Ball State University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | Beneficence |
|---|---|
| Established | 1918 (details) |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $117 million |
| President | Jo Ann M. Gora |
| Faculty | 955 |
| Students | 20,113 |
| Undergraduates | 18,528 |
| Postgraduates | 1,585 |
| Location | Muncie, IN, USA |
| Campus | small city: 1,035 acres (4.189 km²) |
| Athletics | 19 Division I / IA NCAA |
| Colors | Cardinal (red) and Cream (white) |
| Nickname | Ball State Cardinals  |
| Mascot | Charlie Cardinal |
| Website | www.bsu.edu |
Ball State University is a state-run university located in Muncie, Indiana. Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans more than one thousand acres (4 km²). The student body consists of more than 20,000 undergraduate students and more than 1,500 graduate students. Famous alumni include David Letterman, Joyce DeWitt, Garfield creator Jim Davis and the founder of Papa John's, John Schnatter. Originally a normal school, Ball State has grown and expanded over the years and is recognized today for its programs in architecture, exercise science, teaching, anthropology, entrepreneurship, and communications.
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[edit] History
Ball State University wasn't the first school to operate at its location. Previous educational institutions operated at the intersection of University and McKinley avenues before 1918. They were neither public nor did they carry the "Ball" name.
[edit] 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 down by its president, F.A. Kumier, due to lack of funding. A year later, in the autumn of 1902, the school re-opened as Palmer University for the next three years after 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 a College of Applied Sciences. The school had an average enrollment of about 200 students. Because of a diminishing enrollment and lack of funds, school president Francis Ingler closed Indiana Normal College at the end of the 1906-1907 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 keep up with mortgage payments and the school was forced to shut down once again in June 1917 after the Muncie Trust Company initiated foreclosure proceedings.
[edit] Ball Brothers intervene
On July 25, 1917 local industrialists the Ball Brothers, founders of the Ball Corporation bought the Indiana Normal Institute out of foreclosure. For $35,100, the Balls bought the Administration building and surrounding land bordered by University Avenue, McKinley Avenue, Riverside Avenue and Tillotson Avenue, except for the northwest quadrant which was kept 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 building to the administrators of the Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute.
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 the 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 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 the Burkhardt Building) in 1924, and an addition to Ball Gymnasium in 1925. By the 1925-1926 school year, Ball State enrollment reached 991 students: 697 women and 294 men.
[edit] Ball State Teachers College
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 placed the governing of the Ball State campus under the Indiana State Teachers College Board of Trustees, based in Terre Haute, Indiana.[1] During 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 solely used as the Ball State Art Museum). Enrollment that year reached 1,151 with 723 women and 428 men.
As an expression of the many gifts the Ball family gave the university 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 Brother's gift to the state. His creation, the statue Beneficence, still stands today between the Administration Building and Lucina Hall where Talley Avenue dead ends into University Avenue.
In 1961, Ball State became fully independent of Indiana State 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.[1] Also in 1961, the name of Ball State was changed to Ball State College.
[edit] Ball State University
In 1965, in recognition of its enrollment growth (10,066 students) and for transforming into more than a school to educate 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. Current enrollment is the highest in the school's history, prompting construction of a new residence hall slated to be completed in 2007-2008. Bachelor's degrees are available in eight different areas which contain over one hundred and fifty individual programs — a sharp increase from the five degree programs initially offered by the University. Ball State's academic future is considered by many to be bright as the University continues a course of upgrading programs and adding new ones where applicable.
[edit] Campus Life
Ball State's campus life revolves around two main quadrangles. The original historic quadrangle is at the south end of campus where the Student Center and Village are located. The new quadrangle is located to the north and consists of a variety of modern buildings that include Bracken Library and Pruis Hall, which is the cultural venue for recitals, ensembles, and films.
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 playfully nicknamed the "scramble light", due to the extremely high, quick-moving pedestrian volume at the intersection during midday. It is rumored that this intersection is the busiest pedestrian intersection in the state of Indiana.
The Intesection of McKinley Avenue (which runs north-south) and Riverside Avenue (which runs east-west). has what is known by students and locals as the "scramble light." This is due to the fact that the operational pattern of the light in rather than stopping vehicle traffic to either of the single streets it will stop all vehicle traffic enabling pedestrians to cross in all directions including diagonally, thus when all vehicles traffic is stopped everone "scrambles."
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 hall common areas, and green spaces have wireless access fed by 625 Wi-Fi access points.[2]
[edit] Shafer Tower
Despite being dedicated fairly recently in 2002, Shafer Tower has become an unofficial landmark of Ball State University, like Beneficence was in past years. It is a bell tower, or carillon, that is located in the median of McKinley Avenue on the north quadrangle of campus. A small staircase in the tower leads to a control room, which has 48 custom-made bells. The tower chimes every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will occasionally play music.
Due to a construction defect in the type of cement used to build the tower, Shafer Tower literally had to be built twice.
