One Ball State Day 2026
Because of Ball State I found my voice...
Support Student Voices Today – Student Media Fund #07431
In 1922, there was a student newspaper called The Easterner. Ball State wasn’t even Ball State at that point, and was still a “Normal School.” A century later, so much has changed. One thing hasn't, and that is student journalists who show up, pick up a notebook, turn on a camera, step in front of a microphone, and tell the stories that matter.
Today, that legacy lives on within Unified Media, a space that houses our award-winning student media programs including the Daily News, NewsLink Indiana, Ball Bearings Magazine and Byte. What began as a single newspaper has grown into a nationally recognized media lab where students don’t just learn journalism — they do it every day.
Because of Ball State our students:
- Publish investigations that spark conversation.
- Anchor nightly live newscasts.
- Forecast severe weather in real time.
- Produce long-form magazine storytelling.
- Launch podcasts and multimedia projects.
- Travel to report on stories that extend far beyond campus.
They don’t wait until after graduation to become professionals. They become professionals here.
While Unified Media sustains itself largely through advertising and creative partnerships with Cardinal Media and The Agency, philanthropic support is what makes unique opportunity possible. Your gift helps better our lab, fund travel to conferences, breaking news and sporting events. It supports student awards competitions, leadership development seminars, and keeps fueling the hands-on experiences that transform résumés into careers.
Because of Ball State, our students graduate confident, experienced, and ready to lead in newsrooms across the country. Your gift to Student Media Fund #07431 ensures students in NewsLink, Ball Bearings and Byte have the same opportunity.
Thank you for believing in student voices.
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Because of Ball State I chased the story wherever it led...
Help the Daily News Cover the News Far and Wide – Daily News Travel Fund #4908
For more than 100 years, The Ball State Daily News has told the stories that shape our campus and our community. Because of Ball State, our students don’t just learn journalism — they live it. They report from locker rooms and city streets, from press boxes and postgame interviews, gaining experience that can’t be replicated in a classroom.
Your support makes that possible.
Because of donor generosity, Daily News reporters traveled to Knoxville to cover Ball State football’s matchup against the University of Tennessee — delivering firsthand coverage from the field. Our students reported from Cleveland during the Mid-American Conference championships.
They were there when Ball State women’s basketball earned a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, telling the story of that milestone moment as it unfolded.
They didn’t watch history happen.
They documented it.
These immersive experiences prepare students for the fast-paced world of journalism — teaching them to think on their feet, ask tough questions, meet deadlines under pressure and represent Ball State University with professionalism and integrity.
Individually and collectively, our students are recognized among the best in the nation, earning prestigious awards and launching careers across Indiana and beyond. Employers seek them out because they’ve already done the work.
Because of Ball State, they gain real-world experience.
Because of donors like you, they can say yes when opportunity calls.
Travel funding through the Daily News Travel Fund #4908 ensures our reporters, photographers and videographers with The Ball State Daily News can follow stories wherever they unfold — whether that’s a statehouse, a championship game or a once-in-a-lifetime interview.
These are opportunities many young journalists only dream about.
Our students live them.
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IN | 44 |
| 2 | IL | 3 |
| 2 | OH | 3 |
| 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 | Non-Academic / Non-Athletic Area | % +/- | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Proud Ball State Parents & Families | +250.00% |
35
goal: 10
|
| 2 | $2,000 | Learning Center | +140.00% |
48
goal: 20
|
| 3 | $1,000 | Undergraduate Research & Creative Project Support | +81.25% |
29
goal: 16
|
| 4 | $500 | Indiana Public Radio | +43.59% |
56
goal: 39
|
| 5 | Ball State University Police Department | +41.90% |
149
goal: 105
|
|
| 6 | Charles W. Brown Planetarium | +34.48% |
39
goal: 29
|
|
| 7 | University Libraries | +20.51% |
47
goal: 39
|
|
| 8 | Student Voluntary Services | +16.67% |
7
goal: 6
|
|
| 9 | Career Center | +12.50% |
9
goal: 8
|
|
| 10 | Women of Beneficence (Discovery) | +11.54% |
29
goal: 26
|
|
| 11 | Disability Services | +11.11% |
30
goal: 27
|
|
| 12 | Student Emergency Aid Fund | +5.26% |
80
goal: 76
|
|
| 13 | Ball State PBS | -2.56% |
38
goal: 39
|
|
| 14 | Alumni Scholarships | -9.38% |
29
goal: 32
|
|
| 15 | Field Station and Environmental Education Center | -10.00% |
9
goal: 10
|
| 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 | 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% |
$165,078.10
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
|
|
| 6 | College of Communication, Information, and Media | -4.03% |
$65,099.42
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 | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Ball State University Police Department | 21 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Registrar | 13 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Mock Trial | 11 |
| 4 | $1,000 | Student Emergency Aid Fund | 10 |
| 5 | $1,000 | Christian Student Foundation | 7 |
| 6 | Ball State Student Media | 6 | |
| 7 | Proud Ball State Parents & Families | 6 | |
| 8 | Women of Beneficence (Discovery) | 5 | |
| 9 | University Libraries | 5 | |
| 10 | Guardian Scholars | 4 | |
| 11 | Cardinal Kitchen | 3 | |
| 12 | Alumni Programs | 3 | |
| 13 | Employee Emergency Fund | 3 | |
| 14 | Housing & Residence Life | 3 | |
| 15 | Rinker Center for Global Affairs | 3 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Mock Trial | 26 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Ball State Student Media | 21 |
| 3 | $1,000 | Spectrum | 21 |
| 4 | $1,000 | Christian Student Foundation | 19 |
| 5 | Cardinal Kitchen | 15 | |
| 6 | Student Voluntary Services | 2 | |
| 7 | Black Student Association | 1 | |
| 8 | Dance Marathon | 1 | |
| 9 | Navigators | 1 |
| Rank | Prize | CCIM Unit | Raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500 | Communication Studies | $1,265.52 |
| 2 | Center for Information & Communication Sciences | $770.26 | |
| 3 | School of Journalism and Strategic Communication | $335.26 | |
| 4 | Ball State Student Media | $150.00 | |
| 5 | Department of Media | $130.26 | |
| 6 | Sports Link | $0.00 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500 | Center for Information & Communication Sciences | $1,520.00 |
| 2 | Communication Studies | $930.26 | |
| 3 | Department of Media | $155.00 | |
| 4 | School of Journalism and Strategic Communication | $150.00 | |
| 5 | Ball State Student Media | $100.00 | |
| 6 | Sports Link | $30.00 |
| 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 |
