Don Neuen and the choir performed for the audience, much longer than had been planned owing to the late arrival of the Honorable Robert Rock, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Indiana, and the four area members of the House of Representatives, whose work in Indianapolis kept them from being in Muncie at 3:00 p.m., as scheduled.

The program began at 3:30 p.m. with remarks by Rock, who presented a copy of the Act of the Legislature signed by Governor Roger Branigin which created Ball State University.

John Hampton, Mayor of Muncie, declared the day to be a holiday; remarks were made by Dr. Lucille Clifton, vice chairman of the University Senate; Leigh Morris, president of the Alumni Association; and Michael Lewis, president of the Student Senate.

Alexander Bracken, president of the Board of Trustees, introduced members of the board: Thelma Ballard, Marion; Floyd Hines, Connersville; Kenneth Osborn, La Porte; and William E. Wilson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex officio. I presented the four deans of the new colleges: Business, Robert Bell; Fine and Applied Arts, Lloyd Nelson; Sciences and Humanities, Robert Carmin; and Teachers College, Earl Johnson. The dean of the College of Architecture and Planning had not yet been appointed.

During his speech, President Emens told the audience that since 2:00 p.m. February 8, 1965, Ball State University had replaced Ball State Teachers College. He said, "Ball State must respond to its current and future challenges by continuing openness to change—expand present programs and curriculum, develop several new ones, increase its research activities, and be aware of new needs and potentials." When the president and legislators replaced the sign which read, "Ball State Teachers College" with the one that revealed the words "Ball State University," the audience roared with approval.

The Ball State News reported student response to the occasion as generally favorable, since most students said they were very proud of the event and the new name.

Yet there was some ambivalence about the name change. Not everyone believed that exchanging the title of Teachers College for University was wise. Giving up the national recognition of Ball State Teachers College as one of the most outstanding teachers colleges in the USA for becoming one of a number of "emerging universities" was troublesome for some people.

President Emens had said that when the college was ready to be a university, he would press for that recognition, and he had been working toward that goal for several years. In the early '60s he had invited John Ludington, consultant from the U.S. Department of Education, to visit Ball State to advice him on the appropriate structure for a collegiate institution. This led to the creation of the units of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Business Affairs, and Public Affairs, each headed by a vice president.

In 1961 the 14 academic departments of the College were grouped into three divisions: Fine and Applied Arts, Sciences and Humanities, and Education, each with a divisional dean.

When student enrollment passed the 10,000 mark in 1964, the three divisions were transmuted into four colleges: Business, Fine and Applied Arts, Sciences and Humanities, and Teachers College. In the following year the College of Architecture and Planning became the fifth college.

The curriculum had also been changing. As a teachers college, most of the students followed curricula that prepared them for teaching, although not all entered the field after graduation. Nursing, pre-law, and pre-med were examples of new programs which had been added as nonteaching curricula. The non-teaching title disappeared as the Undergraduate Curriculum Council created categories more descriptive of the increasing educational opportunities offered to students.

Graduate programs at Ball State had long led to master's degrees in education, but when the Teacher Training and Licensing Commission of the State of Indiana  recognized that a master's degree in English or history or any other departmental area was viable for meeting the requirement of a fifth year of preparation for a teaching license, enrollments in subject areas other than education increased rapidly. As early as 1952 graduate faculty had the opportunity of working with their colleagues at Indiana and Purdue universities on joint doctoral committees which prepared Ball State for offering doctoral programs.

In 1961, the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools granted provisional accreditation to Ball State for PhD and EdD programs in elementary education and social science education.

Reviewing these and related items, President Emens was ready to request the  General Assembly of Indiana to change the name of Teachers College to Ball State University.

On February 7, 1965, Ball State Teachers College was privileged to have a faculty of high quality, able staff and administrators, and capable students. On February 8, 1965 the same people were members of Ball State University. What difference would a name make? The essential changes to be brought about were, first of all, a change in the minds of the men and women who served the university, and then a change in the minds of the students enrolled in its programs.

Ball State had long established a reputation for quality teaching and service to its  communities, but the third component of a university, research and publication, had only begun to develop. The administration had to make changes by recognizing that faculty needed a different description of faculty load, encouragement, and financial assistance if they, the faculty, were to perform as expected. Faculty were obliged to change as they viewed themselves as university professors with scholarly obligations. Students admitted to the university were required to make a greater commitment to learning, if they were to be considered university students.

In September, 1965, Ball State University conducted a seminar entitled "Threshold," to which four speakers, nationally recognized for their research and writing about universities, were invited: Frederick Rudolph, Harold Taylor, John F. A. Tylor, and Jeanne Noble. Each of their presentations dealt with the significant opportunity Ball State had to select the better features of current university practice, the need to avoid the errors and weaknesses found in some major universities, and encouragement of BSU to seek and find a special combination of university features that would be unique for Ball State.