[edit] Student Housing
The University currently operates seven residence halls that house nearly 7,000 students. An eighth residence hall, Park Hall [3], is under construction (and is scheduled to open in fall of 2007) and a ninth $43.5 million residence hall, Studebaker North Residence Hall [4] is planned to begin construction by 2008. 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. Ball State is the home of the regionally recognized event, Earth Stock. Earth Stock is an all day festival geared towards raising awareness about Earth protection.
By far the largest housing complex is LaFollette, 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 older 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 and houses all Honors College students.
Of the current residence halls in operation, only one, Elliott Hall, has been in operation for nearly the entire history of the University. 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 with the Army and Air Force.
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.
Sometime after 2010, residence halls that would be too expensive to remodel and update, including the LaFollette complex will be demolished.[5]
[edit] L.A. Pittenger Student Center
Constructed in the mid-1950s, the Student Center houses the University's hotel, meeting rooms, a food court, and various forms of recreation for students including a bowling alley.
In September 2006, the university rejected a proposal to build a new student center. Instead, the existing student center will be fully renovated and expanded.[6]
[edit] University Village
Although this is considered off-campus, University Village plays an integral part of campus life for students who both live on- and off-campus. Known informally as simply The Village, the district is home to a set of shops and restaurants located immediately east 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 Village locales include richardkarn Village Green Records, TJ's Burgers, The MT Cup, Motini's, Mo's Tavern, The White Rabbit, Gordy's Art Mart, The Locker Room, The Bird, Wizard's Keep, The Little Havanna - Tobacco Cabana, Scotty's Brewhouse, Subway, The Pita Pit, Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs, Greek's Pizza, The Chug, and The Den (which is world renowned for its quite cheap Den Pop).
Almost every night, Carter 'the Hot Dog Man' comes out to sell his "Nearly World Famous Hot Dogs" as the bars empty. Voted #51 in Sports Illustrated On-Campus top 100 things you must do before you graduate.[7] Across the street from him, Greek's pizza owns a stand where they sell slices of pizza as competition.
[edit] Academics
[edit] Strengths
Though previously a bastion in the field of teaching, the university has been recognized in many fields, including Architecture, Telecommunications & Journalism, Business, and Nursing. Highlights:
- The university's entepreneurship program has been ranked in the top five of all colleges for its undergraduate entrepeneurship program for the last three years in a row, according to the US News & World Report magazine.
- According to the 2006 edition of the same magazine, Ball State has one of the best undergraduate business programs in the nation.
- In 2004 "This Business of Broadcasting" named Ball State as one of the nation's top broadcasting programs in the country.
- The 2005 edition of Almanac of Architecture and Design named Ball State one of the top ten colleges in landscape architecture.
- Ball State is the administrator to Burris Laboratory School. The school, which opened in 1929, is one of few schools in the nation to be created and maintained by a university for the purpose of giving teachers hands-on experience in the classroom directly.
- The University is also the administrator for the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. The Academy is one of the oldest schools for gifted/talented high school juniors and seniors in the nation and provides University faculty an additional resource in research and hands-on experience.
- The Ball State Department of Chemistry held the record for largest undergraduate summer research program in 2004 and 2005.
- In 2006, Planetizen.com ranked Ball States Urban Planning & Development program the seventeenth best in the country. It was also ranked in the following areas: number seven in historic preservation, number seven in land-use planning, number six in technology, number five in zoning administration, and number three in the midwest.
[edit] Colleges and Schools
Ball State University is academically organized into seven degree-granting 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, landscape architecture and urban planning within Indiana
- containing the Departments of: Architecture • Landscape Architecture • Urban Planning
- Miller College of Business
- 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, and 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 Museum of Art
- College of Sciences and Humanities
- containing the Departments of: Anthropology & Archaeology • Biology • Chemistry • Computer Science • Criminal Justice and Criminology • English • Geography • Geology • 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:
- Honors College for the coordination of more rigorous classes for the gifted student
- University College for the coordination of advising and other services
[edit] Accreditation
Ball State University as a whole has been accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools continuously since 1925.[8] ABET has continuously accredited Ball State University's following bachelors degree since the date listed: Manufacturing Engineering Technology 1994.
[edit] Athletics
| Ball State competes in the following NCAA sports[1] | |||||
| Men's sports | Women's sports | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Division | Sport | Division | ||
| Basketball | I | MAC | Basketball | I | MAC |
| Golf | I | MAC | Golf | I | MAC |
| Swimming | I | MAC | Swimming | I | MAC |
| Tennis | I | MAC | Tennis | I | MAC |
| Volleyball | I | MIVAC | Volleyball | I | MAC |
| Baseball | I | MAC | Softball | I | MAC |
| Football | I | MAC | Soccer | I | MAC |
| Field hockey | I | MAC | |||
| Gymnastics | I | MAC | |||
| Indoor Track & Field | I | MAC | |||
| Outdoor Track & Field | I | MAC | |||
| Cross country | I | MAC | |||
- See also: Ball State Cardinals
Ball State competes in the NCAA Division I / IA and is part of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in all olympic sports except for men's volleyball, where it competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Conference (MIVAC).
