate water for heating and cooling throughout campus.
Satellite Campuses
Emphasizing immersive learning experiences, Ball State operates a satellite campus in Indianapolis and Muncie, as well as a number of specialized centers abroad. The Rinker Center for International Programs is responsible for maintaining these satellite campuses.Australia Center
Second only to the London Center in popularity, one of the most popular study abroad programs is the Australia Center. Students are housed in youth camp facilities in the coastal city of Lennox, Head, Australia. Day trips to rainforests and marine reserves allow learning experiences outside the classroom, and students are also free to travel the continent on weekends and during breaks.Costa Rica Center
In partnership with the Monteverde Rainforest Institute, the Costa Rica Center offers students a chance to combine academics with Central American customs, traditions, and values while serving the surrounding communities. Trips to the Center are offered as semester-long or 6-week terms. The former offers Spanish language classes, anthropology, history, sociology, and environmental studies, whereas the later provides credit for anthropology or in other participating departments.Indianapolis Center
The Indianapoils Center is high-tech, interactive education, research, information, and outreach center located in downtown Indianapolis at 50 South Meridian StreetMeridian Street (Indianapolis)
Meridian Street is the primary north-south street in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.Meridian Street was formerly aligned with US 31 for much of its length in the city of Indianapolis, before being re-routed to a segment of Interstate 465. The street delineates east addresses from west...
.
London Centre
The oldest Ball State's international program (established in 1972), the London Center hosts 25-35 full-time students, living in the heart of London and studying under British and American professors. Residency and course loads are pre-arranged through the University and the City of Westminster CollegeCity of Westminster College
City of Westminster College is a further education college located in the borough of Westminster, central London. The College has two centres located in Paddington and Queen's Park...
staff to provide an enjoyable, informative, and accredited catalog from which students may choose. In addition to academic and residency provisions, enrollment in the London Center includes admission to 8-10 major theatre productions and guided tours of London. Weekly day trips also are arranged to English cities and locales at the discresion of the Director appointed each semester. Destinations include Liverpool, Brighton & Hove, Canterbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge.
Prague Center
The Ball State University Prague Center is located in Prague, the breathtaking capital of the Czech Republic. The region has overcome communism and blossomed into a high-tech business gateway to Central Europe, as well as a capital of higher education, where students will be sent biannually as part of the Ball State’s newest study abroad program. Miller College of BusinessMiller College of Business
The Miller College of Business is the business college of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.-Degree Programs:The college offers degree programs in five departments:*Accounting*Business and Marketing Education*Economics*Finance...
, along with the Rinker Center for International Programs, will host the Prague Center. The inaugural session at the Prague Center will run during the 2010 fall semester and will include weekly cultural excursions. Directed by a Miller College of Business
Miller College of Business
The Miller College of Business is the business college of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.-Degree Programs:The college offers degree programs in five departments:*Accounting*Business and Marketing Education*Economics*Finance...
faculty member, the center will offer classes in business as well as electives that meet Ball State’s core curriculum. These courses will be taught by Ball State faculty and local experts. Long weekends allow students the time to travel to other European countries such as Germany, Poland, Austria, and Switzerland.
Worcester Center
Created in partnership with the University of WorcesterUniversity of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a British university, based in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. It was granted university status in September 2005.-History:...
, the Worcester Center offers students an opportunity to experience the best of British life and culture while earning academic credit in liberal arts subjects. Just a few miles away from Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
, Shakespeare’s birthplace, as well as a number of bustling cities such as Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, there is no shortage of activities near Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
.
Colleges
College of Applied Sciences and Technology
- containing the School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science
- containing the Departments of: Family and Consumer Sciences • Industry and Technology • Military Science • Nursing • Wellness and Gerontology
College of Architecture and Planning
- offering the only public-university accredited degrees in architecture and urban planning within Indiana
- containing the Departments of: Architecture • Landscape Architecture • Urban Planning
Miller College of BusinessMiller College of BusinessThe Miller College of Business is the business college of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.-Degree Programs:The college offers degree programs in five departments:*Accounting*Business and Marketing Education*Economics*Finance...
