Prior to his arrival at Ball State, Dr. Ferguson served as the 19th President of the University of Maine.
Beverley J. Pitts served as interim president from January-August 2004. Pitts resumed her role as provost and vice president for academic affairs after the arrival of President Jo Ann M. Gora. She served in that position until becoming president of the University of Indianapolis in fall 2005. She held several other Ball State positions including associate provost, assistant provost, and director of academic assessment. Before coming to Ball State, she was chair of the Department of Communication at Anderson University. She is also a professor of journalism and served as director of graduate studies in the Department of Journalism at Ball State. In addition to her educational career, she has been active as a practicing journalist.
Blaine A. Brownell became the 12th president of Ball State University on July 1, 2000. Before arriving in Muncie, Brownell held faculty and administrative positions at University of Memphis, University of North Texas in Denton, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Purdue University. During his three-and-a-half year tenure, enrollment rose to its highest level in 12 years, helped in large part to a record freshman retention rate of 80 percent. Ball State received the largest single grant in university history in 2001 when Lilly Endowment Inc. invested $20 million in the iCommunication initiative, establishing the university as a leader in the innovative use of digital media. The gift helped the Above and Beyond campaign raise more than $113 million, surpassing its $90 million goal. Private gifts also reached new heights, including the largest single private gift in university history, $17.2 million, which led to the naming of the Miller College of Business. During his presidency, the $30 million Art and Journalism Building and a $7.5 million renovation to the Fine Arts Building were completed, and construction began on the Music Instruction Building. Brownell resigned in January 2004 to become CEO of u21pedagogica.
On April 24, 1984, the Ball State University Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of a motion to name John Worthen as the institution's 11th president. Prior to coming to Ball State, Worthen held the post of president at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He had also served in administration at University of Delaware and American University. During his tenure at Ball State, the assets of the University Foundation grew tremendously, setting a record. Under Worthen's leadership, the Wings of the Future capital campaign from 1987 to 1992 raised $44 million, endowed three chairs, and created 14 distinguished professorships. Shortly before Worthen's retirement, a new capital campaign, Above and Beyond, was launched with a goal of $90 million to support scholarships, enhance academic programs, and further improve campus facilities. Buildings added to the physical plant during Worthen's presidency included the Edmund F. Ball Building, Alumni Center, and the Health, Physical Activity, and Arena Complex, now named Worthen Arena. Several existing buildings were renovated, as well. Other accomplishments included establishing the Indiana Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, University Media Services, and the College of Communication, Information, and Media. After 16 years as president, Worthen retired on June 30, 2000.
Robert P. Bell (1981-84)
Robert Bell was named president of Ball State University in February 1981. He was the first Ball State graduate to become president of the university. Bell received his degree in 1940 and joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the business department in 1947. In 1965, he was selected as the first dean of the College of Business and then was named vice president of business affairs in 1973. He had planned to resume teaching in the College of Business when he was asked to succeed Jerry Anderson as president in an attempt to "give the university some stability." Under Bell's leadership, the university began initiatives in computerization for the campus, computer literacy, and applying technology to university programs. Bell retired in 1984.
Jerry Anderson (1979-81)
Jerry Anderson became president of Ball State University on July 1, 1979, at age 45. Previously, he had served as vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. Anderson's initiatives included adoption and implementation of a university-wide planning process, establishment of a compensation program that contained merit and market components, decentralization of decision-making, and promotion of research and scholarship by the faculty. Anderson resigned after only 18 months as president.
Richard W. Burkhardt (1978-79)
Richard Burkhardt was appointed acting president after John Pruis resigned in 1978. He had joined Ball State as dean of the college in 1952, after serving as director of the division of teacher preparation at Syracuse University. When Ball State became a university in 1965, Burkhardt was appointed vice president for instructional affairs and dean of faculties. He was instrumental in establishing the university's London Centre program, Town and Gown Lecture series, and the Kirkpatrick Memorial Workshop on Aging. Following his term as president, Burkhardt was named provost and vice president of academic affairs. He served in that capacity until 1980 when he decided to return to full-time teaching and research in the history department.
John J. Pruis (1968-78)
John Pruis became president of Ball State University on July 1, 1968, at the age of 43. He had been associated with Western Michigan University, his alma mater, as professor of speech for 13 years, vice president for two years, and secretary to the university's Board of Trustees for four years. Accomplishments during his term as Ball State president included establishment of special programs and foreign language houses, Whitinger Scholars program, John R. Emens Scholars, Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships, and undergraduate research grants. He oversaw improvement of both graduate assistant and doctoral fellow programs. The construction of Bracken Library, the College of Architecture and Planning, Cooper Science Complex, and two parking garages were completed during Pruis' presidency, and work began on the College of Business building. Several other buildings underwent various stages of completion or remodeling as well. The Ball State University Annual Fund grew from $170,758 to approximately $1.8 million. Pruis resigned on August 31,1978, after 10 years of service as president.
