New Ball State President: We Want to be Better Partners
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowNew Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns says he is using his first 100 days in office to gather input on a strategic plan for the university, which he expects to begin to roll out in the fall. Mearns, who began his tenure on the Muncie campus last month, says his vision for the school includes a commitment to Muncie and east central Indiana, a region that has been hit hard by a changing manufacturing economy. "We know that they are hard-working and ambitious people," said Mearns, "and we need to give them the experiences and skills necessary to rebuild that community economically."
In an interview on Inside INdiana Business Television, Mearns said community engagement is the university’s obligation.
Mearns comes to Ball State after serving for nearly five years as president of Northern Kentucky University, where he led a campaign to generate increased state support for the school. The multi-year effort led to a $5.1 million increase in university funding.
Mearns is also credited with attracting the largest single capital investment in NKU history, a $97 million state appropriation for a health innovation center.
The Virginia native, who spent 17 years as an attorney, says one of the things that attracted him to Ball State is the state’s commitment to public higher education. "The state of Indiana is somewhat unique across the country, in that our elected officials continue to invest in public higher education," said Mearns.
View full interview with Mearns: