Ball State University: a nationally recognized teaching and research university.

Ball State University arrived on Indiana's higher education landscape on August 29, 1899, and evolved quickly, some say, into a nationally recognized teaching and research university. From its humble one-building beginning, today's campus stretches over more than 1,000 acres, and contains 67 buildings with a total value of nearly $1.1 billion.

The university offers a dynamic blend of more than 220 undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. Its world class faculty and trend setting communication technology are available to more than 18,000 students, within a personalized learning environment, one that finds the nearly 900 full-time faculty in the classroom deeply involved with each student's academic success.

In fact, focusing on the success of freshmen has earned Ball State the distinction of being named one of 13 Institutions of Excellence in the First College Year by a national research center. Ball State's freshmen programs, a collaborative effort between Academic and Student Affairs, have contributed to a 9 percent increase in the freshmen retention rate over the past five years.

Athletically, Ball State competes at the NCAA's highest level in seven men's and 10 women's sports. During the past decade, the university won 44 Mid-American conference championships. Ball State student athletes were seventh in the nation for the number of Academic All-Americans during the 1990s, and have graduation rates in the top 20 among Division I schools.

Technologically, Ball State has few peers in the nation. It operates a campus wired top to bottom, with three mainframe computers and 70 labs that provide a computer terminal for every 10 students. Nationally, the average is one computer for every 28 students. But while Ball State is proud of being "wired" connectivity has gone unplugged. Wireless Internet access is available across campus. The system is secure, can handle 10,000 users simultaneously, and offers speeds 200 times faster than a standard modem.

Nearly every college within the university is involved in outreach that engages people across the city, county, state and beyond. Ball State University is helping Indiana build better communities as it plays a significant role in contributing to the state's economy.

Teachers College reaches...