One Ball State Day 2026

Fundraising for Students
A history education offers a blend of skills and knowledge that can serve as the foundation for successful lives and careers. Ball State University’s History Department provides students with opportunities both within and beyond the classroom that help them build this foundation. Our annual Student History Conference allows students to share their work in a professional setting and learning from their peers from around the Midwest. A gift today to any of the funds listed here will help us provide these experiences and develop new ones.


Our public history program organizes paid and for-credit internships that prepare students for professional work in museums, archives, and historical sites. From the start of their studies, public history students spend time working in the community and using digital tools and media to create public-facing historical resources.

We also offer immersive learning courses where students work together to create digital resources, opportunities to collaborate with faculty members on a shared research interest, student teaching, and paid research positions with campus units.
Student Highlight


Madeleine Mills-Craig ('23) is a graduate from Honors College who double majored in history and public relations. She researched Asian adoptions in the United States and partnered with Dr. James Connolly for her honors fellowship. With his guidance, she discovered when Korean adoptions first gained traction in the United States. Her hands-on experience with Dr. Connolly taught her the essentials of historical research and built her confidence in handling primary resources. “We went to the Muncie archives, and Dr. Connolly guided me toward finding primary sources. He walked me through collecting the resources and sifting through what was significant. I put on rubber gloves and everything—it was very official.”
Madeleine now works as a Development Associate at Ecoenergy in Chicago.
A gift to the History Department will help fund opportunities such as paid internships, student research presentations at conferences, travel abroad experiences, and the PHEW (Public History Exhibit Works).
| Rank | Prize | Department/Unit/Team | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Theatre & Dance | 131 |
| 2 | $2,000 | Indiana Academy | 86 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Field Hockey | 70 |
| 4 | $500 | Communication Studies | 56 |
| 5 | Football | 48 | |
| 6 | Student Emergency Aid Fund | 33 | |
| 7 | Soccer | 31 | |
| 8 | Accounting | 27 | |
| 9 | Gymnastics | 24 | |
| 10 | Rinker Center for Global Affairs | 24 | |
| 11 | School of Music | 23 | |
| 12 | Men's Golf | 21 | |
| 13 | Men's Basketball | 21 | |
| 14 | Men's Tennis | 19 | |
| 15 | Men's Volleyball | 17 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | College of Fine Arts | 723 |
| 2 | Teachers College | 670 | |
| 3 | College of Communication, Information, and Media | 512 | |
| 4 | Miller College of Business | 429 | |
| 5 | College of Sciences and Humanities | 399 | |
| 6 | College of Health | 286 | |
| 7 | Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning | 190 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Theatre & Dance | 699 |
| 2 | $3,000 | Communication Studies | 290 |
| 3 | $1,000 | School of Music | 204 |
| 4 | Accounting | 158 | |
| 5 | Center for Information & Communication Sciences | 111 | |
| 6 | Special Education | 108 | |
| 7 | Department of Media | 87 | |
| 8 | Department of Marketing | 67 | |
| 9 | Nutrition & Health Science | 64 | |
| 10 | Urban Planning | 63 | |
| 11 | School of Nursing | 59 | |
| 12 | School of Journalism and Strategic Communication | 58 | |
| 13 | Educational Leadership | 55 | |
| 14 | History | 52 | |
| 15 | School of Kinesiology | 50 |
| Rank | Answer | Donors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alumni | 2,210 |
| 2 | Friend | 911 |
| 3 | Employee | 828 |
| 4 | Parent | 712 |
| 5 | Student | 441 |
| 6 | Young Alumni (2016-2026) | 242 |
| 7 | Indiana Academy Alum | 112 |
| 8 | Emeritus/Retired | 71 |
| 9 | Burris Alum | 15 |
