New Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns told the audience at his installation Friday that he is taking personal responsibility for helping transform the Muncie community by creating and funding college scholarships for local high school students. He and his wife are pledging $100,000 to establish a scholarship to benefit Muncie Central graduates who are first-generation college students. The Ball State Board of Trustees is committing additional $150,000, and the Foundation Board of Directors and the Ball State Board of Trustees are personally contributing more than $30,000 to the scholarship—bringing the total amount to more than $280,000. Mearns, who began his tenure in May, was formally installed as the university’s 17th president on Friday.
