Culture and Climate

At Ball State University, we recognize inclusive excellence as an integral endeavor to fulfill our University’s mission and our strategic plan. To that end, we will develop a campus climate and culture where all community members experience a sense of belonging and engagement - a place where everyone's wellbeing is supported through respectful, authentic, and engaged relationships with each other.

Affinity Groups
Resources
Events
  • Campus Climate: The experience of individuals and groups on campus. Including the quality and extent of the interaction between various groups and individuals.
  • Campus Culture: The combination of various cultures on campus created jointly by all university person and accumulated through Policies, Systems, and Infrastructure.

Geoffrey S. Mearns

Welcome Statement from Geoffrey S. Mearns
President of Ball State University

At Ball State University, we strive to create a campus climate and culture where every person is welcome, respected, and valued. Each of us, regardless of our position or title, has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to honor our institutional commitment to inclusiveness, which is one of our enduring values. We pledge—through our actions, through our strategic imperatives, and through our promise to live our Beneficence Pledge—to keep inclusive excellence at the heart of all that we do. This website is a demonstration of our commitment to that promise, and the resources and tools provided via these affiliated pages are designed to support this important work.

Geoffrey S. Mearns

Geoffrey S. Mearns
President

Diversity Statement

At Ball State we strive to be an open and inclusive campus and community that welcomes and embraces people of various backgrounds and ideals. We recognize that our strength is in the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff and we strive to value the intrinsic worth of all of our community members. Ball State recognizes diversity in all different walks of life including but not limited to; race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability/ability, veteran status, or age.

INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE STRATEGIC PLAN
Anti-Racism Statement

The Office of Inclusive Excellence unequivocally condemns racism in all of its forms, individual, structural, and systemic, and will work toward eradicating its existence at Ball State University. We recognize that one statement and one movement will not be enough to stop racism and white supremacy, or undo the damage that years of oppression have done.

  • We pledge to work with the community so that all member’s intrinsic value is acknowledged and celebrated.
  • We pledge to root out apparent and unapparent racism in all of its forms.
  • We pledge that we will strive to make sure that anti-racism is reflected in the culture of Ball State through our policies, programs, and practices.
  • We pledge to continue to educate and advocate for issues stemming from white supremacy and racism.

Members of the Ball State University Community . . .

  • pledge to maintain high standards of scholarship and excellence
    To work with students, faculty, and staff to strengthen teaching and learning on campus.
  • pledge to practice academic honesty
    To model and uphold academic integrity, to honor their peers and earn the trust and respect from all members of the community.
  • pledge to act in a socially responsible way
    To treat each person in the Ball State community with civility, courtesy, compassion, and dignity; to respect the property and environment of the campus.
  • pledge to value the intrinsic worth of every member of the community
    To respect and learn from differences in people, ideas, and opinions.

Excellence. We commit to excel in all that we do.

Innovation. We commit to be creative, responsive, and progressive.

Courage. We commit to set ambitious goals and to take the risks necessary to achieve those goals.

Integrity. We commit to be honest, ethical, authentic, and accessible.

Inclusiveness. We commit to respect and embrace equity, inclusion, and diversity in people, ideas, and opinions.

Social responsibility. We commit to act for the benefit of society at large.

Gratitude. We commit to express appreciation to others and to demonstrate our gratitude through our actions.

“Freedom of expression is enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Ball State University’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Therefore, Ball State University is committed to free and open inquiry in all matters, and our University guarantees all members of the University community—including students, faculty, staff, and visitors—the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.”

- Adopted by the Board of Trustees on January 31, 2020

 

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Communities of Practice

Specific groups of dedicated practitioners striving to make Ball State University a more inclusive environment for all people.

President’s Advisory Council for Inclusive Excellence

The President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence (PACIE) was created by President Mearns in Fall 2018 to help guide our University’s efforts to become a thriving, inclusive campus community. Council members were selected to serve on PACIE based on their proven track record of being student centered and for their demonstrated commitment to our University’s existing efforts to achieve inclusive excellence. Together, PACIE members represent a wide range of diverse faculty and staff from across multiple departments and divisions of the institution.
 

Resources

Diversity Associates
PhD Pathways
Scholarships
Training, Development, and Curriculum
LGBTQ Resources
Multicultural Center
Office of Disability Services
Rinker Center for International Programs