Support Honors College

STUDENT GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCES $500,000

Honors students engage in a variety of experiences that both heighten and enrich their undergraduate careers. From studying abroad to working with a faculty mentor on guided research, students enhance their education through innovative and experiential learning opportunities that are financially supported by the Ball State Honors College. As we have emerged from the pandemic, students are even more eager to enhance their college experience by studying abroad, traveling to a conference, or working with community partners here in Muncie and across Indiana. With your support, we can offer more opportunities of this type and fund students who often need aid in order to expand their college experience beyond the Ball State campus. Our goal is to make grants of $3,000-$5,000 available to an additional 10 to 12 students each year through these fundraising efforts.

STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT: $1M

Each year, talented students with incredible academic and leadership potential struggle to remain in college or take advantage of all that Ball State has to offer because their financial needs exceed our capacity for support. Some of them compromise their academic and career dreams to make ends meet.

Many of our honors alumni tell us stories about how financial scholarship support from the Ball State Honors College helped make their college and subsequent careers possible. As the Honors College serves an increasing number of students and the costs of education rise, more resources are needed to support student scholarships and empower more students to reach their full potential. The Honors College is asking that you consider supporting the existing Whitinger or Emens Scholarship programs. The Whitinger Scholarship is the signature scholarship of the college and offers students of exceptional potential both tuition and housing support. The Emens Leadership Scholarship is intended to support future leaders with a scholarship and mentoring experiences. Both the Whitinger and Emens Scholars programs have produced regional and national leaders who are making an impact on the world.

For donors who are interested in supporting their own scholarship fund, you are also able to do so with a minimum gift or pledge of $25,000.

DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIP: $350K

The Honors College supports faculty who actively engage with honors students and are disciplinary experts in their fields through the establishment of endowed distinguish professorships. These distinguished faculty often work directly with honors students on research and creative activities that greatly impact a student’s career. At the moment, the Honors College hosts one of these named awards via the Reed D. Voran Honors Distinguished Professor of Humanities. An endowed fund to support a second named, distinguished professorship would enable the Honors College to recruit and retain a high-achieving and student-focused faculty member in the sciences, who would complement the existing Honors College faculty community.

An endowed fund would recognize the value of a high-performing tenured faculty member and support that person’s scholarship and mentorship of honors students.

HONORS COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS HUB AND ENHANCEMENTS TO THE HONORS HOUSE $750,000

Funding for the Ball State Honors College Student Success Hub would create a space both physical (in the Ball Honors House) and virtual, where students can access the vast resources of the Honors College in one convenient space. The Student Success Hub will serve as a one-stop shop for students to access Honors College advising, study abroad support, fellowship and scholarship support, the existing Skills Infusion Program, and guidance for internships or other field experiences.
The type of high-impact learning opportunities supported by the hub epitomize the adventurous spirit of honors students who wish to make the most of their college degree. Funding for the hub would aid in establishing the physical location in the Ball Honors House through renovations that would improve coordination of these services and serve the growing number of honors students who access these services. In addition, funding would support honors staff to ensure that every honors student has easy access to resources and services.

NAMING OPPORTUNITIES

• Name the Honors College: $10M
• Distinguished Professorship: $350K
• Various Spaces: $25k for room naming in current Honors House, as well as new spaces
• Various Spaces: $150k for background gathering spaces and classrooms at Honors House
• Named Scholarship: $25k