As a Cardinal, you will hear mentions of old buildings and complexes that were once part of Ball State’s campus. The LaFollette Residence complex, or maybe the parking garage north of Woodworth. In the past four to five years, Ball State has taken on several construction and remodeling projects all across campus—easy to be seen on a drive or walk through campus while navigating traffic cones and road closures. The resulting projects are worth the struggle, specifically the North Residential Neighborhood completed in 2021, and the Health Professions Building and Foundational Sciences Building completed in 2019.

The Brown Family Amphitheater is located at the heart of campus between Park and Pruis Halls and the Noyer and Woodworth Complexes. The Amphitheater will offer a place for theatre and music and space for outdoor activities for both on-campus groups, organizations, and individuals, but also for the local Muncie community. 

LaFollette Residence Complex was replaced by the North Residential Neighborhood, and up until last semester, only one tower remained—now demolished. This space between the Robert Bell building and North Dining will be a part of a third green space on campus. The green space will include seating, space to do homework, hammock and enjoy nice weather on Ball State’s campus. Along where the residence hall once stood will now feature and bike and pedestrian path.

One of the larger projects on Ball State’s to do list is The Village revitalization project, officially announced in the spring of 2022. The Village is a strip located on University Avenue just south of campus. The Village houses a few popular restaurants and bars frequently visited by students, but engagement has declined in recent years. The plan for this location is an addition of a performing arts center with two venues for the Theatre and Dance department. Performances from the growing department will bring in not just on-campus attendance, but community engagement—a major goal for the university moving forward. The revitalization will also include a hotel, retailers and restaurants and new apartments and townhouses. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin next year, 2024.

While it may be frustrating to attend school around some active construction sites, the resulting buildings and spaces for students will be worth it. The new projects add so much to Ball State, and make the campus more beautiful than it already is!

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