Ball State Marks 100 Years of Student Healthcare, 75 Years of Counseling Services With Oct. 27 Celebration

Topics: Community Engagement, Faculty, Muncie, Student Affairs

October 12, 2026

Ball State University is recognizing two milestones in its long history of supporting student health and well-being: 100 years of organized student healthcare and the 75th anniversary of the Counseling Center.

The University will celebrate the anniversaries during Thrive75, a campus-wide wellness event from noon-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, on the Quad. Hosted by the Counseling Center, the event will recognize its 75 years of service while promoting mental health awareness, well-being, connection, and available campus resources. The Student Health Center will also participate as it marks its centennial year.

"For generations, Ball State's health and counseling professionals have adapted their services to meet students' changing needs," said Dr. Ro-Anne Royer Engle, vice president for student affairs. "What has remained constant is their commitment to helping students feel supported, stay well, and be ready to succeed in and beyond the classroom."

Thrive75 will include information about campus mental health and wellness resources, interactive stress-relief and coping activities, opportunities for connection, and anniversary giveaways. Organizers designed the event to encourage help-seeking, reduce stigma, and create opportunities for students and other members of the Ball State community to connect.

Ball State's history of organized student healthcare dates to the mid-1920s. The University began offering student health services in the new Ball Gymnasium in 1925, and Board of Trustees records show that by 1926 a distinct Health Department had emerged with a school physician, dedicated staff and supplies, and support from student health fees.

Dr. Amelia T. Wood became director of health service in 1930 and spent the next 25 years expanding student examinations and health education. In 1964, Ball State dedicated its brand new Student Health Center that bears her name. The facility included medical offices and a 40-bed infirmary, reflecting a time when campus healthcare included both outpatient treatment and overnight stays.

Over time, the Health Center expanded to provide routine and emergency care, health education, pharmacy services, physical therapy, disease prevention, and around-the-clock nursing coverage before transitioning toward the outpatient care, education, prevention, and wellness services familiar to students today.

Ball State's counseling services evolved alongside its healthcare services. Although testing, guidance, and advising existed earlier, the Counseling and Testing Center became a separately organized and funded University function in 1951. Dr. Merrill C. "Jack" Beyerl joined Ball State in 1953 and was later credited by the Board of Trustees with helping shape the development of the Counseling Center.

Today, the Counseling Center provides individual and group therapy, crisis care, outreach, self-help resources, and telehealth services. Psychiatric services are available through the Student Health Center.