This was my first time at Ball State, I went up for work and had no issue finding it…read more It's a large and spacious campus, too many buildings to name. I had a great time checking out the main buildings and taking in all the sights. My hats off to this building and grounds team, everything is pristine! Can't wait to get back in the warmer weather, to do some more exploring!

AVOID THIS SHITTY UNIVERSITY at all costs if you can. They are so greedy and you will get ripped…read moreoff. Where do I begin! When I registered for my classes, the amount that I had to pay was $4000 for one class. I had literally dropped off from the other class a couple days after I registered for it and was forced to pay the full amount for both classes! despite of dropping out of one of them. It is infuriating how rip off and money hungry these people are. This school is one of the worst schools I've ever been to. Let me start by saying that you have to pay an equal amount as if you would pay for a private school. Nobody helps you, it is a very expensive university which I don't get why when it's the worst, professors are so awful etc.

This is an Awesome collage; The dorms are very nice and well…read moremaintained. And the cafeteria is really good , the food is incredible also the campus is very big I get Lost sometimes the gyms are cool. Would recommend to any around the Muncie area

Erskine-Green Training Institute was founded by the Arc of Indiana Foundation in 2016 as a "first…read moreof its kind" postsecondary vocational training program that specifically targets serving individuals whose academic, social, communication, and adaptive skills are affected due to a disability. Housed inside Muncie's Courtyard by Marriott on High Street, which is also owned by Arc of Indiana Foundation and managed by General Hotels Corporation, Erskine-Green Training Institute is named after two esteemed Hoosiers - Carl Erskine and Steve Green - both of whom have had their lives significantly impacted by disability and who've spent much of their lives advocating for people with disabilities. Erskine-Green offers 10-13 week programs in specific fields including hospitality, food service, healthcare, and inventory distribution. The programs aim to offer individuals with disabilities tangible job skills that will allow them to enter market-wage jobs in integrated community settings. At the three year mark, their success rate is between 80-85% in terms of those who've graduated from an Erskine-Green program actually finding jobs in their fields of choice. In other words, Erskine-Green is groundbreaking and it's changing the lives of people with disabilities for the better. The vast majority of students who attend Erskine-Green actually live within the Courtyard by Marriott during their 10-13 week training program. This provides the feeling of a "campus" and allows them to gain natural supports while also growing independent living skills. The community has embraced the program, with Ball State University serving as a resource for part-time employees who provide support, mentoring, and serve in other capacities. Ball State also provides other resources of support. IU Health has proven to be a strong corporate supporter and IU Health - Ball Memorial is a training site as is the Courtyard by Marriott and the 625 TapHouse located inside the hotel. In the program's early days, Scott Wise and Thr3e Wisemen Brewery was also a strong supporter. While I didn't attend Erskine-Green, I've been a supporter from its beginning and if you ever visit the Courtyard by Marriott you can find my name on the hotel's donor wall as someone who has done two fundraising events for the program. Funding for the program comes largely from Vocational Rehabilitation, though other funding sources exist including grants, self-pay, and both state/federal funds. I myself started a scholarship program at Erskine-Green. Entrance into Erskine-Green is not "automatic." You do have to have a certain degree of independent living skills, for example being able to handle or arrange for the handling of personal care, but other skills, like learning how to utilize public transportation, are taught within the framework of the program. Erskine-Green Training Institute has been so successful that plans are already underway to open a second campus in Evansville. Erskine-Green celebrates its alumni and maintains contact, though job placement is largely up to Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, job coaches, or an individual's support team. As part of the program, however, the students are taught both resume creation and interview skills. Erskine-Green offers career sampling sessions several times throughout the year and monthly general tours. As a working adult with a disability, Erskine-Green excites me because it's a quality program with a terrific staff and is empowering individuals with a disability to live up to their dreams and their highest potential. I've spoken at the school a couple times and I've been constantly impressed by teachers, leadership, students, volunteers, and everyone involved. The results speak for themselves and it's exciting to watch people realize they can truly chase their dreams. Erskine-Green continues to be one of Indiana's best kept secrets with a reputation that is growing that ensures the school won't be a secret much longer.

