ISPE seeks to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to access a broad range of experiences and new ideas in economics, political science, history, and beyond.

Economics Club gives students the opportunity to become more involved in the field of economics through keynote speakers, academic conferences, field trips, debates, and more. You don’t have to be an economics major to join — anyone with an interest in economics is welcome. The club meets at 6 pm Wednesdays during the academic year.

ISPE Reading Groups offer students an informal atmosphere for discussion and opportunities for interaction with faculty outside the classroom. ISPE typically sponsors two reading groups each semester, with 10-15 participants per group. Students who successfully complete a reading group are paid a small stipend.

Students selected as Buchanan Scholars (typically sophomores and juniors) are offered co-curricular opportunities to learn more about economics and related disciplines and to develop marketable skills. Buchanan Scholars also are paid to work on a year-long research project under the direction of Dr. Todd Nesbit. Students selected as Buchanan Scholars are paid a semester stipend for five hours of work each week.

Menard Research Fellows program gives selected undergraduate students the opportunity to create independent research projects under the mentorship of one of the Institute’s faculty. Menard Research Fellows each develop a proposal and research plan in collaboration with a faculty member. They then read the prior research in economics and collect and analyze the relevant data or other empirical evidence. The goal is for each to produce a research paper of a length agreed upon with their faculty mentor. Further goals include turning the research paper into a co-authored project with the faculty mentor with the intent of presenting it at a professional economics conference (such as the The Society of Business, Industry, & Economics), and eventually getting it published in a professional journal. Students selected as Menard Fellows are paid a semester stipend for five hours of work each week, an additional stipend upon completion of their paper, and are eligible for a paid trip to present their research at an academic conference.

Student Discussion Colloquia: Sponsored by Ball State’s Institute for the Study of Political Economy, these two-day events center on informal, yet serious, discussion with 15-20 participants. A faculty discussion leader facilitates an in-depth exploration of the questions and challenges raised by a set of readings (totaling around 150 pages) which are provided to students in advance. ISPE typically sponsors a Fall Colloquium on the BSU conference for Ball State students across a range of majors, and a Spring Colloquium at BSU Fishers with students from Ball State as well as other midwestern universities.

 Madam CJ Walker Colloquium / Menard Political Economy Speaker Series seek to broaden the intellectual conversation on the Ball State campus, providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to hear new and different ideas that might challenge them in important ways:

  • Menard Political Economy Speaker Series hosts two speakers each semester to engage with students, faculty, and the community.

  • Madam C. J. Walker Colloquium in Political Economy is an annual event which presents a public talk with a prominent scholar, as well as a series of smaller events with students --all themed around a topic. Named after the early 20th century African-American beauty products entrepreneur and social activist whose business was headquartered in Indianapolis, this event explores the relevance of free enterprise and entrepreneurship for the past, present, and future of historically marginalized groups.