Ball State University: A Comprehensive Overview

Ball State University (BSU), a public research university located in Muncie, Indiana, has a rich history and a commitment to providing students with real-world learning experiences. From its humble beginnings as a normal school to its current status as a comprehensive university, Ball State has evolved to meet the changing needs of its students and the wider community.

Historical Development

Early Years and the Ball Brothers' Legacy

The location of today's Ball State University had its start in 1899 as a private university called the Eastern Indiana Normal School. The entire school, including classrooms, a library, and the president's residence were housed in what is today's Frank A. Bracken 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 due to lack of funding.

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 the College of Applied Sciences. The school had an average enrollment of about 200 students. Due to diminishing enrollment and lack of funding, the school closed at the end of the 1906-1907 school year. 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.

The story of Ball State truly begins with the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball Corporation. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers bought the Indiana Normal Institute from foreclosure for $35,100. They also founded Ball Memorial Hospital and Minnetrista, and were the benefactors of Keuka College, founded by their uncle, George Harvey Ball. They donated the school and surrounding land to the State of Indiana in 1918. The Indiana General Assembly accepted the donation in the spring of 1918, with an initial 235 students enrolling at the Indiana State Normal School - Eastern Division on June 17, 1918.

Transitions and Growth

The close relationship between the Balls and the school led to an unofficial moniker for the college, with many students, faculty, and local politicians casually referring to the school as "Ball State," a shorthand alternative to its longer, official name. During the 1922 short session of the Indiana legislature, the state renamed the school Ball Teachers College. This was in recognition of 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.

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In 1924, Ball Teachers College's trustees hired Benjamin J. Burris as the successor to President Linnaeus N. Hines. The Ball brothers continued giving to the university and partially funded the construction of the Science Hall (now called 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.

During the regular legislative session of 1929, the General Assembly nominally separated the Terre Haute and Muncie campuses of the state teachers' college system, but it placed the governing of the Muncie campus under the Board of Trustees of what was now Indiana State Teachers College based in Terre Haute. With this action, the school was renamed Ball State Teachers College. In 1935, the school added the Fine Arts Building for art, music, and dance instruction. Enrollment that year reached 1,151: 723 women and 428 men.

As an expression of the many gifts from the Ball family since 1917, sculptor Daniel Chester French was commissioned by Muncie's chamber of commerce to cast a bronze fountain figure to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ball brothers' gift to the state.

Wartime and Post-War Expansion

Ball State, like the rest of the nation, was affected by the onset of World War II. In 1939 Ball State began its Civilian Pilot Training program which had popular enrollment. This program allowed students and local resident to learn to fly, instructed by the Muncie Aviation Company. By the Fall of 1941 Ball State reached its peak enrollment to this point of 1,588 students. When the United States entered the war, Ball State like many other college campuses, saw a decline in male enrollment. At this time Ball State partnered with the United States military and established two training programs on campus, the Army Specialized Training Program and Navy V-1 Program. Ball State students and staff also contributed to the war effort by supporting the troops abroad. Students and staff led by Sherly DeMotte, a member of the English faculty, wrote dozens of letters to Ball State students and staff serving overseas. By 1943 a dozen students from Ball State had become war casualties.

In 1961, Ball State became independent of Indiana State University through the creation of the Ball State College Board of Trustees. The official name of the school was also changed to Ball State College. The Indiana General Assembly approved the development of a state-assisted architecture program, establishing the College of Architecture and Planning, which opened on March 23, 1965. Recognizing the college's expanding academic curriculum and growing enrollment (10,066 students), the General Assembly approved renaming the school to Ball State University in 1965.

Most of the university's largest residence halls were completed during this period of high growth, including the DeHority Complex (1960), Noyer Complex (1962), Studebaker Complex (1965), LaFollette Complex (1967), and Johnson Complex (1969).

Recent Developments

The university experienced another building boom beginning in the 2000s, with the openings of the Art and Journalism Building (2001), Shafer Tower (2001), the Music Instruction Building (2004), the David Letterman Communication and Media Building (2007), Park Hall (2007), Kinghorn Hall (2010), Marilyn K. Under the university's 14th president, Dr. Jo Ann Gora, over $520 million was committed to new construction and renovation projects throughout the Ball State campus.

