From the Building Better Communities initiative to all 14 of its charter schools, Ball State University has links across Indiana. And the university is adding to Indiana's success stories, with hands-on community projects in several fields and a nationally ranked technology infrastructure.
Until Wednesday, however, Gov. Mitch Daniels was in the dark about all of this.
"I didn't know how long or how widespread Ball State's engagement in some of our communities had been," he said.
President Jo Ann Gora has made an effort since her inauguration to push Ball State's efforts farther out from the borders of campus, as well as to more widely publicize those efforts. Daniels' surprise at discovering the assets of Ball State proves the university has a long way to go in earning the recognition its programs deserve. If those around us don't know what we're up to, we cannot expect their support - financially, legislatively or publicly.
As students, faculty and staff, we're part of Ball State's efforts, so we might not notice the extraordinary work being done by this university as a whole. As only the third largest of Indiana's public universities, Ball State's efforts can sometimes get lost in the shadows of mammoth schools like Purdue and Indiana.
However, as Daniels learned on his Wednesday visit, Ball State is making a difference in Indiana. Ball State continuously reaches out to the community and state in myriad ways, to the benefit of residents throughout Indiana.
"I intend to be a little bit of a publicist, a marketing assistant for the school so more communities can take advantage," Daniels said.
If all our administrators, staff and students make the same effort, Ball State can garner acknowledgement and respect in proportion to the great work it does in Indiana - and we can all be proud of that.
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