The university was recently named an "Institution of Excellence in the First College Year" by the Policy Center on the First Year of College, a national research center, based in Brevard, N.C.

Ball State, one of 13 finalists from an original field of 130 nominees, will be included in a new book from The Policy Center, tentatively entitled, "Portraits of First-Year Excellence in American Colleges and Universities."

Ball State Provost Beverley Pitts attributes the honor to the university's ability to build into its curriculum programs that reinforce personal learning and excellence during students' first year on campus.

"The recognition is an indication that we have done that as well as any institution in the country," Pitts said. "The success of our students is a tribute to the work of the literally hundreds of faculty members, upper division students, residence hall directors, advisers and administrators who helped make the program happen."

A national panel of higher education experts made the final selections based on various criteria, including an intentional, comprehensive approach to first-year student education; continuous improvement driven by meaningful assessment; broad impact on significant numbers of first-year students; strong enduring institutional support and leadership for first-year initiatives; an involvement of a broad range of faculty, student affairs professionals, administrators and others in first-year programs.

Pitts said an example of Ball State's commitment to first-year students is "Freshman Connections," an innovative program allowing students in the same residence hall to take the same undergraduate classes in order to create a feeling of community. A $3 million grant from the Lilly Endowment helped launched the program.

Since implementation of Freshman Connections in 1997, the retention rate for students returning for their sophomore year has increased from 68 percent to 77 percent.

"When we began our Freshman Connections program, we set out to build a freshman experience for all students that would provide for them the social, academic and emotional bridge to a successful collegiate career," Pitts said.

Names of the 13 finalists will be announced within the next week by The Policy Center once the universities and colleges schedule campus visits by the organization's research staff. The center is compiling data on successful first-year programs, and will release a list of the six best later this year.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Pitts at bpitts@bsu.edu or (765) 286-1333.)