Within the last decade, Ball State University adopted Education Redefined as its motto, focusing on "immersive learning" to engage students across all academic programs in real-world projects. In 2022, the final projects of the "North Neighborhood" were finished on the northern side of campus, where the LaFollette Complex once stood. The renovated residence halls included Botsford/Swinford (Johnson East) and Schmidt/Wilson (Johnson West). Jack Beyerl Hall, home of the STEM Living-Learning Community, and North West Hall, home of the Education and Design Living-Learning Communities were the two newly built residence halls adjacent to the new North Dining building.

Campus and Facilities

Main Campus

Ball State's main campus spans 731 acres (296 ha) and includes 109 buildings at 7,203,801 square feet (669,255.0 m2) centered mostly on three main quadrangles. The university also manages just over 400 acres (160 ha) of research property. McKinley Ave. is a two-lane, primary north-south street through the Ball State campus.

Old Quad: The university's historic quadrangle, anchors the south end of Ball State's campus. Distinctive features include its mature tree canopy and Collegiate Gothic architecture. It is bounded by McKinley Ave. (east), University Ave. (south), Christy Woods (west), and Riverside Ave. (north). The residential Westwood Historic District is situated immediately across Riverside Ave. to the north. Old Quad landmarks include Beneficence and the Fine Arts Building, home to the David Owsley Museum of Art.

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Central Campus: Ball State's central campus area first began to develop in the 1960s. It is generally bounded by New York Ave. (east), Riverside Ave. (south), the Westwood Historic District (west), and Neely Ave./Petty Rd. (north). Distinctive features include its mix of academic buildings, residential and dining halls, and performing arts venues. Notable landmarks include Bracken Library, Emens Auditorium, and the Frog Baby Fountain on University Green.

East Quad: The newest quadrangle, sits east of the Old Quad and south of the central campus. It is bounded by Dicks St. (east), Ashland Ave. (south), McKinley Ave. (west), and Riverside Ave. York Prairie Creek, also known as Cardinal Creek, is an intra-campus creek that begins at the pond outside Park Hall, winding northwest and connecting to the Duck Pond before heading west toward the White River.

Transportation

Ball State provides a free shuttle service each semester. Shuttles buses run on red, orange, green, and blue loops every five to ten minutes. The university also provides a late-night pickup service, Charlie's Charter. Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS) also provides local fixed-route bus service free to students.

Athletic Facilities

Most of Ball State University's athletic facilities and intramural fields are located on the northernmost portion of campus near the intersection of McGalliard Rd. and Tillotson Ave. The 11,500-seat John E. Worthen Arena anchors the central campus athletic facilities.

Architectural Styles

Ball State University's campus buildings exhibit a blending of architectural styles that generally reflect the time period in which they were designed. Completed in 1899, the Neoclassical-style Frank A. Bracken Administration Building is the oldest extant building on the campus. Collegiate Gothic-style architecture is reflected in the university's oldest buildings, including Ball Gymnasium (1925), Burris Laboratory School (1929), the Fine Arts Building (1936), and Elliott Hall (1937). Other examples include Burkhardt Building (1924), North Quad Building (1926), and Lucina Hall (1927). Completed in 1937, the Georgian Revival-style Bracken House serves as the president's residence.

Modernist architecture appeared on campus in the 1950s, embracing simpler, utilitarian designs. Examples include the L. A. Pittenger Student Center (1952) and Emens Auditorium (1964). From the mid-1960s through the 1980s, campus architecture was most influenced by Brutalism, featuring imposing brick walls and narrow windows. Examples of this style include Cooper Science Complex (1967), the Teachers College Building (1968), the Architecture Building, Pruis Hall (both completed in 1972), Bracken Library (1976), Whitinger Business Building (1979), and Robert Bell Building (1984).

Beginning in the 1990s, new construction, building additions, and renovations were built to respect the scale and massing of the university's older Collegiate Gothic-style buildings. While red brick with limestone accents have remained the favored façade materials, large windows have become more commonplace to emphasize natural lighting. Recent buildings (mid-2010s to present) have embraced contemporary architecture featuring open atriums, large windows, and sustainable design elements.

