BSU receives $7.5M to support new performing arts center
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Ball State University has received two gifts totaling $7.5 million that the school says will be put towards a performing arts center proposed for The Village, a business district adjacent to campus. Ball State received a $5 million from Marianne Glick and her husband Mike Woods, and a $2.5 million gift from June Scheumann, two long-time supporters of the university.
In March, the BSU Board of Trustees voted in support of a multi-million-dollar renovation plan for the aging and weary neighborhood, which included a PAC.
“Their contributions help financially support the tangible aspects of our institutional projects, but their investments also broadly support the ongoing work by everyone at Ball State to fulfill our university’s strategic plan,” said Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns.
Plans call for construction of the PAC at the corner of McKinley and University Avenues, which the university will attract people to the Village. Ball States expects the center will host more than 160 performances and draw more than 35,000 attendees to the Village.
“These substantial gifts provide vital support to a revitalization plan we approved in March,” said Board Chair Renae Conley. “The Board is excited to see this plan continue to advance as we collectively anticipate the profound and positive impact the Village revitalization and the Performing Arts Center, specifically, will have on Muncie and our university.”
In recognition of their gifts, the board of trustees approved the naming of the Marianne Glick and Mike Woods Lobby and the Scheumann Studio Theatre, which will both be located inside the facility.
In addition to the performing arts venue, the revitalization plan includes a $100 million mixed-use development that will include a hotel and retail, restaurant, innovation and residential space.