Jeanine Lee Lake recently shared a memory on social media about Don Mikesell (Delta Kappa/Ball State 1960), who formerly served as Dean of Students at Ball State University. Her wonderful story is shared below with her permission.
TRUE STORY … I was a 17-year-old freshman at Ball State University having a VERY good time partying, making new friends and just enjoying being out on my own as a young woman in college … I was able to grasp the academics when I applied myself, but just didn’t go to classes regularly or take grades seriously as I found myself out of little Crawfordsville, IN and having a “ball” at BSU.
Things were fun for a few months, but then suddenly, grades came out for the quarter and I was placed on academic probation, which left me feeling sad and disappointed in myself, and also pretty embarrassed.
At the time, Don Mikesell was the Dean of Students and had a freshman program that targeted ways to help silly kids like me get their heads on straight.
I was told he reached out to every single freshman student who found his/herself in the same predicament as I did - doing everything he could to keep first-year retention high.
I remember telling Dean Mikesell that there was really no good reason for me not doing better than a 1.6 gpa, and that I could do much better, which I eventually did.
I ended up graduating with a journalism degree with a minor in sociology, and later went to grad school at Purdue University as well.
I believe that the trajectory of my academic success took off in the right direction after the appointment with Dean Mikesell, who calmly and assuredly convinced me I was better than the grades I had barely worked for that quarter.
When I saw him this morning at Ball State’s annual MLK breakfast, I literally grabbed him up to tell him right then how much his care and concern meant to me back when I was a knucklehead in the fall of 1987. I’m sure thousands of other students could tell similar stories about Dean Mikesell, who is now a legend at Ball State.
This is my story and I’m very grateful for the time and dedication he had toward helping silly kids succeed. One in a million!💙
Brother Mikesell served Ball State as Dean of Students from 1985 to 2001, and the stories people share make it clear his impact went far beyond a title. We’re grateful for the care, steadiness, and guidance he offered so many.