President Geoffrey S. Mearns will sit on a panel with trustee member Tom Bracken, board president of Muncie Civic Theatre Leigh Edwards, director of Ball State School of Music Ryan Hourigan, director of Muncie Public Library Akilah Nosakhere and director of education at David Owsley Museum of Art Tania Said to discuss arts and culture Wednesday.
The forums are a part of the partnership with The Star Press to help further engage Ball State and Muncie communities.
Mearns’s goal for the forums is to listen to community members about how the university and the Muncie communities can continue to bridge the gap.
“I think it’s in our institutional interest, our futures are connected, so Ball State has a direct interest in helping support Muncie,” Mearns said. “Also, it’s about gratitude. We have an obligation to support our community when they need us.”
During his last public forum on Sept. 13, Mearns discussed Ball State’s moral obligation to serve Muncie.
RELATED: Mearns talks education, Muncie at first public forum
In order to increase the support for higher education in Muncie by “taking action” Mearns and Jennifer Mearns, his wife, created an endowment fund for Muncie Central graduates who are planning to become first-generation college graduates at Ball State.
During the forum, Mearns announced the George and Frances Ball Foundation will contribute $150,000 to the scholarship. The scholarship fund now has a total of $430,000.
Additionally, community members asked that the university keep community members updated on initiatives between Ball State and Muncie.
The arts and culture meeting is the second of three public forum meetings hosted in collaboration with the Star Press. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Minnetrista, 1200 N. Minnetrista Parkway, Muncie.
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