By Dr. Jeff Bird—
MUNCIE, IN—In May of 2017, Ball State University announced Geoffrey S. Mearns as its 17th President. What a monumental hire it was, for both Ball State and Muncie.
President Mearns grew up in the shadow of the Empire State Building in the greater New York City area. He was raised in a nurturing family by a father who was a lawyer and a mother who served in elected public office after raising the couples nine children. He attended Yale University where he excelled academically and as a national caliber runner. He then matriculated to the University of Virginia School of Law to follow in his father footsteps.
After graduation he joined the Department of Justice as a Federal Prosecutor and was active in the prosecution of offenders in organized crime including the famous Gambino Family. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to actively lead the prosecution of the Oklahoma City bombing suspects, including Terry Nichols. Mearns then became the Dean of the Cleveland State School of Law, serving that institution as Provost. Later, he moved to the University of Northern Kentucky as its President.
His immensely successful career prompted a national recruiting firm to gauge his interest in interviewing for the Presidency of Ball State University, and as they say “the rest is history.” He was attracted to the role for many reasons he articulated to me including the strength of the faculty and staff, and the university’s strong board and alumni support. Mearns also noted several of the university’s national caliber academic programs.
Mearns dedication to Ball State University and the Muncie Community is clear in so many ways. We as a city are lucky to have him as a humble leader in our community. He is tireless and dedicated to do good for those he serves including students, faculty, staff, and the people of Muncie and Delaware County.
President Mearns has accomplished much in his tenure at BSU including leading its new strategic plan Destination 2040: Our Flight Path, the revitalization plan for The Village and Our Call to Beneficence, the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. He has also been instrumental in Ball State’s partnership with Muncie Community Schools and the transformative improvement in the academic achievement of its students. The Ball State University Board of Trustees recently extended Mearn’s contract thru June 30, 2029.
I started my role as President of IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in May of 2017, just as Mearns arrived at BSU. We quickly became friends as we discussed our mutual dedication to serving our institutions and Muncie. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with President Mearns the last nine years, and I look forward to continuing our mutual desire to see Ball State and Muncie prosper and grow. I am honored to Co-Chair Next Muncie with Mearns in our dedication to “Meds and Eds” and the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership.
Mearns and his wife Jennifer have five children and seven grandchildren, and enjoy family time at their farm in Maine.
He is still an avid runner.
