Cardinal Compass: Campus & Community Conversations

Faculty from Ball State's College of Architecture and Planning collaborate with community partners to develop projects that provide valuable, professional experience to our students.  Dean Dave Ferguson and Jeff Kingsbury, an Indiana developer and Ball State graduate join President Geoffrey Mearns to discuss the role of the college and how one such project is bringing exciting changes to the city...

Ball State students and faculty make the university an extraordinary place to experience arts and culture.  Their talent and creativity shine across our campus and enrich the local arts scene as well. Laura Williamson, Executive Director of Muncie Civic Theatre and Seth Beckman, Dean of the College of Fine Arts join Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns to discuss the importance of arts and culture...

It's been a very good year for Ball State and the city of Muncie. On this “best-of” edition of Cardinal Compass, we’ll reflect on our previous conversations, from the promotion of inclusive excellence on our campus, to how Ball State is contributing to the community through immersive learning, to how our partnership with our local YMCA benefits our community.

Ball State’s vision for The Village is to create a more vibrant environment surrounding campus.  President Geoff Mearns is joined by Jim Lowe, associate vice president for facilities, planning and management, and Bill Jenkins, chair of our Department of Theatre and Dance, as we discuss how a new performing arts center, along with other proposed developments, will serve the Muncie community and the...

Ball State University and our local YMCA seek to improve the health and wellbeing of our community. Please join President Geoffrey Mearns, Chad Zaucha, president and CEO of the YMCA of Muncie, and Jennifer Young, campus liaison for the Mitchell Early Childhood and Family Center. They will discuss how Ball State and the YMCA are creating new childhood development opportunities for our friends and n...

Since its founding in 1918, Ball State has committed itself to more than the development of future leaders, but also to the community.  President Geoffrey Mearns is joined by Jennifer Blackmer, Director of the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and Paaige Turner, Dean of the College of Communication, Information and Media to discuss Ball State's various learning opportunities and immersive...

Philanthropy connects Ball State University to the Muncie community in more ways than one can probably imagine. President Geoffrey Mearns, Jean Crosby, the president of the Ball State University Foundation and Kelly Shrock, the president of the Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County share how donors support the university’s mission and how the university supports the community.

A new partnership between our state and our region is helping create a shared vision that may propel investment in East Central Indiana. Mindy Kenworthy of the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership and Mark Wasky of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation join President Geoffrey Mearns for a conversation on how this partnership will propel our region.

Ball State University recognizes inclusive excellence as an integral endeavor to fulfill the University’s mission and strategic plan.  How is Ball State striving to reach this goal?  What work is left to be done?  Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns is joined by Marsha McGriff, the Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Bobby Steele, Director of the Multicultural Center.  They disc...

It's been an extraordinary year.  And on Cardinal Compass, we brought you many of the stories that connected our campus and the community.  On this show, we'll share a few of the highlights, from our conversation with Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour to an update about the campus master plan to BSU's success in sports.

Fewer and fewer people are calling East Central Indiana home. Now, key community stakeholders are joining forces to try turning that around and increase educational attainment and economic opportunities in our area. They’re doing it through the East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative.  Indiana Secretary of Career Connections and Talent Blair Milo and Ball State Associate Vice President for Commu...

It’s hard to escape the building boom on the Ball State campus.  New residence halls, academic buildings and more are close to completion.  And other plans in the works.  Ball State Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning and Management Jim Lowe joins President Geoffrey Mearns to discuss what’s ahead and how it’s about more than new buildings; it’s about building a stronger relationship b...

The new year started off on a high note for Ball State Athletics. For the first time in school history, the football team finished the season in the AP Top 25.  On the February edition of Cardinal Compass, Ball State Director of Athletics Beth Goetz discusses the milestone with President Geoffrey Mearns. She also talks about the challenges facing college sports and student athletes in 2021 and how...

Muncie is at an exciting crossroads. The university and community are working together to build a better tomorrow. Together, they are forming partnerships with small businesses, to build lively places, and to create a safer, more vibrant place for everyone to call home.  On this edition of Cardinal Compass, we explore the evolving relationship between Ball State and Muncie with Mayor Dan Ridenour....

On this edition of Cardinal Compass, we explore Ball State’s historic partnership with Muncie Community Schools. More than two years after the two educational institutions tied the knot, what has changed and what comes next? Muncie Community Schools Chief Executive Officer Lee Ann Kwiatkowski and Ball State Teachers College Dean Anand R. Marri join President Geoffrey Mearns for a progress report.

On this episode of Cardinal Compass, we focus on COVID-19 and Ball State’s response to the pandemic.  BSU President Geoffrey Mearns and Provost Susana Rivera-Mills discuss what the university did immediately after the illness started to spread, how the university pivoted to reopen in the fall, and what comes next.

Ball State President Mearns and his guests explore ways the university and Muncie are building partnerships to strengthen both. This first program will explore campus-community partnerships that hope to revitalize the city and region, how the university hopes to make health care more easily available to the people of Muncie.

Join Indiana Public Radio at 6:30pm on March 20th for the premiere episode of Cardinal Compass.