Reviewing the Decade

As a new decade approaches, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns said there has been "excellent progress" at the university these past 10 years and feels the university is on track for a "brighter future" in the next.

Since Mearns took over as Ball State’s president in May 2017, he said some of the university’s successes he’s proud of include growth in student enrollment, on-time graduation rates, expansion of on-campus facilities, alumni engagement and philanthropic support.

“I would be reluctant to take credit for any of the successes because I think the progress we make as an institution requires the collective commitment and engagement of all of our faculty, staff, our students and alumni,” he said.

“I would be reluctant to take credit for any of the successes because I think the progress we make as an institution requires the collective commitment and engagement of all of our faculty, staff, our students and alumni,” he said.

One thing Mearns said he was more directly involved in is helping retain and recruit individuals to serve in leadership roles at the university.

“I'm really pleased and proud with the quality of people who have decided to join our leadership team — whether it's people who are serving as vice presidents, or the deans that we've been able to attract during this time,” Mearns said.

Going into the next decade, Mearns said the most visible change Ball State students will see is the physical transformation of the campus — with an academic building, two residence halls, a dining hall, the Multicultural Center and a green lawn following the tearing down of the Emens parking garage.

“I think anyone who comes to campus will continue to see the evolution and transformation of the physical space,” he said.

Prior to his arrival to the university, Mearns said Ball State played a national leadership role in providing experiential learning opportunities to students in their third and fourth years of education.

As part of its Strategic Plan, he said the university’s goal is to bring those opportunities to first and second year students, provide them exposure to immersive learning courses and provide opportunities for them to participate in co-curricular activities.

“We want to do that earlier in the educational experience,” Mearns said. “It will be helpful for the students to have the challenge associated with those learning experiences early on, as opposed to simply being passive recipients of knowledge and content.”

Apart from Ball State’s partnership with the Muncie Community Schools, he said the university’s work in the community “continue to create a more vibrant Muncie which we know that our students want.”

Students, Mearns said, want the ability to visit restaurants, parks and other entertainment in the Muncie community, beyond the opportunities offered on campus.

“I believe over the next five to 10 years, you're going to see the continued transformation and revitalization of Muncie,” he said.

One area Mearns said the university wants to continue focusing its time and attention on, is supporting students who seek the services of Ball State’s Counseling Center.

“That is an issue that is challenging colleges and universities all across the country, but we certainly want to be attentive and responsive to the students who are seeking that important support,” he said.

Reversing the decline in first-to-second-year retention rates and improving the student experience for those who aren’t on-campus undergraduate students, Mearns said, were some other areas the university could improve on.

After Ball State students become alumni, Mearns said he hopes they will continue being engaged with the university.

“As we continue towards this path towards an even brighter future, we want our students after they graduate, to stay engaged with the institution, continue to be a part of the growth of the institution and continue to be a part of the impact that our institution can have on our community, on our region, on our state and on our country,” he said.

Successes

Enrollment:

With 22,541 students, Ball State started the fall 2019 semester with the largest overall student enrollment in its history. The university also welcomed its largest-ever freshman class in fall 2019 with 4,063 new freshmen.

On-time graduation rate 2016:

On-time graduation rate 2018:

Alumni engagement and philanthropy:

President Geoffrey Mearns said Ball State raised more than $33 million in new commitments last academic year. In spring 2019, the university debuted “One Ball State Day” a one-day fundraising event where it raised more than $424,000. The next version of the event will be held April 7, 2020.

Areas of improvement:

First-to-second-year retention rates:

Ball State’s retention rates have been dropping every year for the past five years — 81.7 percent in the 2014-15 academic year to 78.3 percent in the 2018-19 academic year. Mearns announced a task force in August 2019 to combat the issue and create a strategy to improve the retention rate.

Year-by-year rate:

Non-undergraduate student experience:

In 2019, of the 6,000-plus new students admitted to Ball State, 23 percent were not first-time or transfer undergraduate students. Mearns said the university could improve in providing flexible and innovative learning opportunities for online and on-campus students pursuing graduate studies, hybrid courses, low-residency courses, students at Ball State’s Indianapolis campus and other types of students.

Counseling Center:

Since August, Ball State’s Counseling Center has had more than 1,100 students request its services — more than half the number of students who were by the center last academic year. To counter this, the center started Care Planning Group appointments in November. Mearns said the university will continue focusing its time and attention in supporting students who use the center’s services.

Contact Rohith Rao with comments at rprao@bsu.edu or on Twitter @RaoReports.