Background: Dr. Carla Earhart joined Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) in 1991 as Assistant Professor of Home Economics (Family & Consumer Sciences) in the College of Applied Sciences and Technology, after earning a BS in Home Economics: Human Development & Family Studies, and MS and PhD degrees in Housing from Oklahoma State University. Promotion to Associate Professor and Tenure followed in 1996 and 1997, respectively. She was named Founding Director of the Residential Property Management (RPM) program in 1999, holding that position for a total of 15 years, and promoted to Professor in 2000. As a result of university reorganization in 2017, the RPM Program was moved to the Department of Management in the Miller College of Business, and then to a new department in the College of Business (Applied Business Studies) in 2020. During this time, Dr. Earhart’s title changed to Professor of Property Management. Dr. Earhart began “phased retirement” in 2022 and retired from Ball State University in July 2024. She recently relocated to Bentonville, Arkansas. Teaching: Teaching has been an important part of Dr. Earhart’s work (teaching courses in Housing, Senior Housing, Affordable Housing, Housing & Society, and Property Management…see attachments), and she has earned high teaching evaluation scores from students, peers, and administrators. Her teaching has been at all levels, both undergraduate and graduate, as well as on campus, online, via Zoom, and often integrating a variety of experiential learning activities. Integration of Teaching and Scholarly Activities: Housing norms and teaching methodologies comprise Dr. Earhart’s scholarly interests. She is especially interested in the factors that influence attitudes and preferences toward multifamily vs. single-family housing and renting vs. buying, and the ways these attitudes and preferences are shaped by art, media, literature, music, film, education, and public policy. Experiential education in property management (internships, job shadowing, immersive learning) comprise the remainder of her scholarship. Dr. Earhart’s work has been presented at a variety of academic and industry conferences, and published in a variety of journals, books, proceedings, magazines, and newspapers; much of her work is in collaboration with students. (A listing of recent relevant publications is available upon request.) Service: Dr. Earhart has served on a variety of committees in local, state, and national professional organizations, as well as at the department, college, and university level. She is regularly called upon to assist other universities in creating academic programs in Property Management. Recognition: As a result of her teaching, scholarly, and service activities, Dr. Earhart has received awards from the Department of Applied Business Studies, Department of Management, Miller College of Business, Ball State University, Indiana Community Engaged Alliance, National Apartment Association, Housing Education and Research Association, and American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. As executive producer of the documentary Somewhere Called Home (https://youtu.be/pSqjU0TA8NY) she oversaw the work of a student film crew which was recognized with a nomination for a Regional Emmy Award. Dr. Earhart was also selected in 2023 for the Distinguished Service Award by the Housing Education and Research Association.
