Topic: President

January 26, 2007

Jo Ann M. Gora
<b>Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora was named the winner of the Walter S. Blackburn Award presented by Cory Miller, president of the board of trustees for the Indiana chapter of the American Institute of Architects.</b>
Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora was named the winner of the Walter S. Blackburn Award presented by the Indiana chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during a Jan. 25 event at the Ball State Indianapolis Center.

The award is presented yearly to a private citizen not involved in the architecture field and recognizes the recipient's contributions to the profession and service above self.

Gora accepted the award on behalf of the university and then thanked members of the AIA's Indiana chapter for partnering with the university to establish the Ball State Indianapolis Center - a high-tech, interactive education, research, information and outreach hub at 50 S. Meridian St.

The center opened in May 2006 to offer educational opportunities for working professionals and provide key resources for Indianapolis and state leaders promoting job growth and economic and quality-of-life development initiatives.

"Here at the center, we will continue to seek out and nurture innovative partnerships to extend our educational reach - not just for our students - but for working professionals as well," Gora said.

For example, next month the center will host the 2010 Imperative Global Emergency Teach-In, a live webcast from New York about the impact buildings have on energy use and global warming. The webcast is expected to reach more than 500,000 students, faculty and professionals.

And the center will host the month-long Developing Leaders program developed in part with a group of executives and training directors from Indiana companies to transform functional managers into organizational leaders.

"Based on our past success collaborating on many high-profile projects in Indianapolis, combined with what the center has been able to accomplish in just a few short months, I believe the Ball State Indianapolis Center will continue serving a key role in helping the city and the state of Indiana further its strategic initiatives," Gora said.