All too often, the majority of comments we hear about Ball State University professors comes from students who are bitter about bad grades, difficult homework or outlandish attendance policies.
Instructors do some pretty commendable stuff, as it turns out.
Take, for example, the recent achievements of economics professor Michael Hicks and information and communication sciences professor Robert Yadon. They, along with other members of the Digital Policy Institute, took something impressive all the way to Washington, D.C.
They have developed a plan to create about 200,000 jobs in the United States by providing rural markets with wireless broadband access lines. The Rural Broadband Initiative would be part of President-elect Barack Obama's expansive economic stimulus plan.
The comprehensive initiative would benefit a nation struggling with joblessness while still advancing U.S. technological prowess.
Congress will determine whether the plan will be accepted and implemented.
The plan would require an increase in fiber optics and electronic hardware and would create manufacturing jobs. People across the country would have the opportunity to get back into the job market and hopefully have a renewed attitude about their job hunts.
Whether or not the initiative does end up helping the nation, it will almost undoubtedly be good for Ball State.
The Digital Policy Institute has created an initiative that will put the university on a national stage. Ball State is likely to be recognized as an innovative leader because of its political and technological outlook in this plan.
Ball State can ride the coattails of what is likely to be an enormous amount of media coverage of Obama's stimulus plan, an issue that is contentious and important to almost every American.
Exposure and essentially free advertising is always a good thing for the university, and it appears Ball State is riding a rather lengthy gravy train of good coverage. Given our recent exposure on national TV networks it's hard to imagine a time when Ball State was just a small-time university in podunk East Central Indiana.
Kudos to the Digital Policy Institute for being innovative and smart and for working on an endeavor that could benefit both the university and the nation.
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