Ball State University students perform recently at Cornerstone Center for the Arts. / Kurt Hostetler/The Star Press
MUNCIE— Ball State University’s wish list of $108 million in capital projects to be presented to the state Legislature next year is heavy on science and architecture but also gives regards to theater and dance.
Because of the state’s emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees, it’s not surprising that BSU will ask lawmakers for $62.5 million to address its outdated Cooper Science Complex and $27.5 million for expansion and renovation of the College of Architecture and Planning.
But the university also plans to request $6.2 million for new facilities for the Department of Theatre and Dance.
“If we want to attract STEM graduates to stay in Indiana and Muncie, we want to create communities ... where the arts can flourish and survive,” Bill Jenkins, chairman of the department, told The Star Press. “Until somebody convinces me the entertainment industry is going to go away, we’re always going to have a need for entertainment.”
More than 1,000 students audition annually for admission to the university’s BFA (bachelor of fine arts) in dance program and the BFA in acting/musical theatre program. Only 20 students are admitted to each of the BFA programs every year. Seventy percent of the students in those two programs are from out of state.
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