MUNCIE, Ind. - A family that saw three of its members graduate from Ball State University on the same day is assisting other families with more than one student.

The Dub and Nancy Fike Family Scholarship rewards outstanding incoming business students, giving preference to those who have brothers, sisters or parents at Ball State.

The Fikes know a little about that situation, adding three Ball State graduates to their ranks in one afternoon.

"We had a big party afterwards, as you might imagine," said Dub Fike, who encouraged his son, daughter and wife to complete their degrees together.

The graduates that day in 1985 were Stuart, now living in Toledo, Ohio, with a master's in history; daughter Paula, Indianapolis, with a bachelor's in natural resources and mom Nancy with an associate's in business administration.

Other Ball State degrees in the family include a 1980 bachelor's in economics belonging to Dub and Nancy's son, Brian, who now lives in Brownsburg. Brian's wife, Brenda, received Ball State bachelor's and master's degrees in health science in 1979 and 1980. In addition to his master's, Stuart earned a bachelor's degree from the university in 1983.

Pleased with the educational experiences they had at Ball State, the family established the scholarship with a $31,500 pledge.

The scholarship rewards what the Fikes call "earnest learners."

"We're interested in people who are really in college to learn," Dub said. "To have two or more of those in one family of moderate means is difficult. An opportunity like a scholarship might make the difference for them to stay in school and keep motivated."

The Fikes set up their scholarship with multi-student families in mind, although the assistance is not limited to these students.

The Fike Scholarship rewards an outstanding incoming freshman business major who has been admitted with honors. Preference goes to female College of Business students minoring in psychology, disabled students or students with family members also enrolled.