New Multicultural Center Coming to Ball State
(Image courtesy of Ball State University)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA new multicultural center will be built in the heart of the Ball State University campus. The school’s Board of Trustees has approved a proposal to design the $4 million project.
The 10,500 square foot center will be built east of Bracken Library and adjacent to the planned East Mall and Grand Lawn. Construction is tentatively set to begin in mid to late 2019, with occupation about a year after construction begins. A specific design for the project will be presented to the board at a future meeting. The university’s current multicultural center was built in 1934 and is housed in a former residential building near the student center.
Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns says the new facility will provide services closer to where students live, and will feature amenities designed to help all students and to promote diversity. “Promoting respect for all people is articulated in the Beneficence Pledge,” said President Mearns. “At Ball State, we live the Beneficence Pledge because it is the right thing to do, and it is intrinsic to our ultimate goal: to prepare students for successful careers and meaningful lives. A new facility at the heart of campus will help us fulfill that goal.”
Mearns also noted that 20 percent of new freshman in fall 2017 were from underrepresented populations, which set an institutional record. Campus ethnic minority populations also increased to 17.9 percent among all undergraduates.