| Rank | Prize | College | % +/- | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Teachers College | +260.28% |
$165,077.10
goal: $45,819.00
|
| 2 | $2,000 | College of Health | +56.82% |
$94,393.86
goal: $60,194.00
|
| 3 | $1,000 | College of Sciences and Humanities | +14.83% |
$69,831.79
goal: $60,811.00
|
| 4 | $500 | College of Fine Arts | +14.02% |
$160,177.42
goal: $140,480.00
|
| 5 | Miller College of Business | +7.52% |
$133,851.87
goal: $124,491.00
|
|
| 6 | College of Communication, Information, and Media | -4.40% |
$64,849.42
goal: $67,835.00
|
|
| 7 | Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning | -13.84% |
$32,120.46
goal: $37,280.00
|
| Rank | Prize | Unit/Area/Department | Raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Men's Golf | $16,157.00 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Gymnastics | $5,392.34 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Field Hockey | $5,165.00 |
| 4 | $1,000 | Theatre & Dance | $4,556.64 |
| 5 | $1,000 | Indiana Academy | $4,537.08 |
| 6 | Men's Tennis | $3,825.52 | |
| 7 | Women's Volleyball | $3,191.76 | |
| 8 | Communication Studies | $3,185.30 | |
| 9 | Soccer | $3,105.00 | |
| 10 | Football | $2,760.78 | |
| 11 | Accounting | $2,286.04 | |
| 12 | Men's Swimming & Diving | $2,075.26 | |
| 13 | Nutrition & Health Science | $2,045.52 | |
| 14 | Men's Volleyball | $2,041.04 | |
| 15 | Miller College of Business | $1,880.26 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Theatre & Dance | 59 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Field Hockey | 59 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Indiana Academy | 53 |
| 4 | $1,000 | Communication Studies | 38 |
| 5 | $1,000 | Soccer | 36 |
| 6 | Gymnastics | 26 | |
| 7 | Men's Volleyball | 21 | |
| 8 | Accounting | 17 | |
| 9 | Football | 17 | |
| 10 | Men's Tennis | 16 | |
| 11 | Burris Laboratory School | 16 | |
| 12 | Spectrum | 15 | |
| 13 | Ball State University Police Department | 14 | |
| 14 | Cross Country/Track & Field | 13 | |
| 15 | Men's Golf | 12 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Theatre & Dance | 517 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Indiana Academy | 310 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Field Hockey | 232 |
| 4 | $1,000 | Gymnastics | 190 |
| 5 | $1,000 | Communication Studies | 183 |
| 6 | Football | 143 | |
| 7 | Accounting | 130 | |
| 8 | Soccer | 125 | |
| 9 | School of Music | 121 | |
| 10 | Men's Tennis | 108 | |
| 11 | Cross Country/Track & Field | 95 | |
| 12 | Men's Volleyball | 93 | |
| 13 | Burris Laboratory School | 91 | |
| 14 | Men's Golf | 84 | |
| 15 | Department of Media | 78 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | % +/- | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500 | School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Sustainability | +500.00% |
30
goal: 5
|
| 2 | $500 | Criminal Justice and Criminology | +130.00% |
23
goal: 10
|
| 3 | History | +48.57% |
52
goal: 35
|
|
| 4 | Charles W. Brown Planetarium | +34.48% |
39
goal: 29
|
|
| 5 | Psychological Science | +16.00% |
29
goal: 25
|
|
| 6 | English / River Teeth | -2.22% |
44
goal: 45
|
|
| 7 | Field Station and Environmental Education Center | -10.00% |
9
goal: 10
|
|
| 8 | Women's, Gender, and African American Studies | -10.53% |
17
goal: 19
|
|
| 9 | Biology | -11.11% |
16
goal: 18
|
|
| 10 | Mathematical Sciences | -13.04% |
20
goal: 23
|
|
| 11 | Chemistry | -16.67% |
40
goal: 48
|
|
| 12 | Modern Languages & Cultures | -30.91% |
38
goal: 55
|
|
| 13 | Physics & Astronomy | -42.86% |
4
goal: 7
|
|
| 14 | Computer Science | -50.00% |
11
goal: 22
|
|
| 15 | Applied Anthropology Laboratories | -50.00% |
4
goal: 8
|
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250 | College of Fine Arts | 723 |
| 2 | $150 | Teachers College | 670 |
| 3 | $100 | College of Communication, Information, and Media | 512 |
| 4 | Miller College of Business | 429 | |
| 5 | College of Sciences and Humanities | 399 | |
| 6 | College of Health | 286 | |
| 7 | Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning | 190 |