Congratulations Ball State. Once again the administrators have put students' best interests to mind.
The university prides itself on having top-notch professors with several years of experience in their fields, and one newly hired professor could not get much more experience than being the former mayor of Indianapolis.
During the summer, it was announced that former mayor Bart Peterson would be teaching classes during the 2008-09 school year.
Fall Semester, Peterson will teach a political science course discussing problems facing metropolitan areas at the university's Indianapolis Center. That course will then be broadcast to a classroom on campus. Spring Semester the former mayor will teach a course in the College of Architecture and Planning that will focus on the challenges and opportunities cities deal with regarding the existing city designs.
"This is a valuable opportunity for students to learn about urban politics first-hand from someone who was involved in many innovations, including the improvement of the quality of urban life and the creation of green cities," political science department Chairman Joseph Losco said.
Ball State administrators and the two colleges Peterson will teach in did a good job of recruiting this time. Having Peterson on campus will not only help students but also will help the city of Muncie.
Students can learn more about the "green" concept Ball State is focused on achieving. They then could use those concepts and work with Muncie officials to improve the city, and we all know the city needs some improving. Maybe Peterson could swing by the mayor's office while he is here and give his own suggestions on how to improve, as well.
With one of his classes being taught in Indianapolis but broadcast on campus, that also allows more students the opportunity to be taught by him and continues to highlight Ball State's edge in wireless technology.
Peterson's arrival on campus also could put Ball State in the spotlight for having yet another political figure on campus. With some people questioning students' apathy, Peterson could be the tipping point to get more students involved in the political system, which would be beneficial with the upcoming Nov. 4 presidential election.
Decreased political apathy now could also turn into decreased political apathy come time for the Student Government Association elections in the spring.
If nothing else, students can just claim they attended a university or sat through a class where a political figure taught.
Let's not forget why Peterson even came to Ball State, however. The university should pride itself on the reputation of its political science department because Peterson said he was sold on the idea of working for the university because of the department's "great reputation." The architecture department should fit in this category as well.
Although Peterson does not have much experience teaching other than in January when he taught a course at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, this should not deter from the knowledge he does have in the field.
As political science major James Raymond said, Peterson's experience will give students real-world knowledge about politics and metropolitan management.
What better experience can a person have than being a two-term mayor of the nation's 13th largest city?
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