As part of Ball State University’s Village Revitalization Plan, a bold new space is taking shape at the southeast corner of Ashland Avenue and Martin Street in Muncie.
Scheduled for completion in Fall 2026, the Center for Innovation and Collaboration will serve as a hub for entrepreneurship, workforce development, and community partnerships across East Central Indiana.
Spanning more than 34,000 square feet and at an estimated cost of $21 million, the Center will drive economic growth, support academic excellence, and create lasting connections between Ball State and the region.
“This is the intersection of education and community,” Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns said. “The key element of this site is collaboration among programs on our campus and greater collaboration with businesses and organizations in the community. That’s the essence of its title.”
A flexible space with purpose
The Center’s open, flexible layout will include collaborative workspaces, lab areas for prototyping, training rooms, immersive learning studios, and a café. These spaces are designed to bring together students, faculty, and community partners for shared work and innovation.
Fairmount Properties and RATIO Architects of Indianapolis partnered with the University to design a building that reflects both innovation and sustainability.
“Using dark metal panels, glass, and stone, the modern approach to the exterior design was developed to help showcase the work within the building while projecting an image of forward-thinking collaboration,” said Brock Roseberry, ’00, principal and director of talent at RATIO. “Minimizing the impact of the site, the compact footprint includes three levels, sustainable materials, sunshades, and exterior balconies. It is designed to bridge the campus’ architectural palette with the revitalization of The Village.”
The Center also represents a long-term investment in economic growth. Its programs will support leadership development, upskilling, and Immersive Learning, with the goal of helping students launch businesses, retain talent in Muncie, and contribute to the city’s future.
“We want to make students more readily available to the community for these partnerships,” President Mearns said. “If we can connect students with those opportunities while they’re on campus, many more of them will stay here in Muncie to work and to build their own businesses, which will support the growth and vitality of the community.”
Early partnerships and momentum
Planning for the Center’s programming is well underway.
Chris Palladino, ’95, Ball State’s director of real estate services, is part of the advisory committee and leads initial planning for the Center’s use.
“Our development partners at Fairmount Properties worked closely with internal Ball State team members to define the overall program components we believed would provide the greatest impact to the Ball State and Muncie communities,” Mr. Palladino said.
Dr. Jennifer Palilonis, ’96 MA ’04, conveyed the excitement surrounding the Center for Innovation and Collaboration during a public beam signing ceremony in May.
He has partnered with Dr. Jennifer Palilonis, ’96 MA ’04, George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Multimedia Storytelling and interim director for the Center for Innovation and Collaboration, to help develop the Center’s initial group of collaborators. These include the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab), the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, the Emerging Media Design and Development (EMDD) master’s program, Honors College, Lifetime Learning, and a variety of career development initiatives.
“Over the past year, we have made significant progress toward planning future programming for the Center,” Dr. Palilonis said. “Perhaps most importantly, the Center leverages our already-strong culture of collaboration and cooperation through immersive learning, applied research, and more.”
Community outreach is also a major priority.
“I have had the opportunity to meet with many community leaders and visionaries who share in my excitement, eager to get into the new building and work together to create meaningful learning opportunities for Ball State students and individuals in East Central Indiana,” Dr. Palilonis said. “As the founding director of the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development, I can’t wait to begin running our collaborative projects out of the Center and build on our plans for future innovation.”
Supporting inclusive growth
The Center’s first external partnerships already reflect its commitment to inclusion and opportunity. Among them are the Muncie-Delaware County Black Chamber of Commerce and the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center.
The Chamber plans to move into the new building when the Center opens next Fall.
“This new Center will provide support for Black and minority-owned businesses by providing resources such as mentoring and networking opportunities, workshops, and programs needed for small businesses that can’t afford innovative technology—businesses that perhaps would fail without it,” said Jason Walker, president of the Muncie–Delaware County Black Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Walker praised Ball State’s early outreach, partnership, and collaborative spirit.
“Many times, opportunities like this are forgotten or overlooked for Black and brown communities,” he said. “But Jennifer [Palilonis] and Chris [Palladino] met with me and our staff to ask, ‘What is it that we needed to make this happen? And what will make this work for the Chamber?’”
Even before construction is complete, new partnerships are already forming. Recently, students from Ball State’s EMDD program redesigned the Chamber’s website—at no cost to the Chamber—offering an early example of the Center’s collaborative potential.
