President's Annual Report: Distinguished Professors & Endowed Chairs

The Power of Private Giving: 1999-2000 Annual Report

Distinguished Professorships & Endowed Chairs

Susan Albrecht

Ball State doctoral candidate Susan Albrecht is a licensed child psychologist specializing in children with behavioral and emotional disorders. A Ball State alumna, she returned to the university for her Ph.D. in special education and educational administration because she wanted to do more to meet the needs of these children.

Sheldon Braaten, executive director of the Behavioral Institute for Children and Adolescents in Arden Hills, Minnesota, and adjunct professor at several universities, focused his research and publications on children with behavioral and emotional disorders and advocated measures that would benefit children who needed more structure and guidance than schools and sometimes even parents could provide.

Distinguished Professorships
Support for distinguished professorships and endowed chairs has been critical in bringing to campus and retaining outstanding teacher-scholars. Private funds have established the following have distinguished professorships and endowed chairs.

George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor

of Chemistry

of Economics

of Gifted Studies

of Marketing

of Mathematical Sciences

of Neuropsychology

of Performance Studies

of Physics and Astronomy

Alumni Distinguished Professor of Accounting

Lincoln National Corporation Distinguished Professor of Actuarial Science

Irving Distinguished Professor of Architecture

Jeff and Teri Stoops Distinguished Professor of Business

John and Janice Fisher Endowed Chair in Exercise Physiology

Maxon Distinguished Professor of Finance

Sursa Distinguished Professor in Fine Arts

Alexander M. Bracken Endowed Chair in History

Reed D.Voran Honors Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

David and Joanna Meeks Distinguished Professor of Special Education

Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Endowed Chair in Telecommunications

John and Janice Fisher Distinguished Professor of Wellness and Gerontology

View Ball State's distinguished professors Web pages

Because of the Meeks Distinguished Professorship in Special Education, Sheldon Braaten is on Ball State’s faculty and Albrecht has a course of study and a nationally recognized expert to guide her graduate program.

David and Joanna Meeks, who were associated with Meeks Mortuary, a family firm and one of the oldest businesses in Muncie, wanted to support Ball State University and, because they had a daughter with special needs, they wanted their money to benefit others with similar concerns. The university’s distinguished professorships and endowed chairs are a way for donors to give to the university with very specific intent.

Distinguished professorships and endowed chairs enable Ball State to attract and retain excellent teacher-scholars. Because of their research and professional reputations, the recipients of these awards can invigorate the classroom atmosphere and guide and mentor students as they work toward their degrees.

Albrecht, director of special services for Marion Community Schools, first heard Dr. Braaten speak in 1988. "I knew immediately he was the guy to follow in the field. He was doing what I wanted to do, and he was having such a positive effect on children and their parents and on educators. There are some nationally and internationally known researchers in the field, and Dr. Braaten is one of them. I am enrolled in this program specifically because he is here."

Braaten was excited by the opportunity to work at Ball State and train future professionals in the field. He explains how his professorship came about, "I was encouraged to apply for the professorship in part because I had been working on a grant program at Ball State that trained students to work with children with emotional and behavioral disabilities." There is a critical need for educators with an emphasis on emotional and behavioral disorders. Because of this program, there is an assured course sequence in Indiana for people in the field, and the program is student friendly, with classes in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate students who work. Braaten’s appointment as Meeks Distinguished Professor in Special Education guaranteed that this course sequence in special education would continue.

For Albrecht, the benefits of studying with Braaten have gone beyond the classroom. "In addition to my course work here at Ball State, there was a summer institute at Syracuse University that involved nineteen students from the United States and Norway. Dr. Braaten’s recommendation got me in," Albrecht says. "My goal is to have the same effect on others that Dr. Braaten has had on me. I want to empower others to address behavioral concerns in a compassionate way, based on a strong knowledge base."

Sheldon Braaten’s work at Ball State has created a dynamic synergy for his students, the university, and the community. The Meeks’ gift made this professorship possible. The long-term benefits of the gift will spread throughout the state, improving the lives of Indiana’s children, its ultimate beneficiaries.

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