President Brownell Ball State University will be a national model for all who seek intellectual vitality in a learner-centered and socially responsible academic community. Ball State University is a learning community engaged in the discovery of knowledge, the integration of learning experiences, and their application through civic and professional leadership. We value the following attributes as they relate to the mission: In our learning community, we value- Challenge and achievement Teamwork and problem solving Personalized learning In our discovery of knowledge, we value- Intellectual freedom Inquiry and investigation Creative activity In our integration of learning experiences, we value- Connection Coherence Collaboration In our civic and professional leadership, we value- Integrity Social justice Social responsibility

Corporate investors measure excellence by earnings and market value. Broadway entertainers define it by Tony Awards and ticket sales. Professional athletes tally win-loss records and championship rings.

Ball State’s new definition of excellence-at least for the next five years-lies in the university’s first-ever comprehensive strategic plan. Developed by a 25-member task force with widespread public participation, this living document will guide and shape the direction, priorities, and identity of Ball State through 2006.

The plan outlines excellence in education through its vision, mission, and six major goals:

• Excellence in learning

• Rich learning climate

• High-quality faculty and staff

• Optimal enrollment

• Innovative technology

• Relationships beyond the campus

It’s a cohesive, detailed map for the university as we begin to navigate the 21st century, a challenging era when survival and success depend on global relationships, rapidly advancing technology, increasing diversity, and social responsibility.

It’s also a unique opportunity for the faculty, staff, and students in all areas and disciplines across the campus to enhance the life and legacy of this thriving state-supported learning community.

The details of our Strategic Plan 2001-2006 emerged from the diligent work of a university-wide task force appointed at my request in the fall of 2000. Led by Provost Warren Vander Hill, this dedicated group produced a draft document in January 2001 that was shared with the university and external communities for feedback.

We invited and received comments through public forums, a Web site, e-mail, phone calls, faxes, and letters. The task force received nearly 500 comments from faculty and staff members, students, community constituents, alumni, and emeriti faculty.

Equipped with this new information, the task force spent the next month revising the draft document, adding a vision statement, rewriting the mission statement, and modifying some goals and objectives. The panel also reduced and refined the measures to make the plan more manageable.

The final plan was presented to me in a formal ceremony in April 2001 and unveiled to the public via the Internet and printed copies. The Board of Trustees accepted the plan, specifically approving the vision and mission statements.

Ball State’s first strategic plan outlines a bold vision and mission for the next five years. It describes a learner-centered and socially responsible academic community with intellectual vitality and integrated, enhanced learning experiences. It’s a place where knowledge is discovered and applied through civic and professional leadership.

The plan describes a university that is setting the standard for its peers and the society around it as a national model in higher education. It’s a university that is connected to the major patterns of change that shape today’s world.

Ball State already serves as a national-and in some cases international-model in several areas, while other initiatives show strong leadership potential in the years ahead. A few examples come to mind:

• Exceptional academic programs ranging from architecture and telecommunications to physics, entrepreneurship, and music engineering technology

• Ongoing efforts to infuse today’s technology into teaching and learning experiences across the campus and to prepare graduates for high-tech careers

• Ten years of strategies to foster environmental sensitivity and education

• Theatre, dance, and other arts programs that are steadily expanding their scope of influence and achieving national honors

• Diverse projects and partnerships that help communities nearby, around the state, and across the country address critical quality of life and economic issues

• Repeated rankings among the nation’s top 10 doctoral universities for the number of students studying abroad

The pages that follow describe some of the areas where Ball State is leaving its mark on the nation’s educational landscape and show how those efforts support the new strategic plan.

The Strategic Plan 2001-2006 is a beginning, not an end. Now we must focus on implementing, assessing, and refining the plan as it was drafted. We have to develop a way to monitor its success. More specific measures need to be identified, and our progress has to be tracked annually.

Individual units across campus also have begun to develop specific strategies for implementing the plan on their level. 

With the strategic plan in hand, the challenge ahead for this selective, primarily residential public university during the next five years is an unwavering commitment to high-quality education in a technology-rich, sustainable, and dynamic campus environment.

It’s an ideal that embraces cultural diversity, global connections, innovative scholarship, and community service while nurturing a supportive, interactive learning environment that ensures student success through and beyond graduation.

Blaine A. Brownell
President, Ball State University

Continue: Excellence in Learning