Ten years later, the university conducted an anniversary program entitled "Ball State University: the Next 25 Years." On this occasion, Samuel Gould, chancellor emeritus, State University of New York, made the first presentation. His remarks were followed by those of Van Smith of Muncie and Dr. John Pruis, Ball State president. In the afternoon following the speeches, faculty, staff, administrators, and students met in one of the 30 forums giving everyone an opportunity to react to the challenges posed by the speakers of the morning. During the years following 1965, faculty, staff, administrators, and students have continued their self-analysis of what Ball State can and should be.

Today Ball State is readily recognized as a university. Having endowed chairmen for distinguished faculty is a measure of that status; enrolling 18-20,000 students is a mark; current listing of external grants of more than $25 million worth in one year from agencies of the United States Government and the State of Indiana, from private people, and from business and industries record the scholarly work of a university faculty.

Today there are more colleges, departments, and academic programs responding to the changing needs of society. Faculty and students enjoy a contemporary version of the teaching and learning process utilizing a wide variety of technology to assist them in the process. Students come to Ball State from many states besides Indiana and from many countries around the world. Aided by magnificent bequests of retired faculty, Ball State students study overseas gaining the worldview that is so essential today.

Since 1998 Ball State has employed higher educational standards for accepting  entering students, as do other universities. The university is fortunate to be assisted in its array of scholarships and other programs by the Ball State University Foundation, begun in 1951 by President Emens, Ralph Whitinger, and other Muncie friends of the college. These and other features, well-known to present and recent alumni, clearly indicate that the Ball State University of 1965 has developed into the University of 2005, which is widely respected for the quality of its programs and its people.

Among the errors of other universities that have been avoided at Ball State is neglect of students, a criticism often heard of large universities where incoming students have the option of sinking or swimming as they enter the life of a university. Aided by generous grants from the Lilly Foundation, a joint project of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Freshman Connections at Ball State, assures incoming students of academic guidance and encouragement, which has drastically improved the rate of retention from the freshman to the sophomore year. This program has received national acclaim and has been copied by many other institutions. Concern for students as people, a main thread in the fabric of Ball State Teachers College, remains vivid in the tapestry of Ball State University.

February 8 and 12, 1965, are dates to remember among the significant developmental points in the history of Ball State University.

Richard W. Burkhardt served Ball State from 1952-85. during those years he was a professor, dean, vice president, provost, and acting president.

For most students in the early and mid-60s, the anticipation of the name change for the school was more exciting than the actual event. Becoming a university gave us a sense of accomplishment and pride. We really had no idea of the ramifications of the change, but it was perceived as positive.

Although the school of education had long been nationally acclaimed for its excellence, attaining university status afforded an undeniable legitimacy to obtaining a diploma in the non-teaching programs of business, liberal arts, and the pre-professional schools. We were no longer going to be called "Fruit Jar Tech."

There was a certain naiveté to the student body at that time. Many of us had rural backgrounds. In a time preceding school re-organizations and consolidations, it was not unusual to have graduated from a high school class of less than 50 students (often less than 25 students). Women's residence halls had strict curfews of 10:30 p.m. weeknights and midnight on weekends. Males were absolutely forbidden to be anywhere in the dorm except for the lobby.

To qualify as a true co-ed, a student had to be kissed while standing under Benny's left wing. Co-ed living meant that males and females actually ate meals together in the same dining hall! If alcohol were found in any student's room, matriculation ceased. He or she was summarily expelled from both the room and college. Smoking was widely accepted; however, "pot" was known as an indelicate moniker for a toilet rather than a substance to be inhaled.

Unlike today's students, most of our social and extracurricular life occurred near the confines of the campus. The McGalliard corridor had not yet been developed. Varsity football and basketball games were played within a few yards from Lucina Hall. The Village was composed of drug, department, and grocery stores. There was even a full-service gas station that was owned by the varsity football coach (he often pumped the fuel). Video games and computers with word processors were not yet on the scene, but pinball machines and manual typewriters served as capable forerunners. We "hung out" at the Sweet Shop or The Tally—there were no pubs, bars, or restaurants near the campus. Pizza King was synonymous with pizza. Pizza Hut, Domino's, etcetera did not exist. Most students recognized one another by sight because we all passed daily at the scramble light.

The strength and quality of the academic offerings of the college made us worthy of university status. My own personal experience was enhanced by the fact that after I obtained my liberal arts bachelor's degree, with an English major, I was able to continue with courses on a pre-med curriculum. That program diversity represented a good foundation for what would follow in the next few decades.

The change of name pales in comparison to the physical, cultural, and course changes at the university since that time. For those of you who have not been to the campus in several years, I would encourage you to place a visit on your agenda to see for yourselves. Take a few minutes to reflect upon and appreciate how the university has changed your life and given you the ability to seize opportunities that otherwise would have been lost.

Phil O. Burgan was active on campus as a student. Among other involvements, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and participated in student government. Burgan is a physician in Kokomo.