I love a good hidden gem. The David Owsley Museum of Art is hidden in plain sight, though, because…read moreit's located on the campus of Ball State University, one of the biggest universities in Indiana. So, I guess, if you know, you know. But if you don't know? Then, in the words of the late Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G. (RIP): If you don't know, now you know. Either way, you'll find this surprisingly large art museum in Ball State's Old Quad. Parking is kind of a pain: You'll need to park in one of the metered lots. Make sure you pay! Those campus parking attendants don't play and are always out in full force. The museum houses works of art from all around the world. I saw everything from African masks to Greek statues. It's kind of amazing to me the amount of art this place holds. There are two stories of things to see. I forgot that I was on a college campus -- it really is a real-deal art museum. Best of all: This museum is free! Just stroll right in and peruse at your leisure. Just don't plan to visit on a Sunday or Monday, because it's closed on those days.

The Ball State Museum of Art has long benefited from the generosity of the Industrialist Ball…read moreFamily. The renamed "David Owsley Museum of Art" continues that generosity from the grandson of the Ball founders. This two story museum is located in the heart of the Ball State Campus, about a block west of the intersection of Riverside and McKinley. As you approach the museum, you will see several outdoor sculptures including a pair of bronzes by Lila Katzen: "X Notion, Like a J" and "Maxi-Antecedent II" circa 1978. The main entrance to the museum is on the south side (non-street side) and has a small lobby where you can find brochures and a map of the museum. There is also a street side entrance which requires you to climb stairs to enter the museum on the second floor. Due to time constraints and being tired from walking all over campus, I didn't spend enough time to do justice to reviewing all the different rooms. The main floor of the museum starts out with a Sculpture Court with grand staircases that lead up to the upper level. The West end of the main floor has a Special Exhibition room, Native American, Pre-Columbian, African, and Pacific Islands art. The East end of the main floor has Early & Ancient art, South and Southeast Asia, and China & Japan Art. The upper floor has European art surrounding the central sculpture court. To the north of the court, American art progresses from early work on the east to more contemporary work on the west. The wings of the floor have special exhibits, Contemporary Craft, and Decorative Arts. For my visit, I started with the Sculpture Court. Although there aren't many pieces in the court, I was pleased to find a couple joyful pieces by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth from the mid-1920's. Both "Joy of the Waters" and "Crest of the Wave" are water themed pieces that were originally conceived as fountain centerpieces. I moved upstairs to browse the European art. I wasn't personally familiar with the names of most of the artists, but the works that are on display seem quite life like. Many of the painted art pieces were portraits or landscapes. The American art was the most interesting to me since I have been reading about the history of art in America. Early works by Thomas Cole ("Storm King of the Hudson" - 1827), who some consider the "father" of the Hudson River School of Art , and Gilbert Stuart ("Portrait of Anne Eliza Allston" -1805), who was a contemporary of Benjamin West and learned from famed artist Thomas Gainsborough, are on display. One of my favorites on display is Alexander Wyant's "Near Conway, North Wales" (1868). This landscape is remarkably detailed and beautiful. Other paintings by famous artists include John Twachtman's "Waterfall, Greenwich" - 1890, Childe Hassam's "Monmartre" -1889, and "Reflection (Kitty Hughes)" 1917, and Robert Henri's "Jimmie n Blue Jumper" 1920. Artist's with Hoosier ties include William Merritt Chase ("Rest by the Wayside"-1902 and "Portrait of Mme E H Bensel"-1912), T C Steele ("Tennessee Mountain Land"-1899), and John Ottis Adams ("In Poppyland"-1901). I have heard that the museum has quite a few JO Adams paintings, but unfortunately, only one was on display during my visit. This one, also known as "Poppy Field", is from the time he spent living at the Hermitage in Brookville with TC Steele painting the river valley. I also had time to explore some of the craft and contemporary pieces before heading down to the main floor again. There I chose to spend time in the Japan & China exhibit. This section of the museum had more sculpture and ornamental vases than paintings. One of my favorite's is from the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) "Earth Spirits". The pieces, though exaggerated in appearance, seem to embody human personalities in their expressions. The website also has lots of information, including videos of art that has been on display. Pieces from the World's Fair of 1915 (San Francisco) and glass blowing by Dale Chululy show some of the diversity that the museum has. 2021 W Riverside Ave, Muncie, Indiana Open: Mon - Fri 9-4:30; Sat-Sun 1:30 - 4:30 Cost: free Parking: McKinley Avenue Parking Garage $1 (1-3 hours) per hour (cash or credit) Free parking on weekends in the red lot west of the museum Review #264