These are exciting times in our College of Fine Arts and the young life of the Music Instruction Building. Last month, we marveled at the beauty of First Symphony, the breathtaking light painting that now graces the lobby. It gives passersby reason to take a second look at this building and pause to consider the masterpiece of light and glass.

When we opened this outstanding building just two years, my first impression was "how could it get any better?" We had just launched the inaugural Arts Alive series, which has lived up to its promise of attracting world-class musicians to Muncie. That has been possible, in part, to the fact that we can tempt them to come here to play in a world-class facility.

I am sure there were others who wondered how we could improve Sursa Performance Hall. Thankfully, Dean Bob Kvam and a couple of this university's most treasured friends had a vision for making this building even more impressive. Pat Schaefer's gift of the light painting was one part of that vision.

This afternoon, we unveiled another piece of that vision and what is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the hall's interior, the Sursa Family Concert Organ. The dedicated and highly skilled craftsmen of Goulding and Wood in Indianapolis built this pipe organ. They have created an instrument with dynamic sound, and it literally melds into the existing woodwork, as though it has been here all along. Thank you for your work, your attention to detail, and congratulations on your exquisite creation.

This organ and the light painting are both aesthetically pleasing, but they are also important additions to the arts offerings in Muncie. The organ will help us attract high-quality music students to our School of Music and outstanding performers who will want to play this marvelous instrument in this unequaled venue.

It should come as no surprise that the Sursa family recognized the value a pipe organ would add to this hall. David and Mary Jane had long been supporters of the arts across Indiana, in Muncie, and, of course, at Ball State by the time the university began planning the Music Instruction Building. But just as they had done for more than 50 years, David and Mary Jane stepped forward to support the project.

Some of you know this, but it bears repeating that the Sursa's relationship with Ball State includes:

• serving as a volunteer business manager and selling tickets in the early days of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra when concerts were held in North Quad,
• endowing a distinguished professorship and a scholarship in the College of Fine Arts
• funding a scholarship in the Miller College of Business
• providing a gift of art to the Ball State Museum of Art, and
• illustrating their well-rounded nature, supporting our athletics programs.

Today marks another significant milestone in this relationship and the Sursa's commitment to the arts. The gift of the Sursa Family Concert Organ again demonstrates David and Mary Jane's understanding of the importance of the arts in the life of a community.

I recently read an article by noted economist Richard Florida in which he mentioned that the university provides Muncie with a valuable community asset in trying to draw more creative thinkers to the region. These creative thinkers can help us revamp our economy, but attracting them necessitates have a community with specific features they find appealing—quality of life being one of them. The Sursa's generosity over the years has been marked by investments in this community's quality of life, this hall and organ being the most recent examples.

Mary Jane, it seems as though every couple of years we gather to honor you for the friendship and support you and David have provided. Each time there is truly a new reason to celebrate, and today is no exception. Please stand and allow us to thank you for continued friendship and advocacy for the arts in this community.

While we certainly wish David were still with us to celebrate on these occasions, we are so pleased that since his passing, you and your family have remained so close and committed to Ball State. That is reflected in the fact that this organ has been named the Sursa Family Concert Organ.

With that in mind, I would also like to recognize David and Mary Jane's three daughters, son, and grandchildren who are here this evening.

• John and Janet Sharp, and their daughter, Laura, are here from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
• David and Laura Crampton, and their son, Palmer, of Muncie.
• John and Ann Carney from Alexandria, Virginia. Ann, who played the organ for us earlier today, as well.
• And Charles and Claudia Sursa, and their daughter Katie, from Yorktown

Thank you for being here.

As I said a few weeks ago when we recognized Pat Schaefer for her gift of the light painting, it is often difficult to express the depth of our gratitude for those who have given generously and sacrificially for so long. That's true of the Sursas, as well, but I think the words of English essayist and critic Walter Pater provide us some context for the Sursa's many gifts.

Pater said "Art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass." Let me repeat that. "Art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass."

David and Mary Jane Sursa's contributions to the arts have provided this community with innumerable high-quality moments over the last half-century. And as time passes, their legacy will ensure this community continues to enjoy high-quality moments long into the future.