John Richard Emens (1945-68)
John R. Emens, director of personnel for the Detroit Public Schools, was elected president at age 44, just before the end of World War II. In fall 1945, student enrollment increased to 1,010, which included many veterans. The enrollment doubled the next year and ultimately reached over 13,000 during Emens' tenure. As enrollment increased, many kinds of needs mushroomed throughout the campus. The institution developed a long-range campus plan in order to meet those needs. Under Emens' guidance, the plan was successfully carried out for the next 18 years. The number of buildings on campus grew phenomenally during this period. New construction included many residence halls, the Practical Arts Building, Physical Science-Mathematics Building, Nursing Education Building, Athletic Stadium, Teachers College, and L.A. Pittenger Student Center. In September 1965, Ball State had 29 departments and divisions in five colleges including the College of Architecture and Planning and the Department of Nursing. On February 8, 1965, the institution was renamed Ball State University and embarked upon a new era. After leading Ball State through many changes during a 23-year tenure, Emens retired in 1968.
Winfred Ethestal Wagoner (1943-45)
Winfred E. Wagoner was appointed acting president for a period of six months when President Pittenger resigned in December 1942, and later his term was extended to more than two years. He had served as controller of the college for 17 years. During his term as president, he spent half of the day in the business office and the other half in the president's office. Wagoner suggested three new directions for the college facing the post-War period: a college solely for prospective teachers; a "college for public service" that would concentrate on education for teachers, public health and nursing practitioners, social workers, and public employees; or a "general college." He also proposed a self-study toward improving courses and curricula, and recommended planning for a campus design and construction of at least three new buildings. After the inauguration of President Emens in 1945, Wagoner continued to serve the college as the controller by managing all business affairs.
Lemuel Arthur Pittenger (1927-42)
L. A. Pittenger was a native Hoosier, born in Delaware County and educated at Indiana State University. He taught English at Muncie High School, was on the faculty of Indiana Normal School, taught at Bloomington High School, and became head of the English Department at Kent State Normal School in 1913. He served three two-year terms in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1923 to 1927. Pittenger also became a professor of rural education at Ball State in 1923. He assumed the presidency of the college after the death of President Burris in 1927. In 1929, the Indiana General Assembly separated Ball Teachers College from the Indiana State Normal School and named it Ball State Teachers College. In March 1930, on the third attempt by Pittenger, the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools transferred Ball State from the list of teacher-training schools to the list of colleges and universities. During this period, several buildings were added to campus, including Burris Laboratory School, the Fine Arts Building, and Elliott Hall. The Beneficence memorial to the Ball Brothers was dedicated in 1937. Pittenger resigned in December 1942, due to illness. In 1952, he was elected to the Indiana State Senate.
Benjamin Jackson Burris (1924-27)
Benjamin J. Burris had been a school administrator and politician. He had served as a county attorney and first assistant to the state superintendent of public instruction. Burris was 42 years old when he was appointed president in 1924. By 1925, enrollment had increased to 1,016. The number of faculty and departments increased during this period also. Various types of social and intramural activities prospered. Ball Gymnasium opened in 1925, the Library and Assembly Hall were constructed in 1926, and Lucina Hall was built in 1927. Burris had a strong vision for the college and initially set two goals: achieving the highest accreditation of the college and building a laboratory school for teacher training. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly in 1927 before seeing these goals fully realized.
Linnaeus Neal Hines (1921-24)
Linnaeus N. Hines became president of the Indiana State Normal School and its Eastern Division on October 21, 1921. He had served as a member of the Board of Trustees and the state superintendent of public instruction. Although Hines' tenure was relatively short, the college saw significant growth and change during this period. From 1919 to 1922, enrollment increased from 180 to 522. Science Hall and a new heating plant were constructed and work on Ball Gymnasium began. The Easterner, the college newspaper, began publication in 1922. To honor the Ball family for their generosity, the name of the institution was changed to Ball Teachers College, Eastern Division, Indiana State Normal School by the Indiana legislature in 1922. Hines resigned as president in the fall of 1924.
William Wood Parsons (1918-21)
After 47 years as a student, professor, and president at Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute, William Parsons was approaching his retirement when the Eastern Division (now Ball State University) of that institution was established in Muncie in 1918. The Eastern Division started with a set of four-year, two-year, and one-year programs in education. 380 students enrolled that first summer, but the enrollment decreased in the fall to 225. The first commencement was held on June 13, 1919, with 10 transfer students graduating. Following the commencement, a plaque was unveiled in honor of the Ball brothers' gift to the state of the building and grounds that became the Eastern Division of Indiana State Normal School. Because of the distance from Terre Haute, Parsons did not spend long periods in Muncie. The business of the Eastern Division was conducted on a daily basis by an appointed administrative team consisting of Dean of the College Benjamin F. Moore, Dean of Men Oscar M. Pittenger, and Dean of Women Viletta Baker. Parsons retired as president in 1921.
Presidents of Ball State's Predecessors
Prior to the establishment of the Eastern Division of Indiana State Normal College (now Ball State University) in 1918, four attempts were made at creating an institution of higher learning in Muncie. All of them failed.
However, these early attempts at bringing higher education to the east central part of Indiana laid important groundwork for Ball State's eventual success. All of these schools were housed in what is now the university's Administration Building, dedicated in August 1899.
Four men served as presidents of these institutions:
- F.A.Z. Kumler, Eastern Indiana Normal Institute, 1899-1902
- John R.N. Latschaw, Palmer University, 1902-05
- Francis N. Ingler, Indiana Normal School and College of Applied Science, 1905-07
- Michael D. Kelley, Muncie Normal Institute, 1912-13; Muncie National Institute, 1913-17
Information about some of Ball State's past presidents was supplied by Ball State's Archives and Special Collections, located in Bracken Library.