The Excellence in Leadership program and the Muncie Public Libraries are working as partners on a project that will help both students and the Muncie community learn about globalization and its effect on small towns and cities in the Midwest.
Mitch Isaacs, associate director of student life and director of EIL, said the project consists of different elements that include reading a book and meeting with the author.
Ball State and the Muncie Public Libraries bought more than 1,500 copies of "Caught in the Middle" to distribute to students and the community.
In the book, author Richard Longworth wrote about some issues that towns in the Midwest are struggling with and how some towns have learned to cope with change.
Ginny Nilles, director of the Muncie Public Libraries, said the book puts into perspective the idea that Muncie is not the only city in the Midwest with a weakened economy.
"I think there has already been a realization that Muncie is not in this alone," she said. "We went through a grieving process, and now we are coming out the other side of that and we are ready to move on and reinvent ourselves. And I think it helps to have a more global perspective and see what people are doing in the region and in other rust belt communities."
Books were distributed at Bracken Library and through faculty for class assignments. Other copies were distributed to the Muncie Public Libraries and Ivy Tech in Muncie. After giving all their copies away, EIL and Muncie Public Libraries ordered more books. Students can still get books from Isaacs or go to the Muncie Public Libraries.
Longworth will visit campus next week to talk about his book. He will speak on campus at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Pruis Hall. On Tuesday, he also will be at Ivy Tech and Minnetrista.
The program ends with the visit of education reform activist Geoffrey Canada, who was featured in the documentary "Waiting for Superman." Canada will speak at 7:30 p.m. on April 4 in John R. Emens Auditorium. Canada has also been invited to talk on National Public Radio and "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Nilles said the members of the Muncie Action Plan are participating by reading the books and planning to participate in the discussions, which could help them with the projects on bettering the community. MAP is a movement that has gathered suggestions from members of the community and created a list of long terms goals and action steps, according to its website.
"It is always a good idea to expose yourself to a broader audience and Muncie Action Plan leadership benefits from talking to the whole community and listening to what people are saying and what their ideas are," Nilles said.
"Caught in the Middle" has several main themes of issues in the Midwest, which include manufacturing jobs, the small family farm, immigration and education, Isaacs said. These issues are some that students at Ball State, particularly those who grew up in the Midwest, experienced when they were young.
"I think it will help them out take that experience they grew up with and make sense of it," he said. "Why did they happen and how did they happen?"
While EIL and the Muncie Public Library are working on the project, Isaacs said funding for the program came from different sources, including the Ball Brothers Foundation, Ivy Tech and Sherry Labs. Other offices at Ball State, like the Office of Student Life and Freshman Connections also contributed.
Isaacs said he first found the book in one of the Muncie libraries and saw it as an opportunity for students to learn about globalization. He talked with the Muncie Public Libraries and other departments on campus to organize the project.
Isaacs said he encourages students to find a copy of the book and read it for the discussions.
"It's not a research text; it's not a textbook," he said. "It's written by a person who traveled around the Midwest collecting stories. It's an easy, informative read."
Nilles said the book is important for residents to understand how Muncie has grown to continue working on its progress.
"A lot of people said to me that the book was depressing, and I certainly understand that," she said. "But in another way, it opened up the realm of the possible. There are no solutions on the book, but it gives me a sense that we are on the right track. We are moving in the direction that we need to move in, and we are ever expanding our network of people who can help us get where we need to go."
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