Gov. Mitch Daniels spent several hours at Ball State Oct. 26 learning about the university Building Better Communities initiative.

Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora and several faculty members met with the governor for an hour to describe ways in which the university has reached out to communities in more than 60 counties around the state to collaborate on a variety of  projects.

The governor praised Ball State's efforts to help the state's small communities through technology initiatives, community development projects, economic development projects and educational development, including charter schools.

"I think the governor gained a greater understanding of and appreciation for the breadth and depth of the what the university is doing to help communities across Indiana, and he expressed his high regard for our ability to integrate learning experiences into the services we provide those communities," Gora said. 

Daniels also learned more about the factors that led to Ball State's ranking as the number one wireless campus in the nation. In addition to eating lunch with the president and several students, the governor engaged in a question-and-answer session with management and urban planning students.

The visit was Daniels' first tour of campus since he became governor earlier this year. In 2004, he made several stops in Muncie during his campaign.