Town-gown partnerships: the role universities play in Indiana's economic success.

• Author: Gora, Jo Ann
• Position: VIEWPOINT

I BELIEVE WE ARE AT AN exciting crossroads in higher education and its role in renewing Indiana's economy.

In state government, Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana state legislature are considering bold funding proposals to bolster and improve higher education in Indiana. These investments would help attract and retain the best students and world-class scholars to Indiana's institutions of higher education.

In higher education, leaders at many of Indiana's college and universities have realized that we must step up and play an integral role in ensuring our state's economic success. Gone are the days of simply standing on the sidelines and lecturing in our classrooms.

At Ball State, we have made a bold commitment to redefine education, leave our traditional classrooms and develop partnerships with Indiana companies and communities to help our state's economy move forward. Our goal is to offer high-achieving students a distinctive learning experience at an institution that is moving forward and responding nimbly to the ever-changing educational needs of students and employers. Our ability to deliver a high-quality, relevant educational experience is essential to student success and the economic health of Indiana.

Our "Education Redefined" initiative is a platform for offering high-caliber students meaningful opportunities to collaborate with energized faculty who are outstanding in their fields. It highlights the way we are making relevant, immersive learning experiences the hallmark of a Ball State education. And it aligns with our dedication to providing students and faculty with bleeding-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities.

Our faculty members have a proud historical commitment to mentoring students and nurturing creative, rigorous applied learning. Now, we are looking for new ways to offer these opportunities to even more students.

These immersive experiences allow students to engage with learning in an intense, creative, collaborative and personal way, at times mirroring the risk and reward of real-life ventures. A case in point is our "spine sweat" course in entrepreneurship, in which seniors put their graduation on the line based on whether their business plans pass a panel of business leaders. This high-risk approach has launched more...