Thank you, Dave, and good evening. On behalf of the entire Ball State community, it's my honor to welcome you to this wonderful evening that celebrates the outstanding achievements and distinctive careers of alumni from the Miller College of Business, and in one case an alumnus from the College of Applied Sciences and Technology, who has become a great friend and adviser to the Miller College of Business. The Miller College of Business is known for distinction, being the home for nationally ranked or recognized programs in undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship and sales. And adding to those accolades was an announcement made just last week that the finance program has been ranked 11th nationally in a new study gauging teaching quality based on contributions to financial education journals.

We also know that our accounting students are receiving a top-flight education in the college and the proof of that is clear in the results of the recent CPA exam administered by the Indiana Certified Public Accountants Society. The number-one performer on the CPA exam in 2005 was one of three Ball State graduates to score in the top six.

There are other reasons to be excited about what is happening in the college. Our new Indianapolis Center will offer an emerging leadership program for high-potential employees in the insurance industry, thanks in part to the efforts of associate professor of insurance Steve Avila. On campus, in addition to our traditionally excellent programs, innovative educational opportunities are being offered through the Oasis Center—focusing on computer systems security.

And the Cluster Computing program under information systems and operation management professor Fred Kitchens has grown from a class project, to a program, and now into a much-sought-after partner by outside organizations. Last year, Fred directed nine students who studied computer systems for BAA Indianapolis, the company that operates the Indianapolis International Airport, and recommended how BAA could harness the power of their system into a computing cluster at the Indianpolis Airport. This year Fred will lead a new group of students in a partnership with the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency to model natural disaster scenarios using the cluster computer. Steve Avila and a group of students are also working with that agency to develop a comprehensive disaster plan, and this project could result in a template that could be used by other communities in Indiana and beyond.  

Now, at the risk of making Steve and Fred seem like the only two out there doing things, others in the college have also worked on outreach projects, trying to help businesses, organizations, and communities reach their potential.

These programs are also part of our university-wide efforts to help our students reach their potential. You may have seen the billboards around Muncie or out on the interstates or banners on campus that read: "Ball State University, Education Redefined." Some of you may be asking what that means.

As I got to know the university during my first two years here, I saw so many examples of how faculty were collaborating with students on real-world projects, and I learned that this was a traditional strength at Ball State. As we undertook our strategic planning process, we considered ways that we could better capitalize on this strength and truly make it a hallmark of a Ball State education for all of our students.

We think Ball State can do this better than larger universities because of our relative size. We want to make the university the destination in Indiana for students who are interested in immersive learning, and we're working to ensure that these faculty-student collaborators have access to leading-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities.

We believe this approach will help us attract more of Indiana's top high school graduates, helping to stem the brain drain on the front end, and to help them connect with potential employers in Indiana, which should help stem brain drain on the back end as well.

So, while our honored guests tonight graduated from a Ball State that prepared them well for their endeavors, the university and the Miller College of Business must remain committed to responding to the ever-changing educational needs of students by offering programs and courses that are relevant to societal developments.

Tonight's honorees have ventured into a wide variety of fields—finance, utilities, health sciences, technology, environmental services, and media. We also are honoring entrepreneurs who have either created their own businesses or bought and improved an existing one. All of you have thought boldly, taken risks, and reached your aspirations—a process we are mirroring in our immersive learning programs at Ball State to better prepare our graduates for their futures. That's what we mean by Education Redefined.  

We hope you are proud of your alma mater in its initiatives to inspire current and future students to set high goals and exert the effort necessary to achieve them. We are certainly proud of what you have accomplished and take great pride in honoring you tonight.