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Architecture design studio on campus  Regional Emmy Awards Emmy Awards nearly always go to professional broadcasters. But on June 16, 2001, Ball State walked away with two regional Emmys, the only university to be honored that night by the Cleveland chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In addition to a writing award for telecommunications instructor Jim Shasky, a student-produced television magazine program was honored as the best student program. Connections Live originates in the Department of Telecommunications and airs on WIPB-TV, public broadcasting for east central Indiana. “Universities just don’t earn awards like these very often,” says Scott Olson, dean of Ball State’s College of Communication, Information, and Media. “And in this case, it was student work being honored.” Connections Live is created entirely by Ball State telecommunications students, with faculty and staff members serving in advisory positions. Students generate story ideas, shoot and edit footage, and produce the program in the WIPB studios on campus. The award-winning television show broadcasts news and entertainment segments and stories about current issues to some 250,000 homes served by the public television station. More than that, the program provides Ball State students with invaluable opportunities to turn new knowledge and skills into real-life achievements.

“We’re out in front trying to anticipate where things are going and taking steps to move in that direction,” says architecture department chair Brian R. Sinclair. “We’re pretty good at anticipating and questioning directions in the marketplace. And we look at our role as a leading school of architecture in reacting to those trends and helping to shape where the profession and architectural education are headed.”

Indiana’s only state-supported architecture program is the cornerstone of Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning. It is one of several elite programs on campus that offer the latest resources, an outstanding faculty, and diverse learning experiences in and out of the classroom to prepare students for successful careers.

Architecture major Dale Vogel calls the learning environment exceptional and the professors highly distinguished.

“They show you more of the professional practice,” Vogel says. “They let you know what to expect in the environment. They really teach you the methods that people are going to look at when they start hiring students. They prepare you with a portfolio.”

Ball State is the nation’s only three-time winner of the American Institute of Architects’ Education Honors Award and was featured as a national model in a 1996 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching report on the future of architecture education and practice.

In 2001 a national reaccreditation team praised the architecture program’s service to the community and state, its nationally and internationally recognized faculty, its strong internship program, and its tradition of international travel that exposes students to diverse cultures. Ball State’s architecture facilities and technology resources were said to reflect “an enviable contemporary standard.”

The team also said faculty members have a passion for teaching, mentoring, and intellectual exploration, and architecture students rank high academically and are “unusually enthusiastic” about their courses.

“The Ball State graduate enjoys the reputation of being a well-rounded, skilled, and hard-working employee,” the team said. “The internship program and the practical nature of most course work prepare graduates desired by architectural firms.”

To boost career prospects even more, the five-year professional bachelor of architecture degree is being replaced with a new sequence that combines a four-year preprofessional bachelor’s degree and a rigorous professional master’s degree. The move reflects a national trend, and it promises to make graduates more attractive to employers and to help them attain higher salaries.

“We are willing to raise the bar in terms of the expectations we have on students and on ourselves as educators to be more rigorous, to introduce more research components, to ensure that our graduates have a flexibility and adaptability to move into various roles emerging in the marketplace,” Sinclair says.

New technology initiatives also will prepare architecture students for today’s profession. All majors now must have laptop computers and must achieve a high level of computer skills, including three-dimensional modeling, high-end rendering, and animation.

Architecture student/faculty visit to Tibet refugee camp.

Students also learn about environmental sustainability, and they gain a critical global perspective through international field study tours and exchange programs with leading design schools in locations such as Asia and Europe.

Closer to home, national award-winning programs and projects let students work with faculty members to help cities and towns with development challenges, affordable housing, and historic preservation. A new Indianapolis design center opened in 2001.

These community design initiatives give students in-the-field learning experiences while providing a public service.

“We continue to be at the forefront in terms of service learning and getting students out working on real projects,” Sinclair says. “We’re engaged in the community. That keeps us connected to the marketplace and providing leadership.”

Continue: Rich Learning Climate