- containing the Departments of: Accounting • Economics • Finance and Insurance • Information Systems and Operations Management • Marketing and Management
College of Communication, Information, and Media
- containing the Departments of: Communication Studies • Journalism • Telecommunications
- containing the Center for Information and Communication Sciences
College of Fine Arts
- containing the School of Music
- containing the Departments of: Art • Theatre and Dance
- containing the Ball State University Museum of ArtBall State University Museum of ArtThe Ball State University Museum of Art is an art museum located in the Fine Arts building on the campus of Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA....
College of Sciences and Humanities
- containing the Departments of: Anthropology • Biology • Chemistry • Computer Science • Criminal Justice and Criminology • English • Geography • Geological Sciences • History • Mathematical Sciences • Modern Languages and Classics • Natural Resources and Environmental Management • Philosophy and Religious Studies • Physics and Astronomy • Physiology and Health Science • Political Science • Psychological Science • Social Work • Sociology • Speech Pathology and Audiology
Teachers College
- containing the Departments of: Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services • Educational Leadership • Educational Psychology • Educational Studies • Elementary Education • Special Education
Ball State University also has two non-degree-granting colleges:
Accreditation
Ball State University has been accredited by The Higher Learning CommissionThe Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Higher Learning Commission oversees the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in nineteen Midwestern and South-Central states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa,...
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
continuously since 1925.
Athletics
| Ball State competes in the following NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States... sports |
|||||
| Men's sports | Women's sports | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Conference | Sport | Conference | ||
| Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
I | MAC Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
I | MAC |
| Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
I | MAC | Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
I | MAC |
| Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
I | MAC | Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
I | MAC |
| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
I | MAC | Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
I | MAC |
| Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
I | MIVA Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Illinois in the west to Ohio in the east... |
Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
I | MAC |
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
I | MAC | Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... |
I | MAC |
| Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
I | MAC | Soccer | I | MAC |
| Field hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
I | MAC | |||
| Gymnastics Gymnastics Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body... |
I | MAC | |||
| Indoor Track & Field | I | MAC | |||
| Outdoor Track & Field | I | MAC | |||
| Cross country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
I | MAC | |||
Ball State competes in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I / IA and is part of the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(MAC) in all sports except for men's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, where it competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Illinois in the west to Ohio in the east...
(MIVA).
Ball State athletics also has Cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, a non-NCAA sport.
Charlie Cardinal
Charlie Cardinal (mascot)
Charlie Cardinal is the mascot of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, USA. He is an anthropomorphized cardinal.Ball State's athletics teams have been known as the Cardinals since 1927. Originally nicknamed the "Hooserions," discontent led to a school newspaper-sponsored contest to find a...
is Ball State's anthropomorphized
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
cardinal
Northern Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal or Redbird or Common Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico...
mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
. He is sometimes called simply "Charlie."
The Code Red Dance team performs at many BSU sporting events.
The University's two main sporting facilities are Scheumann Stadium
Scheumann Stadium
Scheumann Stadium , formerly known as Ball State Stadium, is in Muncie, Indiana. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Ball State University Cardinals...
and John E. Worthen Arena
John E. Worthen Arena
John E. Worthen Arena is a basketball arena in Muncie, Indiana. The arena opened in the year 1992 and it is home to the Ball State University Cardinals men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams...
. Ball Gymnasium and Irving Gymnasium
Irving Gymnasium
Irving Gymnasium is an indoor athletics facility on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Opened in 1962 with a capacity of 4,200 spectators, it hosted primarily Ball State Cardinals basketball and volleyball games until the John E. Worthen Arena was opened in 1992...
are sporting complexes open to Ball State students. Irving has undergone renovations that were completed in August 2010. Lewellen Pool is the campus aquatic center.
Notable alumni
Many Ball State graduates have gained regional, national and international attention, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern AffairsAssistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the American Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in various countries of North Africa and the Middle East and advises...
and former United States Ambassador to Lebanon
United States Ambassador to Lebanon
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States and other Heads of Mission to Lebanon.* George Wadsworth – Consul General, later promoted to Envoy. Also was head of mission to Syria but resident in Beirut....
