Ball State has been named a recipient of a 2006 CIO 100 award by CIO magazine, awarded to organizations who have shown innovative practices in both business and information technology (IT).

The CIO 100 awards will be presented at the eighth annual CIO 100 Symposium and Awards ceremony Aug. 22 in San Diego, and O'Neal Smitherman, Ball State's vice president for information technology, will be on hand to receive the award.

"To be recognized by CIO magazine exemplifies all of the innovative IT work Ball State is doing," Smitherman said. "Not only does this award help distinguish us from other universities, but also helps solidify us as an IT leader in the business world as well."

Ball State was honored for its successful work on the Digital Middletown Project (DMP) and its spin-off business, the Office of Wireless Research and Mapping (OWRM).

"This is an outstanding honor for our IT team, which has demonstrated its entrepreneurial spirit with the creation of the Office of Wireless Research and Mapping," said Ball State University President Jo Ann M. Gora. "The office is not only performing leading-edge research in wireless technology with the potential to generate a new revenue stream for the university, but, more importantly, it is also creating immersive learning opportunities for students interested in Global Information Systems mapping."

OWRM works with clients and business partners in the testing and deployment of new wireless technology and other digital content. It generates revenue by producing maps that show telecommunications companies how the deployment of technology would provide coverage to unserved or underserved areas.

Maps are created using Global Information Systems (GIS) technology along with Cellular Experts mapping software from Lithuania, for which Ball State has the only certified experts in the country. The office also involves Ball State faculty in academic research and offers students the opportunity to a get hands-on experience with the mapping technology.

DMP was designed to establish an advanced technology infrastructure with high-capacity broadband access to schools and surrounding communities that can be used to demonstrate the development and deployment of advanced rich new media for educational and entertainment purposes. The project has been implemented in three elementary schools in Delaware County: Cowan, Mitchell and Yorktown.

"Year after year, CIO 100 award recipients serve as industry role models for business and IT excellence," said Abby Lundberg, editor in chief of CIO magazine. "This year's winners are particularly remarkable for their ability to translate IT innovation into business value and a solid return on investment."

Complete coverage of the 2006 CIO awards will be published in the Aug. 15 issue of CIO magazine and available online at www.cio.com.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Smitherman at osmitherman@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1045.)