MUNCIE, Ind. - Maplewood Guest House is a medical student community, in partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine, Muncie and the Ball Brothers Foundation. It’s operated and managed by Ball State University and provides convenient housing accommodations for medical students working in or near East Central Indiana.
The mansion is the historic former home of Ball brother William C., but now it serves as a guest house operated by Ball State’s Miller College of Business Hospitality and Property Management students. Students are given special projects to work on through their respected study, but it is also available for students to work directly under management.
“It gives them a competitive edge in actually working in a business that’s owned by Ball State,” Property Manager David Martin said. “Working in a real-world business is something that they can use to give to employers. This is something that universities don’t have.”
Before Maplewood Mansion opened in 2016, Muncie was the last choice for most medical residents among the nine programs in the state, according to Martin. But now Muncie is the second choice in the state.
“A lot of that is because of the partnership with Optimus Primary, the experience students have at Ball Hospital, and I like to think a lot of the reasoning is because of the housing at Maplewood,” Martin said.
Optimus Primary is a funding initiative based in Muncie, designed to strengthen the local healthcare workforce pipeline while collaborating with Ball State, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and other local institutions.
While the partnership with Optimus Primary plays a role, Martin says the main goal is about creating a connection. For student workers like Enik Griffin, that connection becomes a hands-on experience with real-life impact.
“I find a lot of fulfillmeny in being able to share the history and important assets that the Ball Brothers Foundation left behind,” Martin said.
The impact is only expected to grow. Martin says he hopes to add more amenities and program involvement with future projects in the mansion. To learn more about the Maplewood Mansion, visit this website.
Contact Amelia Winter with comments at amelia.winter@bsu.edu.
