MUNCIE, Ind. - The W.K. Kellogg Foundation says Ball State University has a model leadership development program.

Ball State’s Excellence in Leadership program was cited in a recent foundation report, "Leadership in the Making: Impact and Insights From Leadership Development Programs in U.S. Colleges and Universities."

The program to help Ball State students become ethical and caring leaders was initially funded by a Kellogg Foundation grant in 1994.

The foundation named eight of the 31 college and university projects it funded as model programs based on context, philosophy, sustainability and common practices. The programs represented various approaches to leadership development.

Kay Bales, Ball State director of Leadership and Service Programs, said recognition from the prestigious foundations gives Ball State the opportunity to share what it is doing with other institutions.

"One thing that the Kellogg Foundation was pleased to see in our program is the relationship we are able to develop with faculty who serve as mentors and lead workshops," Bales said. "But even more impressive is the way faculty become involved in bringing issues of leadership into the classroom through the Excellence in Leadership Teaching Awards."

Bales said the Excellence in Leadership program is based on the philosophy that leaders develop through mutliple experiences and learning opportunities.

The Kellogg Foundation report quotes Ball State officials as saying "participants cite an increased confidence in their abilities, leadership skills and willingness to serve a leadership role."

Students participate at different and progressive levels throughout their undergraduate years. First-year participants are exposed to various leadership theories and skills related to developing their own styles.

Second-year focus is on participation in student organizations and assuming leadership roles. Service to the university and the community is the basis for the third year.

In the final year students make connections between their previous experiences and their future work and service.

In 1997, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators named the Excellence in Leadership program one of the top six innovative programs in the country.

By Tony Barker, Communications Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story, contact Kay Bales at (765) 285-2621 or kbales@bsu.edu.)