Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler and President Jo Ann Gora discussed issues related to both students and residents, including the recent controversial hire at Ball State and the separation of the campus and Muncie communities.
Tyler said he wishes Muncie locals felt differently about the community and appreciated what Ball State brings to the city.
"If we want to rebuild the Village, we can't do it without you," he said. "If we want to rebuild the neighborhoods around Ball State, we can't do it without you, and I want my [Ball State] students to feel as much apart of Muncie [as] my Muncie Community School students do."
Gora said she has also noticed the divide between the communities.
"What is disappointing to me is the fact that the Muncie community doesn't always seem to embrace Ball State, and maybe that's changing," Gora added. "So I think we've gone out of our way to say, 'Hey, Ball State is an important part of Muncie and we add a lot.' We want Muncie to come back and say 'Yeah, yeah you do.'"
"Radio Sweetheart" host and senior journalism major David Boulton asked each guest about the controversy surrounding the hiring of former Easter Michigan President John Fallon as Ball State's associate vice president for economic development and community engagement.
"We wanted someone who would be a great spokesman for the university in its economic development efforts," Gora said. "He was very familiar with our faculty, with some unique student collaborations, he has excellent ties in Indiana [and] in the Midwest, is a great spokesperson about what the university has done and can do with economic development projects and that's really his focus."
Gora said as far as Fallon's past is concerned, she is looking toward the future.
"I know that some students have expressed concern about this, and I can understand that." Gora said. "And it, of course, was a very sad situation that a child was killed and that was reported to the authorities but there was a delay in the reporting, but that really is in the past."
Tyler added that although he wasn't familiar with Fallon's past, Fallon helped Tyler with an economic development project a few weeks ago.
"On behalf of the university and the students and the helping to put that partnership together in Muncie, he hit a home run," he said.
Tyler and Gora each spoke on what they have been accomplishing lately. Tyler just completed his first 100 days in the mayor's office.
"It's been an extremely busy, exciting 100 days," Mayor Tyler started. "We're working extremely hard to attract new investors for our community and attracting and keeping the investors that we have."
Gora said the strategic plan she is currently working on will have an emphasis on immersive learning and serving the state of Indiana and "ratchet it up a notch".
"This plan will carry several of the themes of the current strategic plan that went from 2007 to 2012," President Gora said. "So we will continue to raise admission standards, we will continue to seek national rankings for our academic programs, we will continue to invest in the quality of life on the campus through enhanced facilities like the renovations of Stu East."
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