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$ 1,426,041 raised 7,410 gifts
Political Science has raised $ 3,250 from 24 gifts!
Political Science
Thank you for supporting our students!

The Department of Political Science is dedicated to advancing the understanding of the political frontier through teaching and research. Our students strive to make better sense of the world and to make a difference in the community by working side-by-side with faculty on important events that are shaping today’s ever-changing political landscape.

Our Legal Studies students receive an education that strengthens respect for the rule of law in our society and encourages students to recognize the long term educational and career commitment necessary for success as a member of the legal profession.


Your gift helps fund programs and scholarships that help ease the financial burden for deserving students. Your donation directly impacts our undergraduate Political Science and Legal Studies majors, as well as our Master of Public Administration students.

Your gift helped and will help us engage our students in a variety of ways this year. 
  • We celebrated our graduating political science and legal studies seniors with our annual Senior Celebration.
  • Our POLS 370 course, Public Opinion, led by Dr. Misa Nishikawa, assisted the Bowen Center in the administration of the Hoosier Survey, giving our students the opportunity to experience first hand how major surveys are created, administered, and analyzed.  At the conclusion of the survey, three of our political science majors, Hunter Case, Casen Lake, and Bryson Mills, along with Dr. Nishikawa, traveled to the Indiana Capitol to present the results.
  • We launched our partnership with the National Federation of Paralegal Associations which allows our legal studies students to take a nationally recognized certification exam at a reduced cost prior to graduation.
  • We cheered and supported our Mock Trial team, as they traveled to a variety of competitions, bringing home two awards for best attorney and one for best witness.
  • We sponsored a workshop focusing on work in non-profits, featuring community members who work in that industry.
  • We awarded multiple scholarships to students to help defray the costs of their tuition and expenses.  A sixth scholarship, the Frankland Scholarship, is still in the fundraising stage, and can be found in the   dropdown menu of individual funds eligible for contributions.
  • We supported our Legal Studies Student Association as they welcomed guest speakers to campus.
  • We held our annual Welcome Fair in September to both welcome our new Cardinals and to welcome back to campus our returning students.
  • We hosted our incoming majors at the university's Admitted Student Day and brought in our current undergraduates to welcome them to our department.
  • We resumed the popular Trivia Night, where, under the direction of trivia master Dr. Sean Hildebrand, student teams competed against the faculty team in a battle of knowledge.


Thank you for visiting our One Ball State Day page, proud home to majors in Political Science and Legal Studies. We are grateful for your support and for your generosity, which helps us to help the students of today become the professionals of tomorrow.

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Your gift can be directed to our political science general fund, our legal studies general fund, or to the specific fund or scholarship of your choice by clicking the dropdown menu and selecting one of the available funds. 

Thank you from the Department of Political Science

Share your Cardinal pride using #OneBallState
Leaderboard
Morning Leaderboard
The four departments/units/teams with the most donors by 10 a.m. receives $3,000, $2,000, $1,000, and $500 in challenge funds.
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
Ended
Leaderboard
College Donor Leaderboard
The college that has the most donors by midnight will receive $5,000 in challenge funds.
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
Ended
Leaderboard
Academic Department Gift Leaderboard
The three academic departments with the most gifts by midnight receive $5,000, $3,000 and $1,000 in challenge funds.
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
Ended
Leaderboard
Who is giving?
Which part of the Ball State family is making the biggest impact on One Ball State Day?
What is your affiliation to Ball State University
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
Ended
Leaderboard
College Leaderboard
The four colleges with the biggest percentage of money raised from OBSD 2025 will receive $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 and $500.
Rank Prize College % +/- Goal
1 $3,000 Teachers College +260.28% $165,078.10
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
Ended
Success!
Student Donor Challenge
5 randomly selected student donors will receive $250 to designate to the fund of their choice.
Completed
Success!
The First Four Challenge
The first student, employee, parent, and alumni donor will each receive $250 given to the fund their gift went to.
Completed
Success!
First 5 Academic Departments
The first 5 academic departments to receive a gift will each receive $500 in challenge funds.
Completed
Success!
First International Alum Challenge
The first international alum to make a gift from abroad on One Ball State Day will get $500 in challenge funds designated to the fund their gift went to.
Completed
Leaderboard
10AM—Noon Leaderboard
The five units/areas/teams that raise the most money from 10 a.m. — Noon each receive $1,000 in challenge funds.
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
Ended
Leaderboard
Afternoon Leaderboard
The five departments/areas/programs with the most donors between 3-5 p.m. will each receive $1,000 in challenge dollars.
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
Ended
Leaderboard
Most Donors - Unit Leaderboard
The five departments/areas/programs with the most donors by midnight will each receive $1,000
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
Ended
Success!
Ball State Employee Social Media Challenge
Faculty and staff social media challenge! Share a photo of your 'Because of Ball State' postcard to share how Ball State has shaped who you are today—or what you and your area have been able to accomplish because of Ball State. Be sure to stamp your post with #OneBallState and #BecauseOfBallState. Two random participants will get to donate $500 in challenge funds toward their favorite area.
Completed
Success!
Social Media Video Share Challenge
Share any of the One Ball State Day videos on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram Stories, or TikTok using #OneBallState for a chance to earn extra challenge dollars. Two participants will get to donate $500 to their favorite area. Tag @BSUFoundation or @BallStateAlumni ❤️
Completed
Success!
LinkedIn Challenge
Share a One Ball State Day post on LinkedIn on April 1st for a chance to designate $1,000 to your favorite Ball State area! Use #OneBallState and tag the Ball State Foundation!
Completed
Success!
Paint the U.S. Cardinal Red
Paint the U.S. Cardinal Red. Gifts from all 50 states will unlock $5,000 from the Alumni Council to Ball States greatest needs.
Completed
Success!
Because of Ball State Video Challenge
Share your “Because of Ball State” video with #OneBallState for a chance to win $1,000 in challenge dollars to support the area of your choice. We’ll select three winners!
Completed
Leaderboard
Dean Maureen McCarthy CSH Challenge
The two CSH departments with the largest percentage increase in donations will unlock $500 from Dean Maureen McCarthy.
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
Ended
Success!
Charlene Alexander Chief Strategy Office Challenge
Dr. Charlene Alexander, Chief Strategy Officer, will give $600 to the Chief Strategy Office Unit that generates $600 in gifts on One Ball State Day.
Completed
Leaderboard
Provost Marri College Challenge
Top 3 colleges in number of donors will unlock $250 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place and $100 for 3rd place from Provost Marri.
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
Ended
Success!
Registrar Staff Challenge
April Hay, University Registrar, will match up to $250 of her staff’s donations during OBSD.
Completed
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