Ball State Approves Tuition Hike, New College Name
The Ball State University Board of Trustees has approved an increase in undergraduate tuition rates for the next two academic years. The university says the increase, which amounts to 1.25 percent each year, keeps Ball State with the lowest tuition in the Mid-American Conference.
Rick Hall, chair of the board of trustees, says the increase falls below the tuition rates recommended by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
"Our ability to keep tuition rate increases at 2% or less since 2013 is no accident," Hall said in a news release. "We have been entrusted with the stewardship of public funds and Indiana families’ investments, and we take that responsibility to heart. Our prudent fiscal management has enabled us to keep tuition increases low and provide our students with high quality, affordable education."
The board has also approved the renaming of the College of Architecture and Planning after a former student and trustee. The R. Wayne Estinopal College of Architecture and Planning is named in honor of the 1979 graduate, who would go on to found Jeffersonville-based TEG Architects. Estinopal served on the Ball State Board of Trustees from 2011 until his death in 2018. He also served on the university’s Alumni Council and the Ball State University Foundation Board of Directors.
"Wayne exemplified what it means to be a loyal Cardinal," said Hall. "He supported students, faculty, and fellow alumni in every manner possible for decades. Most importantly, Wayne loved our University enough to challenge it to strive for the highest level of excellence and had the courage to overcome obstacles to fulfilling those aspirations. Naming the college after him is a tribute to his exceptional leadership and commitment to Ball State, which will have a lasting effect for generations to come."
Additionally, the board reviewed the design for the $4 million Multicultural Center, which will be built near the Bracken Library on the Muncie campus. The university expects to receive construction bids for the 10,000-square-foot facility, which is slated to open in 2020.
"The new facility will be at the heart of campus, where it belongs, and it will provide services closer to where students live and study," Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns said. "Its amenities will be designed to assist and support all students, and to promote inclusiveness — one of our University’s enduring values."
The board has also approved the naming of sports facilities after a number of donors who contributed a total of $11 million for the university’s new 84,000-square-foot indoor sports practice facility. The $15 million facility will be named the Scheumann Family Indoor Practice in honor of June and John Scheumann, who made the lead gift. The field inside the practice facility will be named Briner Field after Peggy and Kenneth Briner.
The field inside Scheumann Stadium will be named Gainbridge Field in recognition of a donation from Daniel Towriss and his wife, Heather. Towriss is the chief executive officer of Group 1001, which owns the Gainbridge brand.