As part of the university's Business Fellows program, an interdisciplinary group of 12 students and two professors toured the county Sept. 23 to help prepare for the centennial celebration of the famed Hoosier impressionist, which will take place next summer.

"We want the students to really get to know Brown County and meet the people they will be working with," said Harold Mortimer, Ball State theater professor, who is coordinating the project with Jeffrey Pappas, Ball State music professor. "We're going to put in an exhausting day, but we're confident that we'll establish good relationships, completely immerse the students in the effort and create a solid action plan."

This yearlong initiative follows quickly on the heels of the university's Building Better Community project that is helping the county further its effort to become a nationally known tourist destination. Additional background on this project may be found at www.bsu.edu/bbc/article/0,2338,238923-15785-41116,00.html.

Business Fellows are juniors, seniors and graduate students who participate in an intense applied work experience that will benefit an Indiana business, industry or community. The initiative, funded by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and coordinated through the Career Center, works in collaboration with Ball State's Building Better Communities initiative.

The projects have a faculty member and a team of students working on a problem-based project to improve services, quality or competitiveness; it can also increase business or develop new job opportunities. Students will earn a stipend for their effort and be able to attend professional development workshops.

Building Better Communities is a universitywide initiative designed to spur economic development and quality-of-life advancement in Indiana by extending Ball State's strengths in applied research and hands-on learning to community projects across the state. Building Better Communities works to match the university's expertise and resources to the varied needs of Indiana communities.