Two gifts totaling $7.5 million, which will financially support the catalyst for the university’s Village revitalization plan, were announced during Friday’s Ball State Board of Trustees meeting, the final meeting of 2022.
A $5 million gift from Marianne Glick and her husband, Mike Woods, and a $2.5 million gift from June Scheumann will advance the development and construction of the Performing Arts Center—located on the corner of McKinley and University avenues—which will attract people of all ages to the Village. Each year, the center will host more than 160 University performances and draw more than 35,000 attendees to the Village.
“These substantial gifts provide vital support to a revitalization plan we approved in March,” Board Chair Renae Conley said. “The Board is excited to see this plan continue to advance as we collectively anticipate the profound and positive impact the Village revitalization and the Performing Arts Center, specifically, will have on Muncie and our University.”
In recognition of their gifts, the Board approved during its meeting the naming of the Marianne Glick and Mike Woods Lobby and the Scheumann Studio Theatre, which will both be located inside the facility.
“I am grateful to Marianne Glick and Mike Woods and to June Scheumann for their continued support of our University,” Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns said. “Their contributions help financially support the tangible aspects of our institutional projects, but their investments also broadly support the ongoing work by everyone at Ball State to fulfill our University’s strategic plan.”
Both benefactors are longtime supporters of the University.
Marianne Glick has supported scholarships, the Discovery Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Fund, and the creation of TeenWorks@BSU, a student diversity initiative. Ms. Glick served on the Ball State University Board of Trustees from 2006-2016. She received the 2016 President’s Medal, and was an Indiana Women of Achievement honoree in 2010. She currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Family Foundation.
“Mike and I have been so impressed with the talent of the students and the quality of the faculty in the musical theatre program,” Ms. Glick said. “We believe that they deserve a facility that matches their talent.”
June Scheumann is the wife of the late John Scheumann, who graduated from Ball State in 1971. She is the President and Treasurer of the Scheumann Foundation. Among many University gifts, the Scheumann family significantly contributed to the 2005 renovation of the John B. and June M. Scheumann Stadium with a $4 million gift. In 2019, the Scheumann family made the lead $7 million gift to support Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility at Ball State.
“The arts have always been a big part of my life, and I am thrilled to be a part of supporting the Performing Arts Center,” Ms. Scheumann said. “I think it will be a wonderful addition to Ball State and the Muncie community. The arts should always be considered essential, and I’m glad that Ball State agrees.”