Sustainability Efforts

Ball State has adopted environmental sustainability as a primary component of the university's strategic plan and vision. Starting in the mid-2000s, all building additions and renovations are designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. Since 2007, 13 campus buildings have achieved LEED certification. The Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass and Teachers College Building is considered LEED certified. The David Letterman Communication and Media Building, Park Hall, DeHority Hall, Kinghorn Hall, and the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center have earned LEED Silver certification. Studebaker East Residence Hall, District Energy Station North, Applied Technology Building, Botsford/Swinford Residence Hall, Schmidt/Wilson Residence Hall, and District Energy Station South have earned LEED Gold certification.

The geothermal system, completed in 2017, consists of 3,600 boreholes and two energy stations on campus.

Off-Campus Centers

Since 2001, the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning has operated a satellite facility in Indianapolis. Known as CAP: INDY, it houses the Center for Civic Design and provides interdisciplinary studio space for graduate students in the college's master of architecture and master of urban design programs. In 2019, the center moved to the Elevator Hill section of the city's Holy Cross neighborhood near downtown Indianapolis. CAP: INDY occupies 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of the Glass Building at 25 N.

The Fishers Center for Academic and Economic Innovation, located in Fishers, Indiana, was established in 2015. The center occupies 3,000 square feet (280 m2) at Launch Fishers, a co-working/business incubator. The site offers academic programs, community engagement, and professional development sessions to students, alumni, and organizations.

Academics and Student Life

Academic Colleges

The university is composed of ten academic colleges.

Enrollment and Demographics

Ball State University enrolls approximately 21,500 students who come from throughout Indiana, the United States, and around the world. Out-of-state students make up about 25 percent of enrollment, and ethnic minorities account for about 23 percent. As of the 2020-2021 school year, Ball State University's student population primarily consisted of Indiana residents (74 percent) with 25 percent being nonresidents. Sixty-five percent of the student body is female. In 2024, Ball State accepted 68.9% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered challenging, and with those enrolled having an average 3.52 high school.

Honors College and African American Studies

The Honors College offers a pathway to the African American Studies minor. Any course offered in African American Studies (AFAM) counts toward your Honors diploma. Students explore how race, power, and resistance have shaped American society more broadly and gain a meaningful and informed sense of events like Ferguson and Charlottesville, which swirl around our national consciousness and shape our politics and culture every day.

National Student Exchange

The National Student Exchange is a consortium of over 165 member campuses (including Ball State) across the USA & Canada. Ball State students can spend a semester or year away with NSE in settings in big cities, small towns, islands, mountains, and everything in between. This program is designed to be accessible to all BSU students. Students will continue paying their regular Ball State tuition and fees during their exchange (so in-state students here are still in-state there, even if the exchange is to Alaska). Financial aid is processed at home. Room and board is the only item typically paid at the host school.

Connection to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

While Ball State University is not a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), the university provides opportunities for students to connect with HBCUs through programs like the National Student Exchange. These programs allow students to experience different campus cultures and gain a broader perspective on higher education.

Dr. Woods, who has worked diligently with students seeking to pursue higher education since 2006, emphasizes the importance of HBCUs, stating, “If it was not for historically black colleges and universities, we would not be in these professions, period”. She recalls a time when Black recruiters were not allowed to step foot in high schools. Before Woods worked at Pike High School, she worked at Allison General Motors. When she created the Pre-Collegiate Initiative, she and her team found two main reasons why qualified students do not make it to college: The first is lack of information and the second is lack of support. Although there are other factors that play a part in students’ matriculation, those two are considered the most critical. Michael Jefferson, an HBCU and PWI alumnus who received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Jackson State University and his Master of Science in Audio and Video Production from Indiana University, shares a similar sentiment. “If you were to place a million dollars in front of me, and a lot of people look at me crazy when I say this, to go to any predominantly white institutions for free or I had the opportunity to attend a Historically Black Institution, but I had to pay my way, I would pay to go to an HBCU,” said Jefferson. “If we continue to accept what’s there, we will continue to receive what we have always gotten, and that’s something we cannot do. If you don’t become a part of the national alumni association for your university and you don’t go back and challenge how things are done, I have a mantra I live by, either you put up or shut up,” said Jefferson. “Not only did I join [Jackson State University Alumni Association], but I became active.

Athletics

Ball State athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the Ball State Cardinals. The university is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Subdivision.

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