September

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of the new academic year!  This is a very busy time of the year for our division, so take a moment to appreciate yourself and each other for the hard work we do over the summer and now in preparation for the return of the students, or the closing or startup of the new fiscal year.  I hope you all got a chance to get away or were able to spend time with those that mean the most to you.  It is important we take time to take care of ourselves.  We’re planning for a year with more focus on our engagement and thinking about how we bring our enduring values with us to work every day.  Thanks to each of you for what you do every day to keep our university working.   See you around campus!

With gratitude,

Alan

Kudos

Margaret Lo has been named one of the Top 25 Women Chief Sustainability Officers of 2024 by Women We Admire. Margaret, we are grateful for all that you to do to make Ball State a more sustainable place for our employees, students, and environment. Congratulations and keep up the good work! If you’d like to know more about her work, you can access her spotlight here.

Student Financial Services & Systems and Accounts Payable 

Join us and the Controller’s Office in extending a special thanks to everyone in Student Financial Services & Systems (SFS) and Accounts Payable (AP) for their hard work.

  • SFS successfully published 19,395 ebills for Fall term.
  •  SFS processed refunds of 5,476 totaling $19,749,996.72.
  • Our ACH percentage rebounded to our Fall 2022 rate of 68.9%.

We were very happy to see that increase and we are hopeful that we can continue to push that up even further next time – our goal is 75%.

Blossoming Friends

Here’s an amazing story that we had to share about the friendship of Shelly Lopota, custodian, and Feona, a student. Shelly was recognized by the President for her work at the Fall Convocation.

See what he had to say:

Like many of our students, Feona is the first in her family to attend college. She received a prestigious Whitinger Scholarship, which changed the trajectory of her life forever. Feona was inspired by many faculty members, including Professor David Bwambok and Professor Tim Berg. Another person who influenced Feona was Shelly Lopota, one of our custodians. Feona met Shelly during the late nights Feona spent studying in our Foundational Sciences Building. Through these encounters, Feona said, in her own words, “our friendship blossomed.” In an online tribute about her college experience, Feona recognized Shelly’s work on behalf of Ball State. She wrote: “Not many people realize the hard labor of custodians and service workers.”

Like Feona, we all appreciate the women and men who provide us with a beautiful place to work, to live, and to study.

We echo the President’s words. Congratulations, Shelly! Thank you for your hard work and for taking the time to connect with and impact the life of one of our students.

Moves in Business Affairs

We are happy to welcome Mark Liebling as the Interim Associate Vice President for People and Culture. Mark has been with us since mid-August and is a great addition to our team. He has recent higher education experience and significant industry experience especially in the areas of strategic planning and thinking and systems implementation. See additional highlights below:

  • Born and raised in Detroit
  • Obtained his BS in Social Science and MS in Labor & Industrial Relations (HR) from Michigan State University
  • Corporate People & Culture experience gained in entertainment (Walt Disney), technology (Microsoft), and financial services (Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers) industries, much of this while based in Asia
  • Landed in Traverse City Michigan where he led the HR team for Northwestern Michigan College for more than 8 years upon return to the US
  • Has lived in 5 different countries and has delivered P&C products and services in 17 different countries – so far!
  • Active in his community, serving on the Human Resources Committee of the Father Fred Foundation Board and as a member of the Executive Committee of Traverse City’s International Affairs Forum
  • Loves almost all kinds of music, Premier League Soccer (Go Spurs!), and his family, and secretly aspires to play rhythm guitar in a rock & roll band

I am excited to collaborate with all the talented and passionate people at Ball State and especially the People & Culture team as we work to ensure that BSU continues to attract and retain the best people, and that the BSU employee experience is one of fulfillment and meaning.

News from Our BA Leaders

Ball State Sustainability – Margaret Lo

Be part of the Sustainability Action Plan Creation – Survey

As Ball State prepares to create a Strategic Sustainability Action Plan, we are reaching out to campus stakeholders to see what they consider to be campus priorities. The survey will take 8-10 minutes to complete. We are eager to learn about the campus community’s experiences and hear your recommendations for future efforts. We want to hear from you! You can find the survey here.

Upcoming Events

Centennial Football Activity Challenge: 

The Office of Engagement, Wellbeing, and Culture (formerly Working Well) is excited to partner with Ball State Athletics to celebrate 100 years of football! Join the 6-week Centennial Football Activity Challenge, starting September 9th through October 20th, to celebrate too!  Registration is open through Friday, September 6, 2024. Each team captain is responsible for submitting the registration form for their entire team. To find full challenge details and access the registration form, please visit the Working Well page here.

Cardinal Day of Wellbeing 
Save the Date: The annual Cardinal Day of Wellbeing event will be held Tuesday, October 29th in the Student Center, and we hope to see you there! All Ball State employees are invited and encouraged to attend. Programming will be offered around the five pillars of wellbeing – financial, community, physical, social and career.  Employees will also be able to visit vendor booths along with enjoying snacks and registering for prizes. Mark your calendar and keep an eye out for more communication about the sessions that will be offered and how you can register.

Tours

  • Tours of Printing Services are available September 9th and 13th at 2 p.m. To sign up, please email ps@bsu.edu with your name and chosen Printing Services tour date/time from the options listed.
  • Tours of Cooper and the Foundational Sciences Building are also available. To register, click here.

Other Events

Additional events include the United Way Day of Action on September 6th and the White River Clean up on September 14th.

Did you know?

Ball State will be the first institution of higher education in the USA to feature a Peace Plaza. The Peace Plaza sits in the circular concrete area adjacent to University Green and the Frog Baby Fountain. The dedication will occur on September 21st. Visit Peace Plaza to learn more about this new monument.

The New York Times

If you’re a Wordle fan, you’ll be pleased to know that University Liberties has acquired access to the New York Times All Access. Of course, it’s great to have access to the articles for your reading pleasures as well.

Podcast

Beyond the Title (BYT), the Business Affairs monthly podcast, is officially live! BYT has been created to share the stories of our Business Affairs employees, the work that we do, and provide some insight into who we are as people. The podcast is hosted by our VP, Alan Finn.  Episodes are now available here. Happy listening!

Enduring Values

This month we are highlighting our Enduring Value, Integrity.

Integrity. We commit to be honest, ethical, authentic, and accessible.

Each Monday in September, an integrity prompt will be shared on our LinkedIn page, Facebook page, Telus Health, and under the Enduring Values tab right here on our blog.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday month to Leann Kennedy (Financial Technical Specialist) and Jamie Shelton (Associate Controller)! We are celebrating another year of life with you all and hope each of you enjoy your special day!

Questions & Feedback

Do you have quotes, recommended books, recipes, photos from departmental festivities, retirement news, an exciting life event you’d like to share, or just want to provide feedback? Send your contributions or comments to Kcwebb@bsu.edu. If you’d like to be recognized for your birthday, please complete the Business Affairs recognition form here. We’d love to celebrate you!