Ball State Trustees Approve Strategic Plan “Executive Dashboard”

Aerial view of the Ball State Campus. Photo by: BSU Photo ServicesAerial view of the Ball State Campus. Photo by: BSU Photo Services

By: Marc Ransford—

Muncie, INThe Ball State University Board of Trustees approved today an executive dashboard designed to allow campus leadership to monitor progress on the 2040 goals in the new strategic plan, “Destination 2040: Our Flight Path.”

President Geoffrey S. Mearns and Sue Hodges Moore, chief strategy officer, recommended the Strategic Plan Executive Dashboard, which will provide greater visibility into performance across campus.

“I am grateful to the members of our team who helped create a dashboard that will enable our University and the Board to monitor progress on reaching our 2040 goals,” President Mearns said.

The team was composed of campus subject matter experts associated with the plan’s strategic imperatives.

“This dashboard will provide a comprehensive snapshot of performance across the campus,” President Mearns said. “We will be able to use data to identify trends that can influence future decision-making.”

Enrollment Update

The Board also learned that freshman enrollment for the Fall semester in 2019 is trending upward after setting a new record number of undergraduate applications for students.

More than 27,000 potential freshmen have applied for enrollment at Ball State this Fall, surpassing a record established in 2016 and 2017 of more than 24,000 applications, said Vice President for Enrollment Planning and Management Kay Bales.

She also noted that the confirmations to Ball State are very strong and this year’s potential freshman class continues the tradition of having strong academic profiles.

Dr. Bales also noted the diversity of the incoming class has increased from last year.   

“I applaud the effort to attract a large, academically qualified class, which will continue our upward trajectory,” said Board Chairman Rick Hall. “I believe that students continue to be attracted to Ball State because we offer a world-class education that will prepare them for the jobs the state of Indiana needs to grow our economy, and we have worked tirelessly to keep tuition increases at the minimum.”

One Ball State Day

In other business, the Board heard a presentation from Jean Crosby, interim president and chief executive officer of the Ball State University Foundation, about the success of the first One Ball State Day.

She told the Board of Trustees that members of the Ball State community came together on April 9 to contribute 4,138 gifts totaling almost $425,000 as part of One Ball State Day — a 24-hour fundraiser for the University. During One Ball State Day, 913 employees and 309 students made gifts to the University.

“The success of One Ball State Day is due to the passion and pride of our alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of our University,” Crosby said. “We are grateful for the people who helped us plan this incredible day, including three project managers, 14 core committee members from across campus, nine employee and student committees, and 21 participating student organizations.”

New Indoor Practice Facility

The Board also approved the design and construction of a $15 million indoor practice facility for athletics. The facility is planned to open in Summer 2021.

The 84,000-square-foot building will have a field measuring 360 by 160 feet and a ceiling height of 65 feet — meeting the needs of football, baseball, softball, and soccer programs during inclement weather. The proposed facility would be built southeast of the Fisher Football Training Complex.

In addition to providing practice space for athletic teams during unfavorable weather, the facility will also include an additional multi-use venue for other activities, a practice area for the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band, academic programming, student recreation, the Ball State Foundation, and alumni and community events.

As the final MAC school to add an indoor practice field, the shared space will elevate the competitive experience of student-athletes and allow them to practice year-round, said Director of Athletics Beth Goetz.

“Competing as a Division I athlete at Ball State plays a crucial role in preparing student-athletes to be future leaders in the community and in their chosen fields,” she said. “We are proud to support their dreams.”

Ms. Goetz also announced that more than $13 million has already been committed to the facility, and fundraising for the remaining costs is underway.

With approval of the project, the University will now seek necessary state approvals to proceed, said Bernie Hannon, vice president for Business Affairs and treasurer.

For more information, including renderings of the new practice facility, visit ballstatesports.com.

 

About Ball State

Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State is one of Indiana’s signature universities and an economic driver for the state. Ball State’s nearly 22,000 students come from all over Indiana, the nation, and the world, and its 780-acre campus is large enough to accommodate premier facilities and 19 NCAA Division I sports but small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention, and access that are the hallmarks of the University.