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William Wood Parsons (1918-21)
 After 47 years as a student,
professor, and president at Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute,
William Parsons was approaching his retirement when the Eastern Division
(now Ball State University) of that institution was established in Muncie
in 1918. The Eastern Division started with a set of four-year,
two-year, and one-year programs in Education. 380 students enrolled
that first summer, but the enrollment decreased in the fall to 225.
The first commencement was held on June 13, 1919, with 10 transfer students
graduating. Following the commencement, a plaque was unveiled in
honor of the Ball Brothers gift to the state of the building and grounds
that became the Eastern Division of Indiana State Normal School.
Because of the distance from Terre Haute, Parsons did not spend long periods
in Muncie. The business of the Eastern Division was conducted on
a daily basis by an appointed administrative team consisting of Dean of
the College Benjamin F. Moore, Dean of Men Oscar M. Pittenger, and Dean
of Women Viletta Baker. Parsons retired as President in 1921.
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Linnaeus Neal Hines (1921-24)
Linnaeus N. Hines became
president of the Indiana State Normal School and its Eastern Division on
October 21, 1921. He had served as a member of the Board
of Trustees and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Although
Hines tenure was relatively short, the college saw significant growth
and change during this period. From 1919 to 1922, enrollment increased
from 180 to 522. Science Hall and a new heating plant were constructed
and work on Ball Gymnasium began. The Easterner, the college newspaper,
began publication in 1922. To honor the Ball family for their generosity,
the name of the institution was changed to "Ball Teachers College, Eastern
Division, Indiana State Normal School" by the Indiana legislature in 1922.
Hines resigned as president in the fall of 1924.
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Benjamin Jackson Burris (1924-27)
Benjamin J. Burris
had been a school administrator and politician. He had served as
a county attorney and first assistant to the state superintendent of public
instruction. Burris was 42 years old when he was appointed president
in 1924. By 1925, enrollment had increased to 1,016. The number
of faculty and departments increased during this period also. Various
types of social and intramural activities prospered. Ball Gymnasium
opened in 1925, the Library and Assembly Hall were constructed in 1926,
and Lucina Hall was built in 1927. Burris had a strong vision for
the college and initially set two goals: achieving the highest accreditation
of the college and building a laboratory school for teacher training.
Unfortunately he died unexpectedly in 1927 before seeing these goals fully
realized.
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Lemuel Arthur Pittenger (1927-42)
 L. A. Pittenger was a native
Hoosier, born in Delaware County and educated at Indiana State. He
taught English at Muncie High School, was on the faculty of Indiana Normal
School, taught at Bloomington High School, and became Head of the English
Department at Kent State Normal School in 1913. He served three two-year
terms in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1923 to 1927.
Pittenger also became a professor of rural education at Ball State in 1923.
He assumed the presidency of the college after the death of President Burris
in 1927. In 1929, the Indiana General Assembly separated Ball
Teachers College from the Indiana State Normal School and named it Ball
State Teachers College. In March 1930, on the third attempt by President
Pittenger, the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools
transferred Ball State from the list of teacher-training schools to the
list of colleges and universities. During this period, several buildings
were added to campus, including Burris Laboratory School, the Arts Building,
and Elliott Hall. The Beneficence memorial to the Ball Brothers
was dedicated in 1937. Pittenger resigned in December, 1942, due
to illness. In 1952, he was elected to the Indiana State Senate.
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Winfred Ethestal Wagoner (1943-45)
 Winfred E. Wagoner was appointed
acting president for a period of six months when President Pittenger resigned
in December 1942 and later his term was extended to more than two years.
He had served as controller of the college for 17 years. During
his term as president, he spent half of the day in the business office
and the other half in the presidents office. Wagoner suggested three
new directions for the college facing the post-War period: a college
solely for prospective teachers; a college for public service that would
concentrate on education for teachers, public health and nursing practitioners,
social workers, and public employees; or a general college. He
also proposed a self-study towards improving course and curricula, and
recommended planning for a campus design and construction of at least three
new buildings. After the inauguration of President Emens in 1945,
Wagoner continued to serve the college as the controller by managing all
business affairs.
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John Richard Emens (1945-68)
 John R. Emens, director
of personnel for the Detroit Public Schools, was elected president at age
forty-four, right before the end of World War II. In fall 1945, student
enrollment increased to 1010, which included many veterans. The enrollment
doubled the next year, and ultimately reached over 13,000 during Emens tenure.
As enrollment increased, many kinds of needs mushroomed throughout
the campus. The institution developed a long-range campus plan
in order to meet those needs. Under Emens guidance, the plan was
successfully carried out for the next eighteen years. The number
of buildings on campus grew phenomenally during this period. New
construction included many residence halls, Practical Arts Building, Physical
Science-Mathematics Building, Nursing Education Building, Athletic Stadium,
Teachers College, and L.A. Pittenger Student Center. In September
1965, Ball State had 29 departments and divisions in 5 colleges including
the College of Architecture and Planning and the Department of Nursing.
On February 8, 1965, the institution was renamed Ball State University
and embarked upon a new era. After leading Ball State through many
changes during a 23-year tenure, Emens retired in 1968.
