Board of Trustees endorse President Paul Ferguson's revised university vision

The Ball State Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed President Paul Ferguson’s revised vision for Ball State just hours before the president was set to unveil it Friday.

At 9 a.m. on Feb. 6, the nine-member board met physically and by phone in the Founder’s Room of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. The board approved the president’s revised strategic plan The Centennial Commitment, renovations to Johnson B Complex and the renaming of two buildings after donors.

Ferguson’s 18-point plan focuses on making Ball State a 21st century model research institution and embracing the idea of entrepreneurial learning. The plan comes as the university nears its 100th birthday in 2018. New initiatives the plan focuses on are the Ball State Centennial Student Endowed Fellowships and Academic Excellence Grants program.

The fellowship is for the Class of 2018 and will be created through a $50,000 contribution from Paul and Grace Ferguson. The university will match their donation. This endowment will become available to seniors in 2018.

The grant program will feature a $3 million pot that welcomes faculty to submit proposals on how they will transform their academic divisions to move in-line with the president’s plan.

The last aspects of the plan will focus on enhancing the sponsored programs office to bring in more grant money, increasing travel grants and addressing the issues of low faculty salaries. Ferguson said in his speech the university was making progress addressing faculty salaries, but “not fast enough.”

President Ferguson will lead the plan's execution.

“The Centennial Commitment will be implemented by a newly formed Strategic Planning Leadership Team with Ferguson as its chair,” according to a press release from the university.

Rick Hall, chair of the Board of Trustees, said Ferguson has begun reshaping and addressing workflow in the offices of sponsored programs, advancement, government relations and community engagement, enrollment management and marketing, and communications.

The board approved renovating the Schmidt/Wilson Residence Halls, commonly known as the Johnson B Complex. This plan follows the confirmation that the newly renovated Botsford/Swinford Halls, known as Johnson A, will open in the spring and be occupied in Fall 2015. 

The cost of Johnson B's renovation is estimated at $40.1 million. Construction on the hall will begin in the summer and be completed by 2017.

The board’s final business before adjourning until March or May was the renaming of the Center for Construction Management in the Applied Technology building. The center will be known as the Robert G. Hunt Center for Construction Management. The naming honors donors Diane and Bob Hunt, according to the press release.

The other structure renamed was the Property Management Center, now called the Weidner Center for Residential Property Management. This honors W. Dean Weidner and Weidner Property Management.

Bernard Hannon, the new vice president for business affairs and treasurer, notified the board it would save $650,000 through 2024 by refinancing a construction bond for a parking garage near the site of the planned McKinley Commons.

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