Our Call to Beneficence Ball State University

Since 2016, Mike McDaniel has been a dedicated member of the Ball State Board of Trustees. He is also a proud two-time graduate of our University, where he met the professor who became the mentor who shaped his future career in state politics. Mike recently finished his final legislative session as the executive director of governmental affairs for Krieg DeVault, a law firm based in Indianapolis. Before working for Krieg DeVault, Mike’s 51-year career in government relations and administ...

Brady Sallee became the head women’s basketball coach at Ball State University in 2012. Since then, he has established a culture of excellence for the Cardinals, a culture that is rooted in fundamentals and teamwork. For years now, Brady has broken records in Ball State Athletics. He is the only head coach to take his team to nine postseason tournaments, and with 237 victories, he is the winningest basketball coach in Ball State University. In this episode, Brady shares how his r...

Hollis Hughes is very well known by many members of the Ball State University community. As a two-time graduate, Hollis had the distinction of serving on the University’s Board of Trustees for more than two decades. Previously, he served as a board member of the Ball State University Foundation, the Alumni Council, and the Black Alumni Council.Hollis studied at Ball State at a time when segregated housing policies existed on our campus and in our community. In this episode, he shares how a un...

Anand Marri serves as Ball State’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, a position for which he is responsible for the University’s academic mission, including supporting leadership for all academic units. When he accepted the role in October 2023, Dr. Marri was no stranger to Ball State. He previously served three years as dean of the Teachers College, during which time enrollment in the college increased and faculty and staff generated a significant increase in ex...

Over the past three decades of his career at Ball State, Jim Lowe has dedicated himself to ensuring the functionality, comfort, safety, and sustainability of every building that makes up the University’s campus. As the associate vice president for facilities planning and management, Jim is responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the University’s facilities—and for planning, designing, and constructing our future buildings. Jim’s career has encompassed a series ...

Over the past three seasons, President Geoffrey S. Mearns has been the one asking his guests questions on “Our Call to Beneficence.” For this episode of the podcast, his two youngest children, his twins Geoffrey Jr. and Molly, turn the tables by interviewing him.“Our goal in doing this was to hopefully give people a side of you that they might not know,” Geoffrey Jr. tells his father at the outset of their conversation. With that objective in mind, the President’s son and daughter ask him a h...