MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State's Board of Trustees named Geoffrey Mearns as new president of the university on Tuesday.
"Geoff Mearns is exactly the leader Ball State needs to move us boldly into the next 100 years," said Board Chair Rick Hall. "His prior experience and knowledge of higher education will enable him to partner with our faculty, staff, and administration to provide Ball State students with a life-changing education."
"At the same time, he will be a champion of the university, building with our alumni and friends, and the greater community, the relationships that are so critical to Ball State's continued success," Hall said.
Mearns comes to Ball State after spending the last four years as president of Northern Kentucky University where he led an advocacy campaign to gain additional state support for the university and helped garner an additional $5.1 million in funding.
Before being president at NKU, Mearns served as provost of Cleveland State University.
Mystery surrounded the resignation of the university’s last president, Paul Ferguson, last January.
Ferguson resigned less than two years after taking the position and received a $500,000 severance package. The university has since kept most of Ferguson’s records from the media and has not released any new information on his resignation.
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