Ball State University issued the following announcement on Dec. 19.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has appointed local banking executive Mark Hardwick, '93 MBA '99, to the Ball State University Board of Trustees and reappointed Matt Momper, ’83.

“I am pleased Governor Holcomb reappointed Trustee Momper, and I look forward to working with Trustee Hardwick,” said Rick Hall, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Both trustees are respected business professionals. They have been loyal alumni and steadfast supporters of our University for many years.”

Trustee Hardwick, an accounting major, is the executive vice president, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer of First Merchants Corporation, a $12.3 billion financial holding company, headquartered in Muncie, that operates in central Indiana and Ohio.

He joined First Merchants in 1997 as corporate controller and was promoted to chief financial officer in 2002. In 2007, he also assumed all leadership responsibilities related to operations, technology, and risk management for the corporation. In 2016, Trustee Hardwick’s title expanded to include chief operating officer.

Trustee Hardwick also serves as a board member of Meridian Health Services, Cardinal Properties, Inc., the Miller College of Business Advisory Board, and Investment Committee of The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.

Trustee Hardwick was a member of the Ball State 1989-90 men’s basketball team, which was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. He was also the recipient of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “CFO of the Year” in 2012.

Trustee Momper began his service on the board in 2008 and was elected assistant secretary of the Board of Trustees in 2016. He also serves as the chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee and is Board liaison to the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (WEBA) and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Committee.

He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Ball State in 1983 and went on to Drake University to earn his MBA in 1984.

The University’s nine trustees are appointed by the governor and responsible for the fiduciary oversight of Ball State. The Board’s primary duties are to approve the strategic direction of the University, confer degrees, and oversee fiscal matters such as the University budget and tuition and fee policies.

Original source can be found here.