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…