Ball State awarded $4.2 million to 16 initiatives in its first year of giving out Academic Excellence Grants.
The grant program was first announced at President Paul W. Ferguson’s State of the University address in February, and is a part of Ferguson’s 18 by ’18 plan to make the university more student-centered and community-engaged.
In May, there were 105 pre-proposals submitted from around Ball State. Members of the Strategic Planning Leadership team reviewed 76 full proposals. The list was finalized and drilled down to the last 16 by Provost Terry King and Ferguson.
The funding comes from academic-oriented private funds from Ball State University Foundation.
All proposals selected have the potential to enhance the university in some way, from defining new ways for entrepreneurial learning to creating new academic programs.
“I am very happy with the first round of funded proposals that represent the breadth of the campus and offer innovative and entrepreneurial projects,” Ferguson said in a university press release. “We look forward to observing and measuring their impact on our campus and community.”
King will be working with some of the projects, like student advising, to align them with current university-wide programs.
Below are the initiatives that were awarded grant money.
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management Center of Excellence. Bradley Anderson, Information Systems and Operations Management (Miller College of Business). $299,378.
- Center for Advancement of Digital Marketing/Analytics (CADMA) with Social Media Lab and Social Media Lab Digital Command Center. Susan Mantel, Marketing (MCOB). $299,823.
- Exercise Genomics Research: Skeletal Muscle Health and Aging. Scott Trappe, Human Performance Laboratory (College of Applied Sciences and Technology/College of Health). $297,319.
- Entrepreneurial Theatre for the 21st Century. William Jenkins, Theatre and Dance (College of Fine Arts). $280,635.
- Entrepreneurial Learning Across Developmental Levels. Lisa Rubenstein, Miki Hamstra, Educational Psychology and Center for Gifted Studies and Talented Development (Teachers College) $300,000.
- Entrepreneurial Learning Pedagogies. Jennifer Blackmer, Academic Affairs. $300,000.
- Enhancement of Sports Link. Chris Taylor, Alex Kartman, Tim Pollard, Roger Lavery (College of Communication, Information, and Media). $200,000.
- Center for Student Driven Change. Stuart Sipahigil. Information Technology Services. $147,237.
- Professional Advising Center. Robert Kvam, et al. (CFA). $299,987.
- Social Science Advising Center. Melinda Messineo, et al. Sociology (College of Sciences and Humanities). $299,133.
- Initiative for Disability Employment. Larry Markle, Disability Services/Student Affairs $297,678.
- A Student-Run Healthcare Clinic: A Novel Model for Entrepreneurial and Experiential Education in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. Blair Mattern, Speech Pathology and Audiology (CSH/CoH). $246,655.
- Alliance for Community-Engaged Teacher Education. Eva Zygmunt, Susan Tancock and Pat Clark, Elementary Education (TC). $300,000.
- Access to Justice Clinic. Brad Gideon, Legal Studies/Political Science (CSH) $38,137.
- Maker Hubs. Pam Harwood, Janice Shimazu, Andrea Swartz (College of Architecture and Planning). $300,000.
- Urban Food Hub. Joshua Gruver, Natural Resources and Environmental Management (CSH). $294,042.
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