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Ball Sate University Alumni Center, Assembly Hall
Good evening and thank you for being here tonight. I hope that you have enjoyed the international theme of our dinner and meeting the international students seated at your tables. Promoting diversity and providing an international aspect to our educational programs are two of our goals at Ball State. Gaining a greater understanding of different people and cultures is vitally important as we prepare students to enter a global economy, and we trust that your dinner conversations have provided a glimpse as to what our international students add to the character of the campus.
This dinner marks the end of a busy day for the members of our National Philanthropy Council. For those of you who are not familiar with what they do, council members are volunteers who serve a three-year term and work to advance the university through their own contributions and by providing information to potential benefactors.
The university's success
I mentioned during my remarks to our National Philanthropy Council this morning that this university owes its beginnings to an act of philanthropy. There is a plaque in the lobby of this building, moved here from the administration building, that reads: "This building and land presented to the state of Indiana for Normal School by William C. Ball, Lucius L. Ball, Edmund B. Ball, Frank C. Ball and George A. Ball in the year 1918."
That initial gift was the first of many contributions to the university by the Ball brothers and their successive generations -- the family's generous support continues to this day. Many of you have captured the spirit of the Ball's gift. To our friends and supporters here tonight, you should know that this university is forever indebted to you. You have given sacrificially and substantially over the years, and we are extremely grateful for your beneficence.
One of the best ways to learn the history of a university is to find out about the names you see around campus -- names like Whitinger, Fischer, Miller, and many others. I can only imagine the sense of pride those of you whose names adorn colleges, buildings, or centers must have in seeing your contributions at work.
Just this week, we have witnessed both the joy found in philanthropy and in seeing a gift produce results. On Wednesday night, a sold-out crowd thrilled to the inaugural concert in the David and Mary Jane Sursa Performance Hall. The violin and piano duo of Midori and McDonald left us in awe of their talents, and we were also overwhelmed by the sound in the acoustically dymanic performance hall. I know Mary Jane will tell you that the hall that bears their names more than lived up to the expectations she and David had for it.
In our midst tonight, and appropriately so in light of our international theme, is Phyllis Yuhas. Phyllis served Ball State as a history professor and director of international programs before retiring in 1988. Since her retirement, she has remained active in our Center for International Programs. Her mother, Gladys S. Nelson, left Phyllis with the means to make a $1 million gift to the university, establishing the Phyllis Ann Yuhas International Scholarship Fund. Proceeds from the fund will be split evenly to help Ball State students study abroad and to help international students study at Ball State. Last spring, the trustees approved naming the Multipurpose Room in the center for Phyllis, an appropriate and lasting tribute for her outstanding work in international education.
People like Mary Jane Sursa and Phyllis Yuhas remind us that philanthropy is alive and well at Ball State. Tonight, we are unveiling a recognition wall as a sign of our profound gratitude for the support we have received from so many of you. Thank you again for your support. Every day, you are making a difference in the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and in the ability of Ball State University to serve our community.