, Jeffrey D. Feltman
Jeffrey D. Feltman
Jeffrey D. Feltman is an American diplomat, currently the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. He was sworn into the office on August 18, 2009...
. Ball State graduates have particularly left their mark in the fields of American professional sports and popular entertainment. The most recognizable alumnus of Ball State is American television host
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, of Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
on CBS. He is joined by fellow television performers, Joyce DeWitt
Joyce DeWitt
Joyce Anne DeWitt is an American actress most famous for playing Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom Three's Company.-Early life:...
, who played Janet Wood
Janet Wood
Janet Wood is a fictional character on the television sitcom Three's Company played by Joyce DeWitt.-Fictional character biography:Janet and Chrissy shared an apartment in Santa Monica, California, and needed a third roommate to pay the rent after their old roommate, Eleanor, got married and moved...
in the 1970s sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, and Anthony Montgomery
Anthony Montgomery
Anthony T. Montgomery is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Ensign Travis Mayweather on the UPN science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise . Montgomery is the grandson of jazz musician Wes Montgomery...
, who played Travis Mayweather
Travis Mayweather
Travis Mayweather is a fictional character, played by Anthony Montgomery, in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, serving as a navigator and helm officer aboard the starship Enterprise. He holds the rank of Ensign, and is in the command division...
on Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. Andy Devine, character actor and comic cowboy sidekick Oct 7 1905 - Feb 18 1977 played football at the university. South Korean comedic actress Kim Suna (김선아) attended for several years before leaving Ball State for school in Japan. Stedman Graham
Stedman Graham
Stedman Graham is an American educator, author, businessman and speaker, who has also served in the United States Army, although he is primarily known as the partner of media mogul Oprah Winfrey...
the love interest of talk show host Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
also attended Ball State when receiving his masters degree.
Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke is the head football coach at the University of Michigan. He is in his first season. He grew up in Ohio and attended Ball State University where he played linebacker from 1977 to 1980...
, a former Ball State football player, alumnus, and head coach from 2003–08, was hired as the 19th head coach of the University of Michigan football team on January 12, 2011. Hoke led Ball State to a school-best 12-1 record in 2008 before leaving for San Diego State, where he went 4-8 and 9-4 in 2009-10, winning the school's first bowl game in 41 years.
Many alumni from the Miller College of Business
Miller College of Business
The Miller College of Business is the business college of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.-Degree Programs:The college offers degree programs in five departments:*Accounting*Business and Marketing Education*Economics*Finance...
have gone on to successful business careers like Kent C. Nelson
Kent C. Nelson
Kent C. Nelson is the retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Parcel Service, a position he held from November 1989 to December 1996. He now lives in Atlanta, GA....
, Retired President and CEO, United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
and John Schnatter
John Schnatter
John H. Schnatter , better known as "Papa John", is the founder, chairman, and current CEO of Papa John's International, Inc. He founded the company in October 1984. He is also spokesman for Papa John's.-Biography:...
, Founder and Chairman of Papa John's Pizza
Papa John's Pizza
Papa John's Pizza is the third largest take-out and delivery pizza restaurant chain in the United States, behind Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza. It is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Papa John's slogan is "Better Ingredients. Better pizza. Papa John's"...
restaurants.
In the field of comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, artist Jim Davis
Jim Davis (cartoonist)
James Robert Davis is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Garfield, which he signs as Jim Davis. He has also worked on other strips: Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, U.S. Acres and a strip about Mr...
, the cartoonist creator of Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
also is a graduate of Ball State. Sam Smith, a retired sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, is a graduate of Ball State.
Actor Doug Jones
Doug Jones (actor)
Doug Jones is an American film and television actor best known to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Fantastic Four: Rise...
, was the school mascot, Charlie Cardinal, during his time at BSU and has since featured in more than 25 films (including Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film, and the sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Both films are based on the Fantastic Four comic book and were directed by Tim Story...
