University and the Community

Ball State University has an attractive and spacious campus in an environment that usually guarantees pleasant and colorful spring and fall seasonal changes. The summers are warm and moderately humid, the winters cold but endurable. Sailing, boating, fishing, bicycling, tennis, and cross-country skiing are seasonal sports enjoyed by many area residents. There is a "rails to trails" Greenway that extends for nearly 30-40 miles and can be used for recreation. The Muncie downtown has been revitalized with restaurants, art galleries, music venues and a comedy club as well as many summer outdoor activities and a thriving music scene. The university has an excellent reputation for the variety of its academic programs and for its humanistic and immersive philosophy of education. Indoor swimming and jogging facilities are available throughout the year. Musical programs are numerous and diverse, featuring pop, jazz, country, and classical artists. Ball State has one of the finest university jazz bands in the country. There is a new "state of the art" concert hall. Broadway shows and other theatrical productions are regularly featured in Emens Auditorium. There are a number of small theatres on and off campus. There is an area Young Professionals group that interns have joined in order to make contacts outside the university. Shopping facilities in the area are adequate for most purposes, and a large shopping mall and major bookstore is readily accessible. The city of Indianapolis, fifty miles southwest of Muncie, offers a wide variety of opportunities for dining, shopping, theater, sports, and music. Fort Wayne is sixty-five miles north of Muncie; Cincinnati is a drive of two and one-half hours to the southeast, and Chicago is a drive of four and one-half hours to the northwest. The community is a comfortable, relaxed, moderately sized mid- western city that lends itself to a healthy degree of personal and professional freedom. Interns who have moved to Muncie from other places have expressed pleasure with living conditions in the community and the work environment at the university. The center and the university provide a safe, sane, collegial working environment. There is a strong emphasis on cooperative work and working in teams as well as working hand in hand with other areas and organizations within the university to provide an atmosphere that contributes in a positive way to student development.