By Ball State Marketing & Communications—
MUNCIE, IN – On Friday evening, Ball State University publicly launched “Our Call to Beneficence,” the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in the University’s history.
The campaign’s $350 million fundraising goal builds upon Ball State’s ongoing successes to achieve the goals articulated in the University’s strategic plan. Fueled by the generous support of graduates and benefactors, “Our Call to Beneficence” focuses on three pillars to enhance the University’s mission: student opportunity and success; the academic experience; and campus and community impact.
“Founded more than a century ago on the generosity of donors, Ball State University thrives on a mission inspired by a commitment to doing good,” said Renae Conley, chair of Ball State’s Board of Trustees. “The University is defined by the enduring values represented by Beneficence. We have launched this campaign to accelerate our progress and enhance our impact.”
Ball State enters the public phase of the “Our Call to Beneficence” campaign having already raised more than $225 million.
The campaign is named after the Ball State statue Beneficence, which was dedicated in 1937 and serves as a recognizable campus landmark and tangible symbol of the University’s enduring values: excellence, innovation, courage, integrity, inclusiveness, social responsibility, and gratitude.
“At Ball State University, gratitude is more than a verbal expression of appreciation. Gratitude requires us to demonstrate our appreciation through our actions,” Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns said. “In the spirit of gratitude, I ask our graduates and benefactors to envision the extraordinary impact that their generous philanthropy can have on the lives of our students, our neighbors, and our friends for generations to come.”
Funds raised through “Our Call to Beneficence” will be allocated into the following pillars:
- Ensure Student Opportunity & Success: includes funding for scholarships; financial resources for student retention, persistence, and completion; mentoring programs; student success initiatives; a renovation and redesign of Bracken Library; and support for Ball State’s student-athletes.
- Enrich The Academic Experience: includes funding to expand Immersive Learning opportunities; provide more transformative internships and study abroad programs; expand access to undergraduate research opportunities; provide more faculty support in the form of fellowships, professorships, master teacher awards, and micro-grants; and expand Ball State’s college and center initiatives, as well as deans’ innovation and excellence funds.
- Expand Our Campus & Community Impact: includes funding for construction of a new performing arts center located near The Village, the retail-residential district immediately adjacent to campus; enhancements to Ball State’s academic facilities, including an expansion and renovation of the Architecture Building, Whitinger Business Building, Ball Honors House, and David Owsley Museum of Art; adding amenities to the new East Mall pathway; and continued support of the University’s successful partnership to transform Muncie Community Schools into a national model for innovative education.
Detailed fundraising goals and plans—including the specific plans of colleges and other academic and support units at the University—can be found on the “Our Call to Beneficence” website.
“‘Our Call to Beneficence’ is an unprecedented campaign that will support specific, vital projects in every corner of our institution,” said Jean Crosby, president of the Ball State University Foundation/Alumni Association and vice president for university advancement. “Thanks to our expanding network of supporters, we have already made significant fundraising progress, but I call upon all graduates and friends to help us reach our campaign’s full, ambitious goal.”
Commitments to “Our Call to Beneficence” can be made in several forms, including outright gifts, multi-year pledges, planned gifts, matching gifts, endowments, and naming opportunities. Flexible donation options include online payments, gifts by mail, monthly installments, a bequest or charitable trust, employer-matched gifts, stock transfers, and more.
To make a gift, or for more information, including frequently asked questions, visit the campaign website or email campaign@bsu.edu.
About Ball State
Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State University is one of Indiana’s premier universities and an economic driver for the state. Ball State’s 20,000 students come from all over Indiana, the nation, and the world. The 790-acre campus is large enough to accommodate first-rate facilities and 19 NCAA Division I sports, but our welcoming and inclusive campus is small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention, and access that are the hallmarks of the University. Destination 2040: Our Flight Path establishes Ball State’s ambitious goals for our second century.
