Former Ball State President Dies

(Image Courtesy of Ball State University.)

A former Ball State University president has died. John Pruis, who led the school from 1968 through 1978, oversaw the completion of several major projects, including Bracken Library, the College of Architecture and Planning, and Cooper Science Complex. A 690-seat venue, originally called University Hall, bears his name in the center of the Muncie campus. Pruis was 92.

Construction on the Ralph Whitinger Business Building also began while he was in office. The Ball State website adds the Ball State University Annual Fund grew from $170,758 when he took office on July 1, 1968 to around $1.8 million at the time of his August 31, 1978 resignation.

The school says he helped establish the Whitinger Scholars program, John R. Emens Scholars, Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships and undergraduate research grants, as well as improvements to graduate assistant and doctoral fellow programs.