Ball State University
Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has three off campus centers in Fishers, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne.
Former name
Marion Normal College (1880–1912)[1]
National Manual Training Corporation (?–1912)
Indiana Manual Training Company (?–1912)
Muncie Conservatory of Music (?–1912)
Muncie Normal Institute (1912–1917)
Eastern Indiana Normal School (1899–1901)
Palmer University (1902–1905)
Indiana Normal College (1905–1907)
Indiana Normal Institute (1912–1917)
Indiana State Normal School – Eastern Division (1918–1922)
Ball Teachers College (1922–1929)
Ball State Teachers College (1929–1961)
Ball State College (1961–1965)
"We Fly"[2]
1918
$325.6 million (2022)[3]
Geoffrey Mearns
Anand Marri
1,245
21,597 (Fall 2020)[4]
15,205
5,817
Small city, 1,140 acres (4.6 km2)
The Ball State Daily News
Cardinal and white[5]
In 1917, the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball Corporation, acquired the foreclosed Indiana Normal Institute and gave the school and surrounding land to the State of Indiana. 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.
Ball State is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[6] The university is composed of seven academic colleges. As of Fall 2020, total enrollment was 21,597 students,[7] including 15,205 undergraduates and 5,817 postgraduates. The university offers about 120 undergraduate majors and 130 minor areas of study[8] and more than 100 master's, doctoral, certificate, and specialist degrees.[9]
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 and the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. In fall 2020, the university formed a varsity esports team[10] and joined the Esports Collegiate Conference.
Student life[edit]
Housing[edit]
Ball State University operates 14 residence halls[70] for its students, with a 15th expected to open during the 2021-2022 school year.[71] A 16th residence hall, Burkhardt/Jeep Hall in the Wagoner Complex, houses students of the Ball State-operated Indiana Academy.[72]
Anthony and Scheidler Apartments on campus accommodate upper-level single students, students with families, and university faculty and staff.[73] Prices vary for on-campus living with meal plan access to dining facilities. LaFollette Complex had previously contained about 1,900 students, the highest capacity residence hall complex on campus, but began undergoing demolition in 2017. As of 2020, Brayton/Clevenger residence hall was the only remaining hall in the complex.
The majority of residence halls are home to living-learning communities in which students enrolled in the same majors or similar majors are housed together and participate in special activities.[74]
Traditions[edit]
Beneficence[edit]
The statue Beneficence (aka "Benny") is a bronze statue dedicated in 1937 on Ball State's quad.[103] The statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, creator of the Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial. Beneficence was selected to recognize the generosity of the five Ball brothers, who founded the university and made many other contributions to Muncie, Indiana. The statue serves as a primary symbol for the university, including being the focus of Ball State's official logo.[104]
Frog Baby[edit]
The Frog Baby statue has been the center of legend and tradition since it was presented by Frank Ball in 1937. While initially on display in the David Owsley Museum of Art, students began a tradition of rubbing the statue's nose for good luck before taking exams.[105] Over the years, the nose was worn away, and in 1993, the statue was sent overseas for refurbishment. Today, Frog Baby is situated in a fountain on University Green. Since its move and restoration, students have started a new tradition of dressing the statue to reflect weather patterns (scarves and hats in the winter)[106] or current university events (jerseys and helmets for upcoming football games). Despite 24/7 surveillance, the statue has been a repeated target of vandals.[107]
The Naked Lady[edit]
Forest Idyl, more commonly known by students and faculty as "The Naked Lady," is a bronze statue of a partially nude woman mingling with two wild deer. The statue is one of four known original castings by sculpture artist Albin Polasek.[108]
The statue is located in the lobby of Bracken Library.[108]
Homecoming[edit]
Beginning in 1926, Homecoming has brought several traditions. Homecoming Parade was first held in 1939.[109] The parade route begins at Muncie Central High School downtown, travels west down University Avenue through The Village, and ends at McKinley and Neely avenues on campus. The 75th anniversary of the parade in 2012 saw over 100 float entries.[110] Since the inaugural event in 1980, the Homecoming Bed Race has been held the Friday before homecoming.[111] The annual event consists of five-person teams within seven divisions, racing beds down a 100-yard course on Riverside Avenue in zany costumes.[111] Other Homecoming traditions include the Air Jam lip-sync competition[112] and Talent Search scholarship talent show.[113]
Other traditions[edit]
Starting in 2004, Ball State students adopted "Chirp! Chirp!" as a school chant to cheer on teams during sporting events. Traditionally, The Chirp chant begins on the opposing team's third down during Ball State Cardinals football games. Accompanying the chant, participants usually place their index finger and thumb together, extending the other three fingers straight up, and moving their arm in an up-and-down motion.[114]
For at least a decade, it had become a tradition for students and visitors to stick pieces of chewed gum to a honey locust tree between Emens Parking Garage and Pruis Hall. The trunk of the "Gum Tree," as it had been named, was covered in colorful wads of used gum.[115] The tree was removed in 2017 by the university in preparation for construction of the East Mall.[116]
Ball State University has about 197,000 alumni worldwide.[117] A few of Ball State's most notable graduates include:
