"Our Call to Beneficence" is a podcast hosted by Geoffrey S. Mearns, the president of Ball State University. The podcast features conversations with Ball State graduates and friends who embody the spirit of Beneficence through their professional success and their personal service.

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Title: S6E2: “The Value of Relationships Cannot Be Overstated” (Kelli Lawrence, Real Estate Developer and Graduate)

Kelli Lawrence is an accomplished graduate of our University. She is currently the CEO of Onyx + East, a premier home-building company with offices across the Midwest and Florida.

In this episode, Kelli talks about how the relationships that she has made in life, beginning as a Cardinal, have led to “every opportunity I’ve had, personally and professionally, throughout my life.” And she shares how the generosity of her parents inspired her to want to become a benefactor to Ball State.

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Title: S6E1: “You Cannot Live in a Democratic Society and Not Be Engaged” (Tad Perry, Professor Emeritus and Elected Official)

Tad Perry is a retired educator, higher education administrator, and a former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives. He dedicated the first 23 years of his career to serving Ball State University, first as a faculty member and department chair, and then as an administrator.

In this episode, Tad describes how he helped our University to launch our Bowen Center for Public Affairs. He also talks about his more recent role in helping to endow our legislative internship program—a program that has been renamed the Tad “Doc” Perry and Mike McDaniel Legislative Internship Program in his honor.