Cardinals In Spirit

How a California couple with no previous ties to Ball State ended up falling in love with the University after sending all four of their children to the Muncie campus

Some people know a good thing when they see it, and are kind enough to help make it available to others.

Dan and Sabrina Starck are two such people. They appreciate the many things that make Ball State University special—even though neither of them attended Ball State—and want to help future Cardinals have a great education and college-life experience. So it was a no-brainer for Dan and Sabrina to decide to donate to the University.

They didn’t need to be students at Ball State to gain an appreciation for the University’s beautiful campus, its culture, people, community atmosphere, technology, and other education-based amenities.

The Starcks learned about those things through their visits to campus, and by watching their four children—Cameron, ’15 (bachelor’s degree in Accounting); Cailey Starck Witmer, ’15 (bachelor’s degree in Special Education); Courtney, ’19 (bachelor’s degree in Biology); and Cathryn, ’22 (bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology)—learn and flourish at Ball State. With Cailey playing on Ball State’s soccer team and Cathryn playing on the University’s volleyball team, the Starck children’s Ball State experience was enhanced even more. Sports have always been an important component of the Starcks’ family life, Dan Starck said.

“All of our kids went to school here. Regardless of whether they played sports during their college years, they love Ball State,” he added. “They got a great education, had a great time, and they really matured as adults while at this school. We thought it would be good to do something to make a good college experience possible for others. We wanted to do something related to sports.”

The Starcks’ gift to Ball State came in 2023, a year after Cathryn, their youngest child, graduated from the University. Their gift will support the development of the University’s Championship Performance Center, which will be adjacent to Worthen Arena and the Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center on Ball State’s campus.

Four Children, All Cardinals

It wasn’t pre-planned for the Starcks—a family from Orange County, Calif.—to have all four children graduate from Ball State. Each child had that moment when they knew they wanted to come to Muncie. It started when Cailey was recruited to play soccer for the Cardinals and visited campus with her parents and her brother, Cameron. After touring the campus, Cameron decided that he, too, wanted to attend Ball State.

Courtney began her college career at a large university in Michigan. Then, she decided to transfer to Ball State.

“It was just overwhelming at the first school,” Dan said. “She would often come to Ball State to watch all of her sister’s soccer games, and then the next thing we knew, she told us, ‘I filled out paperwork to transfer to Ball State.’ And she transferred.”

Later, the Starcks’ youngest daughter, Cathryn, a volleyball player, decided to go to Ball State after being recruited to play for the Cardinals.

“She wanted to come to the Midwest, and she really wanted to play for Ball State because all of her siblings went there,” Sabrina said.

“Two of our girls played sports at Ball State. Cailey played soccer, and Cathryn played volleyball,” Dan noted. “Our other two children, Cameron and Courtney, were around all the sports programs when they attended Ball State. They all loved Ball State and their time there. And athletics has always been a very big thing in our family. So, Sabrina and I thought it would be good to make a donation that would go to the new sports performance center.

“Our whole thought around donating was, well, neither of us were students at Ball State. But we spent a tremendous amount of time in and around the school and its athletics department because our kids went to Ball State and were involved in the school’s athletics by playing, or watching their siblings play,” Dan continued. “So, I would say that Sabrina and I have as close of a connection to Ball State as we have to the schools we attended. Our children had good experiences and got a great education at Ball State. We want that for other students, too.”