As part of a long-range plan to expand east, Ball State University has started renovating the former Edmund and Virginia Ball home for academic use.
Located on Riverside Avenue next to the Music Instructional Building, the Edmund and Virginia Ball home will become the headquarters for the university's Honors College.
"The house is going to be renovated this year, and we will move in late next spring, early summer," Honors College Dean James Ruebel said. "I'm perfectly willing to move during the school year. We have to be there so we can do orientation."
The permanent move for the Honors College reflects the university's plans to move eastward, Ruebel said.
Greg Graham, interim director of facilities planning, said the long-range plan for Ball State is to create an academic quadrangle on that side of campus, similar to the Quad locate between Riverside and University avenues on the southwest side of campus.
"The music building, the garage, you can already see the beginnings of a quad over there," he said.
Ruebel said the house will be transformed to fit academic needs for the Honors College, which had 1,235 students during the 2007 Fall Semester.
The college will move from Carmichael Hall, located on the north side of campus.
"We're very excited," Ruebel said. "This is a major investment by the institution."
The renovations and move will cost about $1.2 million, Ruebel said. The majority of the money - $1 million - was donated to the college from the Ball Foundation. Ruebel said the college is partaking in a campaign to raise the rest.
"We're talking to potential donors," he said. "There are lots of opportunities to contribute."
Edmund and Virginia Ball are both honored for their contributions to the university. Edmund F. Ball was the son of the Edmund B. Ball, one of the original Ball brothers who founded the university. Edmund F. Ball died in 2000.
Virginia Ball was known for her philanthropy and dedication to bridging the Muncie community and the university. According to the Web site for the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry - which she established - Virginia Ball was instrumental in the creation of the Minnetrista Cultural Center, the Muncie Children's Museum and the Muncie Center for the Arts. She died in 2003.
Along with the college moving, the honors students also will transition from the Johnson Complex on the north end of campus to the DeHority Complex on the east part of campus.
"It's a great area for community building," Ruebel said.
The renovations include the creation of two or three classrooms, Ruebel said, as well as some office space for college faculty. The garage, for example, will be converted into a classroom. Extended education and Dining will remain in Carmichael Hall.
Moving eastwardThe new Honors College will be located in the former Edmund and Virginia Ball home on Riverside Avenue next to the Music Instructional Building. This move is part of a long-range plan to expand the campus eastward.
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