Ball State athletics also has Cheerleading, a non-NCAA sport.
Charlie Cardinal is Ball State's anthropomorphized cardinal mascot. He is sometimes referred to on campus as simply "Charlie."
[edit] Notable alumni
Many Ball state graduates have gained regional, national and international attention, including U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey D. Feltman. But Ball State graduates have particularly left their mark in the fields of American professional sports and popular entertainment.
[edit] Pop culture celebrities
Perhaps the most recognizable alumnus of Ball State is American television host, David Letterman, of The 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.
In the field of comics, artist Jim Davis, the cartoonist creator of Garfield also is a graduate of Ball State.
Superintendent Chalmers, of Simpsons fame, also attended this fine school.
[edit] Professional athletes
Several professional athletes participated in Ball State sports before turning pro. They include NFL players such as Justin Beriault of the Dallas Cowboys; Blaine Bishop, formerly of the Tennessee Titans; Brad Maynard, a punter with the Chicago Bears; Bernie Parmalee, formerly of the Miami Dolphins and current tight ends coach at the University of Notre Dame; and Dante Ridgeway, a wide receiver for the New York Jets.
NBA stars Theron Smith of the Charlotte Bobcats and Bonzi Wells of the Houston Rockets competed on the NCAA level at Ball State as did Major League Baseball players, including Larry Bigbie of the St. Louis Cardinals, Bryan Bullington, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Trivia
- Because of its name, Ball State is a frequent source of puns and/or jokes.
- Two streets located in close proximity to campus, named Ball and Dicks, have their street signs stolen at least once a year.
- The tallest structure on campus is Shafer Tower. The tallest building, however, is the Teachers' College, which stands at 138 feet. Teachers' College is also the tallest building in Muncie.
- The elevators in three of Ball State's taller residence halls--Lafollette, Johnson, and Studebaker East--are unusual in that they only serve floors 1 and 6, and do not serve the rest.
- Serving as a sort of pedestrian expressway for north to south campus travel, the Cow Path fully extends from the northernmost LaFollette and Johnson dormitory complexes south to Riverside Ave. in front of the Cooper Science building and the campus Museum of Art.
- The light by the Teacher's College is known as the 'scramble light' due to both directions being stop so students can 'scramble' across the road in traditional ways, along with cutting right through the middle.
[edit] References
- Ball, Edmund F., From fruit jars to satellites: The story of Ball Brothers Company, Incorporated, Newcomen Society, 1960 [2]
- Ball State University, The Elisabeth Ball Collection of paintings, drawings, and watercolors: Ball State University Art Gallery, January 15-February 26, 1984, Indiana University Press, 1984, ISBN 0-915511-00-2
- Birmingham, Frederic A., Ball Corporation, the first century, Curtis Publishing, 1980, ISBN 0-89387-039-0
- Bullock, Kurt E., Ball State University: A sense of place, Ball State University Alumni Association, 1993, ISBN 0-937994-25-1
- Edmonds, Anthony O., & Geelhoed, E. Bruce, Ball State University: An Interpretive History, Indiana University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-253-34017-9
- Hooover, Dwight W., Middletown revisited, Ball State University Press, 1990, ISBN 0-937994-18-9
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Indiana State University History and Traditions. Indiana State University.
- ^ Ball State University Moves To Head Of The Class In Intel’s Ranking Of The Top 50 “Most Unwired” U.S. Campuses. Intel Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- ^ Ball State names Park Hall to honor Don Park's and family's contributions to the university, Ball State News Center, June 30, 2006. (Accessed October 2, 2006)
- ^ Ball State invests in the student experience with building, renovation projects, Ball State News Center, September 15, 2006.)
- ^ State Budget Committee Agenda, Indiana State Budget Committee Meeting, May 19, 2005. (Accessed October 2, 2006)
- ^ Pittenger Update on Agenda. The Ball State Daily News Online (September 15, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- ^ Ball State University. The Higher Learning Commission. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
[edit] See also
- History of Ball State University
- List of colleges and universities in Indiana
- List of notable Ball State University alumni
- List of notable Ball State University faculty and staff
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Campus map
- Official Athletics website
- National Science Foundation profile
- Ball State University Libraries Website
- Ball State University Libraries Digital Media Repository
- Ball State University Archives Website
- Beanies, Bobbysox, and Bodypiercing: A History of Student Life at Ball State Ball State University Archives and Special Collections exhibit
- Leading The Way: The Presidents of Ball State, 1918-2000 Ball State University Archives and Special Collections exhibit
| Mid-American Conference |
|---|
| EAST: Akron • Bowling Green • Buffalo • Kent State • Miami • Ohio • Temple (football only) WEST: Ball State • Central Michigan • Eastern Michigan • Northern Illinois • Toledo • Western Michigan |
| Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association |
|---|
| Shondell/Dunlap League: Ball State • IPFW • Lewis • Loyola • Mercyhurst • Ohio State • Quincy Coleman League: Carthage • Clarke • Central State • MSOE |
