Ball State University.

Ball State University arrived on the higher-education landscape over 100 years ago.

As Muncie, Indiana, was about to enter the 20th century, a small group of men working to improve its economic status decided that Muncie should not only be a thriving Indiana metropolis, but a thriving university metropolis. On August 29, 1899, after only 377 days of construction, a magnificent structure opened as Eastern Indiana Normal University. Today we call it Ball State University.

University Building, today's Administration Building, had 54 rooms for general instruction, laboratories, offices for faculty and staff, a library, bookstore, an auditorium complete with balcony, and a residence for the president and his family. Indeed, University Building and 10 acres was the campus.

The campus of today stretches over more than 1,000 acres, and contains 67 buildings with a total value of nearly $1.1 billion. Developed as an arboretum, this beautiful physical landscape continues to grow. New to campus are the Music Instruction Building and an adjacent parking garage, both set to open this year.

On the horizon is the Communication Media Building, which will link four buildings into a complex housing all departments of the Colleges of Communication, Information and Media.

Ball State's evolution is evident in other areas as well. The university manages an operating budget of more than $243 million, an endowment of nearly $117 million and more than $24.3 million in sponsored research, and it set a record for private gifts with $40 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Ball State competes at the NCAA's highest level in seven men's and 12 women's sports. During the past decade, the university won 45 Mid American Conference championships. The latest NCAA statistics rank Ball State second in the MAC and tied for 20th in the country among all Division I-A universities for the graduation rates of student athletes.

Technologically, Ball State has few peers in the nation. We operate a campus wired top to bottom, with computer labs being constantly upgraded to serve the technology needs of our students...