, Hellboy
Hellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 Spanish Spanish-language dark fantasy film, written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by the Mexican film company Esperanto Films...
, Men in Black II
Men in Black II
Men in Black II is a 2002 science fiction action comedy starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The film also stars Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson and Rip Torn...
, and Batman Returns
Batman Returns
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Burton's Batman , and features Michael Keaton reprising the title role, with Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.Burton originally did not...
), television series, and commercials (most notably the McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
"Mac Tonight
Mac Tonight
Mac Tonight was a mascot introduced by McDonald's restaurants in 1986. He was intended to advertise McDonald's late night hours to adults. He had a crescent moon for a head, wore a suit and sunglasses, and was depicted as being a jazzy lounge singer. The name was a play on words of the song "Mack...
" campaign) and music videos. Additionally, Jones acted in "My Name is Jerry
My Name is Jerry
My Name Is Jerry is an upcoming independent dramatic comedy film released on DVD on October 19, 2010. by Clothespin Films LLC, in association with the Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.It stars Doug Jones as Jerry Arthur: a...
", a movie produced by Ball State's Institute for Digital Education and Entertainment.
Sportswriter
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
Jason Whitlock
Jason Whitlock
Jason Lee Whitlock is a sportswriter for Foxsports.com, as well as a former columnist at the Kansas City Star, AOL Sports writer, contributor to ESPN, and radio personality for WHB and KCSP sports stations in the Kansas City area.-College and sports:Whitlock was an all-state offensive lineman at...
currently writes for The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
and Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
with previous stints at ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
Sports and Mike Lopresti
Mike Lopresti
Mike Lopresti is an award-winning national sportswriter for the Gannett News Service.Lopresti graduated from Ball State University in 1975 and worked for Gannett's Palladium-Item in Richmond, Indiana until he joined the Gannett News Service in 1982...
is a national sportswriter for the Gannett News Service
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
. Brian Collins
Brian Collins (reporter)
Boom goes the dynamite is the nickname given to a college sportscast at Ball State University in March of 2005 that became an internet sensation...
, now a report for KXXV in Waco Texas, is best known for the viral video showing him fumbling through a Ball State sportscast. Also, Notable ESPN Producer Matt Houston hails from Ball State University. Radio sportscaster Mark Champion
Mark Champion
Mark Champion is an American radio sportscaster who is the current primary radio play-by-play voice of the Detroit Pistons, a position he has served in since 2001...
is a Muncie native and graduate of Ball State. He is currently the voice of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
as well as the narrator of the famous I'm going to Disney World!
I'm Going to Disney World!
"I'm going to Disney World!" and "I'm going to Disneyland!" are advertising slogans used in a series of television commercials by The Walt Disney Company that began airing in 1987...
Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
commercials.
Journalist Michael Konopasek works as a general assignment reporter at the CBS affiliate, KWTV
KWTV
KWTV-DT, virtual channel 9 , is the CBS-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; it is owned by Griffin Communications of Oklahoma City...
, Channel 9 in Oklahoma City. While at Ball State, Konopasek and Zachary Perlinski represented the university on national television as they were honored with being named winners of the 2010 Fox News College Challenge.
Reality television star Dawn Swain
Dawn Swain
Dawn Swain is a certified nurse currently practicing in Los Angeles, CA. She is best known for her role as the Medical Expert on the G4TV reality series Human Wrecking Balls.-Personal Life and Career:...
, the Medical Expert from the G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
program Human Wrecking Balls
Human Wrecking Balls
Human Wrecking Balls is an American television reality show that premiered on November 12, 2008 on G4 television network.-Details:Martial Artists and breaking champions Craig and Paul Pumphrey demolish everything from boats and cars to houses using only their bare hands...
is a graduate from Ball State University. She majored in nursing and still practices in an Intensive Care Unit in Los Angeles, CA when not participating on the program.
