The inaugural event of the Ethan Whitehead Guest Lecture in Sustainability series is scheduled for March 20 at Ball State University. The guest lecturer is Dr. Billy Fleming, the Wilks Family Director of the Ian L. McHarg Center in the Weitzman School of Design. Dr. Fleming is a senior fellow with Data for Progress and co-director of the “Climate + Community Project.”
The lecture, free and open to the public, begins at 5 p.m. in Room 100 of the Architecture Building (AB 100) on the University’s Muncie campus. The event is being presented by Ball State’s R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning (CAP).
Julie and Doug Whitehead established the Ethan Whitehead Guest Lecture in Sustainability Fund at Ball State University in honor of their late son, Ethan. Developed in 2022 with a financial gift from the family, the lecture series was created to inform and inspire as many people as possible about sustainability—a topic that was close to Ethan’s heart. Ethan, who passed away in 2021, studied Architecture at Ball State. His parents attest to Ethan’s love for Ball State, CAP, architecture, and sustainability matters.
“It’s a legacy moment—a way to commemorate Ethan, and to establish an ongoing recognition of his importance,” David Ferguson, dean of CAP, said about the upcoming inaugural event. “Giving every student and faculty member access to expertise through these great lectures will perpetuate Ethan’s memory and his passion for sustainability.”
Learn more about Ethan Whitehead—and specifics about why his parents chose to start a fund for the development of this lecture series—in this Ball State Magazine online article.