Ball State officials, celebrating a record $207 million fundraising campaign, marked the occasion with 55 new four- year scholarships instead of spending money on a big party, President Jo Ann Gora said.
Gov. Mitch Daniels joined Gora, legislative leaders, Ball State graduate and Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, and a crowd of scholarship recipients at the Statehouse. Daniels saluted the school for keeping its focus in the right place.
"The first priority of this university is the education of young people," he said. "It's the preparation of the finest young citizens we can attract – from anywhere, to prepare themselves for life in a way that can lead to success like Angela has enjoyed."
The scholarships were available through the Ball State Bold campaign in the amount of $40,000 for each student to complete a four-year degree. The university first planned to offer 25 such scholarships, but President Jo Ann Gora, said she was happy that Ball State more than doubled its goal.
Gora said the university has also already exceeded the $200 million campaign goal with a total of $207,419,000, and it achieved this with a couple of months still left for campaigning.
"This is a bold campaign," she said. "The $200 million goal was not only the largest in the university history. It was in fact more than the totals of all of Ball State campaigns prior to it."
House Speaker Brian Bosma applauded the scholarship recipients.
"As I look out at the sea of faces with so much life ahead of you, it really makes me think of the qualities that will make you a success and will ultimately make our state a success — education, innovation, leadership and attitude."
Daniels described himself as an enthusiastic sports fan who was glad that the NCAA basketball tournament started Thursday. As much as he enjoys college basketball, however, he said Ball State's emphasis on academics was more important.
"As much as I enjoy watching good basketball there will be a lot of young men playing today, tonight and the weeks ahead who are only pretending to be college students," Daniels said. "Many of them will only be at the schools that they are representing for one year, maybe two."
Ball State is working hard academically while some students elsewhere aren't achieving much more than a short stint in athletic stardom.
"While they are there they will study nothing, as far as I can tell, of much importance," he said. "I'm sorry to say, but this is, I think, the state of play. And yet here we are — here Ball State is — honoring in the most direct way I can imagine, scholarship and academic success, and the true, central purpose of college."
Gora said the scholarships were both a reminder to students and a celebration over the Bold Campaign's success.
"We wanted to make a statement that in these challenging times what is important is to put students first," she said. "We felt that there was no better way to make a statement than by raising money for scholarships as opposed to spending money on a lavish party to celebrate the end of our campaign."
Bosma said he was happy to be part of the celebration.
"The leadership that's shown by the establishment of these scholarships — the leadership that's shown daily at Ball State University — and our other wonderful institutions here in this state, it's bold and it's appropriate that this is called the Bold Celebration Scholars."
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