Ball State Holds Inaugural Molinaro Faculty Fellow Dedication and Induction Ceremony in Honor of Father Kenneth M. Molinaro, CSC

By Press release submission

Nov 20, 2022

Three faculty members of Ball State University’s Miller College of Business were selected as inaugural inductees of the Father Kenneth M. Molinaro, CSC Faculty Fellowship Program in a recent ceremony held in the Molinaro Hall of Fame Room of the Whitinger Business Building.

Dr. Seo-Young Byun, assistant professor of Management; Dr. Reza Houston, assistant professor of Finance and Insurance; and Dr. Alan Yen, associate professor of Hospitality Innovation and Leadership, were selected by a faculty committee based on: research productivity, teaching effectiveness, service, and career potential.

“This new program provides support and recognition of our most promising faculty,” said Dr. Stephen Ferris, Bryan Dean of the Miller College of Business. “It will allow them to undertake path-breaking research while developing the new courses that will prepare our students for the workplace of tomorrow.”

The faculty fellows are selected for a three-year appointment, after which, upon review, they can be renewed for another two years. Each fellow will provide an annual update describing their accomplishments in teaching, research, and service. They will receive a summer stipend and funds to allow for course innovation and research.

The fellowship was made possible from a donation made by Dan Molinaro, ’68, and his wife, Barbara. The fellowship program is named in honor of Mr. Molinaro’s brother, Father Kenneth M. Molinaro, CSC.

“Father Ken's devotion to the education and training of young people will be a constant inspiration to the faculty we recognize today. And those we will recognize in the future,” said Dean Ferris.

The Molinaros’ gifts also support the Molinaro Hall Fame Conference Room, named for Mr. Molinaro’s parents, Salvatore and Patricia; and a George and Francis Ball Scholars Fund scholarship established in honor of Dan’s brother, Joe, ’75, and sister-in-law, Mary, ’76, both of whom are Ball State graduates.

In his remarks during the ceremony, Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns recognized the generosity of the Molinaros.

“Through your actions and through your gifts, you both personify the enduring values that I think are truly distinctive about Ball State,” President Mearns said. “Today, we celebrate the many ways in which your leadership and your generous philanthropy continue to make an impact on the University and, most importantly, how they continue to change the lives of our students, faculty, and our staff.”