BeneFacta, meaning literally "great deeds," recognizes the scholarly and creative activities of the Ball State University faculty who receive support from external sponsors.

Welcome to BeneFacta 2004! We are pleased to showcase the exemplary work of some of Ball State University's faculty, staff, and students who are carrying out imaginative and useful projects in the community. Ball State enjoys a wealth of human resources, and by sharing those resources with organizations, needful populations, and individuals, we help build better communities for us all.

We find community as near as our own "backyard," where Motivate Our Minds offers Muncie youth enhanced learning experiences, or as distant as Japan, where educational exchange programs shed light on understanding other cultures. We serve community in the businesses, organizations, and towns that are seeking solutions to their economic or civic challenges, and in Hoosier homes where radio waves bring news of current cultural events. We enable community when applying scholarship to the special needs of youngsters who might otherwise lose the opportunity to participate fully as future empowered citizens.

At the heart of all our outreach work are reciprocal relationships—two-way exchanges that benefit the communities served and enhance our university mission of teaching and learning. Ball State students realize their academic goals by engagement in the community, adding real-life experiences to complement academic theories. Faculty members expand their knowledge base and bring that wisdom into the classroom.

I am proud to be a part of Ball State University's service to its students and to the citizens of Indiana through these initiatives. I hope you enjoy reading about some of these activities, chronicled in this issue of BeneFacta.

Frank J. Sabatine
Dean of the School of Extended Education

Frank J. Sabatine
Dean of the School of Extended Education