The second criterion of accreditation is integrity, which deals directly with the Ball State Board of Trustees.
President Jo Ann Gora and other administrators manage Ball State on a day-to-day basis, but the Board of Trustees holds the most responsibility at the university.
The nine trustees control most of what happens at Ball State with the help and advice of Gora and the Ball State community. Many of the trustees are alumni trying to give back to the university.
This is a closer look at the five subcategories the Accreditation Committee will use to determine whether Ball State retains its accreditation.
1: “The institution operates with integrity in its financial, academic, personnel, and auxiliary functions; it establishes and follows fair and ethical policies and processes for its governing board, administration, faculty, and staff.”
This first component cuts directly to the most basic idea of integrity.
The accreditation steering committee provides four items to the peer review team to help them answer this question: the Faculty and Professional Personnel Handbook, Employee Code of Ethics, the Strategic Plan and the Beneficence Pledge.
2: “The institution presents itself clearly and completely to its students and to the public with regard to its programs, requirements, faculty and staff, costs to students, control, and accreditation relationships.”
Two of the ways Marilyn Buck, associate provost and co-chair of the accreditation steering committee, said the university presents itself and tries to add transparency to its work are press releases and the President’s Perspective.
The President’s Perspective is a letter from Gora, released several times a semester. It updates the university community on Ball State from her point of view, sometimes addressing specific events or controversies.
Another group that helps make Ball State decisions clear is the Board of Trustees, who have at least five meetings per year. Anything from budget and faculty issues to new programs or policies are discussed at the meetings, which are open to the public.
3: “The governing board of the institution is sufficiently autonomous to make decisions in the best interest of the institution and to assure its integrity.”
The governing body referenced here is the Board of Trustees. Most of the nine trustees live away from Muncie, but they gather at Ball State once a month to manage the university.
Hollis Hughes Jr., president of the Board of Trustees, said one reason many of the trustees are committed to the university is because they are alumni.
“We had great experiences here, received good educations and want to make sure that young people that follow are also receiving an outstanding education,” he said.
In addition to finances and policies, the trustees are kept updated on student life and other matters by administrators.
4: “The institution is committed to freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning.”
Buck said freedom of expression is a nationwide idea, but it applies to campus as well.
Some controversies in the last decade at Ball State have brought the idea to the university’s attention, and an important issue accreditors will look at is not just what happened, but how Ball State responded.
In 2004, George Wolfe, a music professor, made national news when he was accused of bringing his liberal bias into class. Ball State defended Wolfe and upheld the idea of academic freedom, that personal ideas and beliefs can still have their place in the classroom.
Nearly a decade later in May 2013, the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed complaints against Eric Hedin, an astronomy professor, for allegedly teaching his intelligent design beliefs in a science honors class. Provost Terry King and a panel of four professors reviewed Hedin’s courses to ensure they were aligned with the university’s standards.
On Sept. 10, the Discovery Institute, an intelligent design organization, filed complaints against Paul Ranieri and three other professors for anti-theist biases and teaching courses they weren’t qualified to teach.
Buck said courses are made in a way to allow instructors freedom to decide how to apply the information.
“For each course, there is a master syllabus,” she said. “A faculty member creates a course outline.”
The master syllabus is where the concepts are laid out and must be taught. The course outline is where the instructor decides what method to teach (discussion, lecture, etc.), attendance rules, grading and other policies.
5: “The institution ensures that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly.”
The university provides several means to keep the Ball State community informed of their academic expectations, including the four items above.
Of those four, Buck stressed the Beneficence Pledge as the main way to keep students accountable. The pledge was created by Student Government, and Buck said it shows the students dedication to integrity.
“Many times the students are more critical than others,” she said.
A way Buck said students can ensure that academics are handled responsibly at Ball State is to report a situation when they think it has crossed a line.
