Community Partner of the Year Award

2026 Community Partner Award

Congratulations to Northside Middle School and the Recovery Cafe for winning 2026 Community Partner Awards!

2027 Nomination Criteria

We are not yet accepting nominations for the 2027 Community Partner Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize an Indiana* business, organization, school, or agency that has demonstrated excellence in their contributions as a community partner with Ball State University during the Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and/or Spring 2026 terms.

The award recipient will receive $500 and will be honored publicly at the Immersive Learning Showcase in 2027. The nomination form will be available online. Nominations may be submitted by Ball State faculty, staff, or students only. The deadline for submission for the 2027 award is TBA.

Nominees must have partnered with Ball State faculty, staff, and students between May 1, 2025, and May 1, 2026, as part of one of the following community-based learning experiences:

Service or immersive learning
Community-based research
Internship and/or practicum

* Priority consideration will be given to East Central Indiana counties, which include Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, and Wayne.

2026 Nomination Form

What you'll need to know to nominate your outstanding partner (400 word limit/question):

Describe the community-based learning experience (as defined in the award purpose statement) that the business, agency, school, or organization supported during Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and/or Spring 2026.
In what ways did the community partner organization serve as co-educators in the experience?
What did Ball State students gain from their experiences working with the community partner organization?
What did the community partner organization gain from working with Ball State faculty, staff, and/or students?
Is there anything else you would like to add that would help the selection committee make its decision? (Limit: 200 words)

Questions?

Please contact Kelli Huth, Vice President for Community Engagement at kelli.huth@bsu.edu.

*Priority consideration will be given to East Central Indiana counties which include Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush and Wayne.