Editor's note: This timeline is an updated from an original article published on Jan. 24, 2017. Some events may be repeated from the previous article.
Ball State has been without a standing president since Jan. 25, 2016. During this time, Terry King served the university as interim president, pushing campus plans forward.
In 15 months, there has been a lot that's happened at Ball State. Here are 15 of the biggest events to occur between former President Paul W. Ferguson's resignation and the beginning of President Geoffrey S. Mearns tenure.
New health professions building
The health professions building, confirmed Dec. 16 by the Board of Trustees, will house the new College of Health. It will be built at the southeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Martin Street along the upcoming East Mall.
Late provost Morris died unexpectedly Nov. 28 after being hospitalized for blood poisoning. He acted as the chief academic officer and was the vice president of academic affairs. Marilyn Buck became acting provost shortly after his death.
Accidental email violates FERPA laws
Students with a GPA below 2.0 were supposed to receive an email informing them of their academic status. Instead, some received a spreadsheet on Jan. 10 with the names of 59 students who are on academic probation, violating FERPA privacy laws.
Board of trustees resignations and hires
With the resignation of Ferguson came the resignation of two trustees, Frank Hancock and Marianne Glick. Their subsequent hires, Michael D. McDaniel and Jean Ann Harcourt, followed as replacements. Trustee Hollis E. Hughes Jr. announced his retirement in December, and Brian A. Gallagher was appointed by former Gov. Mike Pence in January.
Ferguson was hired in June at Biola University, a private Christian school in California, to serve as the founding dean of its School of Science, Technology and Health.
New John A. Schnatter Institute for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise
Chief entrepreneurial officer Michael Goldsby spoke on March 30, 2016 about the John A. Schnatter Institute for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise, made possible by a joint grant from Schnater and the Charles Koch Foundation.
According to the grant agreement, $2.17 million of the grant was donated by Schnatter and $1.08 million was from the Charles Koch Foundation, which raised concerns about potential outside political influence.
Since the summer of 2016, John R. Emens Auditorium's main lobby and front entrance has been under construction. A portion of the building was open during commencement and the project aims to be completed in June 2017.
Ball State breaks ground on final Cardinal Commitment projects
The final two pieces of the Cardinal Commitment: Developing Champions campaign moved forward and are set to be completed by the summer of 2018. Both projects, the Earl Yestingsmeier Golf Center and the Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center broke ground during the spring of 2017 following a Feb. 3 Board of Trustees meeting.
Bracken House receives renovations after 20 years
For years the Bracken House, home to Ball State's standing president, has remained the same. But, President Mearns will move into a newly renovated home after its recent update.
One of the universities oldest residence halls is set to be replaced by two new residential buildings on the north side of campus. The demolition was part of the Campus Master Plan, which includes the construction of several residence halls where LaFollette and both Johnson buildings currently reside.
Johnson B completes construction
According to George Edwards, associate director of facilities, Johnson B should've finished it's construction during the first week of May, so that everything will be in place on the official completion date of June 5.
CAST programs dissolves into different colleges
After discussing the future of the College of Applied Sciences and Technologies during the University Senate meeting on April 28, the Board of Trustees voted to dissolve the college's programs among other Ball State colleges on May 5.
Assembly Hall named after former Trustee Hollis Hughes
Hollis E. Hughes Jr. retired from the Ball State Board of Trustees earlier in the year, but the board honored him by voting to name an assembly hall in the alumni center after him following his 28 years of service.
State approves future of STEM and Health Professions Facility Expansion
Both projects received full funding from state lawmakers and move forward to phase to of the respected projects. The Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) building and the Health Professions Facility Expansion Project cost $87.5 million and $62.5 million, respectively.
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