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 John Pruis became president
of Ball State on July 1, 1968, at the age of forty-three. He had
been associated with Western Michigan University, his alma mater, as professor
of speech for 13 years, vice president for 2 years, and secretary to the
university's Board of Trustees for 4 years. Accomplishments during
his term as Ball State president included establishment of Special
Programs and foreign language houses, Whitinger Scholars program, John
R. Emens Scholars, Martin Luther King scholarships, and undergraduate research
grants. He oversaw improvement of both graduate assistant and
doctoral fellow programs. The construction of Bracken Library, the
College of Architecture and Planning, Cooper Science Complex, and two parking
garages were completed during Pruis presidency. Work began
on the College of Business building. Several other buildings underwent
various stages of completion or remodeling as well. The Ball State
University Annual Fund grew from $170,758 to approximately $1.8 million.
Pruis resigned on August 31,1978, after ten years of service as president.
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Richard W. Burkhardt (1978-79)
Richard Burkhardt was appointed
as Acting President after John Pruis resigned in 1978. He had
joined Ball State as Dean of the College in 1952, after serving as director
of the division of teacher preparation at Syracuse University. When
Ball State became a university in 1965, Burkhardt was appointed Vice President
for Instructional Affairs and Dean of Faculties. He was instrumental
in establishing the universitys London Centre program, Town and Gown Lectureship
series, and the Kirkpatrick Memorial Workshop on Aging. Following
his term as president, Burkhardt was named Provost and Vice President of
Academic Affairs. He served in that capacity until 1980 when he decided
to return to full-time teaching and research in the history department.
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Jerry Anderson became president
of Ball State on July 1, 1979, at age forty-five. Previously, he
had served as Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer of University
of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. Andersons initiatives included adoption
and implementation of a university-wide planning process, establishment
of a compensation program that contained merit and market components, decentralization
of decision-making, and promotion of research and scholarship by the faculty.
Anderson resigned after only 18 months as president.
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Robert Bell was named president
of Ball State University in February, 1981. He was the first Ball
State graduate to become president of the university. Bell received
his degree in 1940 and joined the faculty as an assistant professor
in the business department in 1947. In 1965, he was selected as the
first Dean of the College of Business and then was named Vice President
of Business Affairs in 1973. He had planned to resume teaching in
the College of Business when he was asked to succeed Jerry Anderson as
president in an attempt to give the university some stability.
Under Bells leadership, the university began initiatives in computerization
for the campus, computer literacy, and applying technology to university
programs. Bell retired in 1984.
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John E. Worthen (1984-2000)
 On April 24, 1984, the Ball
State University Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of a motion
to name John Worthen as the institutions 11th president. Prior to
coming to Ball State, Worthen held the post of President at the Indiana
University of Pennsylvania. He had also been in administration at the University
of Delaware and American University. During his tenure at Ball State,
the assets of the University Foundation grew tremendously, with support
reaching a record amount in 1999. Under Worthens leadership, the
Wings of the Future capital campaign from 1987 to 1992 raised $44 million,
endowed 3 chairs, and created 14 distinguished professorships. Shortly
before Worthens retirement, a new capital campaign, Above and Beyond,
was launched with a goal of $90 million to support scholarships, enhance
academic programs, and to further improve campus facilities. Buildings
added to the physical plant during Worthens presidency included the Edmund
F. Ball Building, Alumni Center, and the Health, Physical Activity, and
Arena Complex. Several existing buildings were renovated also.
Other accomplishments included the creation of the Indiana Academy of Science,
Mathematics, and Humanities, University Teleplex, and the College of Communication,
Information, and Media. After 16 years as president, Worthen retired on
June 30, 2000.
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Blaine
A. Brownell (2000-04
)
Blaine Brownell began his
tenure as Ball State’s 12th president on July 1, 2000, with the inauguration
scheduled for December 1, 2000. Prior to accepting this position,
he was Executive Director of the Center for International Programs and
Services and Professor of History at the University of Memphis. He
served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University
of North Texas from 1990 to 1998, held several academic positions at the
University of Alabama-Birmingham from 1976 to 1990, and began his academic
career at Purdue University from 1969-74. In addition to his title
as Ball State president, Brownell holds the rank of Professor of History
and Urban Planning. He is a recognized authority in urban history
and the history of the American south, and has authored or co-authored
7 books and 22 articles or book chapters.
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Beverly Pitts was appointed
Acting President after Blaine Brownell resigned in 1978.
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Jo Ann Gora was appointed
President in the summer of 2004, and continues to serve as Ball State University's leader.
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The Ball brothers,
along with Frank D. Haimbaugh, George N. Higman, E. J. Tomlinson, and other
prominent citizens were interested in starting a college in Muncie before
1900. The Eastern Indiana Normal University Association was formed
and raised funds for a building to house the college. The building,
which is now the Administration Building, was dedicated on August 29, 1899.
From that time until the establishment of the Eastern Division of Indiana
State Normal College (now Ball State University) in 1918, several attempts
were made at creating an institution of higher learning in Muncie.
All of them were housed in the Administration Building. Four men
served as presidents of these institutions.
F. A. Z. Kumler,
Eastern Indiana Normal Institute, 1899-1902
John R. N. Latschaw,
Palmer University, 1902-05
Francis N. Ingler, Indiana
Normal School and College of Applied Science, 1905-07
Michael D. Kelley, Muncie
Normal Institute, 1912-13; Muncie National Institute, 1913-17
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Ave. Muncie, IN 47306