Several professional athletes participated in Ball State sports before turning pro. They include NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
players such as Reggie Hodges
Reggie Hodges
Reginald Aaron "Reggie" Hodges is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, a punter drafted in 2005 by the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
; Blaine Bishop
Blaine Bishop
Blaine Elwood Bishop is a former professional American football safety in the National Football League.Bishop attended and played at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, IN. He then attended and played college football at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Bishop was drafted in the eighth...
, formerly of the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
; Brad Maynard
Brad Maynard
Bradley "Brad" Alan Maynard is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft...
, a punter with the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
; Bernie Parmalee
Bernie Parmalee
Bernard "Bernie" Parmalee is the current Tight End Coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.Parmalee played high school football at Lincoln High School in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Professional playing career:...
, formerly of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and current tight ends coach at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
;, Dante Ridgeway
Dante Ridgeway
-National Football League:Ridgeway was selected in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and on July 27, 2005, he signed a three-year contract with the Rams. However, on August 30, he was waived by the Rams. He was claimed off of waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals the next...
, a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, and Ed Konopasek
Ed Konopasek
Ed Konopasek is a former offensive tackle in the National Football League.-Career:Konopasek played for the Green Bay Packers during the 1987 NFL season...
, formerly of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
players Theron Smith
Theron Smith
Theron Augustus Smith is an American professional basketball player, in the small forward position.-Basketball career:Smith played collegiately for Ball State University...
of the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
and Bonzi Wells
Bonzi Wells
Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 5" shooting guard, he last played for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the main Puerto Rican basketball league. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the...
of the New Orleans Hornets competed on the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
level at Ball State as did Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players, including Larry Bigbie
Larry Bigbie
Larry Robert Bigbie is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. Bigbie last played for a MLB-affiliated team in 2007 for the Richmond Braves, the Triple-A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves organization...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, Bryan Bullington
Bryan Bullington
Bryan Paul Bullington is a right-handed pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball...
, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, and Thomas Howard ("Tank"), formerly of the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, and several other major league teams. Nate Davis
Nate Davis (quarterback)
Nate Charles Davis is an American football quarterback with the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft...
, a former standout quarterback on the Ball State football team, was drafted in 2009 by the San Francisco 49ers.
Points of interest
- Beneficence
- Scheumann StadiumScheumann StadiumScheumann Stadium , formerly known as Ball State Stadium, is in Muncie, Indiana. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Ball State University Cardinals...
- John E. Worthen ArenaJohn E. Worthen ArenaJohn E. Worthen Arena is a basketball arena in Muncie, Indiana. The arena opened in the year 1992 and it is home to the Ball State University Cardinals men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams...
- Shafer TowerShafer TowerShafer Tower is a free-standing bell tower, or campanile with a carillon and chiming clock located in the middle of the campus of Ball State University....
- Frog Baby FountainFrog Baby FountainFrog Baby Fountain is a statue set in the middle of a fountain on the Ball State University campus. It is known as a sign of good luck and is a popular meeting place. The Frog Baby Statue was cast by Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons in 1937 and has been moved several times prior to becoming what it...
- LaFollette ComplexLaFollette ComplexLaFollette Complex is the largest residence hall complex on the Ball State University Campus in Muncie, Indiana. The complex houses 1,900 men and women in nine halls. They have nine hall directors and the building itself has a net worth of 11 million dollars. The basement of LaFollette houses...
- Christy WoodsChristy WoodsChristy Woods is an arboretum and botanical garden located on the southwest corner of the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana, and focusing on Indiana's native plants and ecosystems....
- Wheeler Orchid Collection and Species BankWheeler Orchid Collection and Species BankThe Wheeler Orchid Collection and Species Bank is located within Christy Woods, an 18 acre property located on the southwest corner of the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana, USA....
See also
- History of Ball State UniversityHistory of Ball State UniversityThe History of Ball State University predates Ball State University's public-funding era by almost two decades. Previous educational institutions operated at the intersection of University and McKinley avenues before 1918...
- List of colleges and universities in Indiana
- List of Ball State University alumni
- List of Ball State University Presidents