Abstract:
Each university and college in America deals with the continuing but little publicized problem of maintaining good relations with the town in which it is located. The problem to be examined in this paper is the public relations between Ball State University and Muncie, Indiana.In many ways a university is a city within a city, containing it's own residences, government, health facilities, and maintenance crews. Though this creates a unique situation it is not economically or ethically wise for any institution of higher education to try and isolate itself from the surrounding community. Effective interaction between the two is not only desirable but essential for all concerned.Public relations in this case may be defined as the development of a good rapport between Ball State and Muncie.Every university president and every administrator needs to be concerned with developing this harmonious relationship. The problem here is to discover, through research, how good the relationship is between, these two groups; have past efforts been successful? Have minor problems been handled well or allowed to grow? Is more work needed to create a good rapport between the two groups?The total significance of this problem is frequently not seen until a vital issue between town and gown arises. For instance, zoning within a given district. As the university population expands, so must the buildings. This cannot be accomplished without the aid of the city planning commission. In some cases a piece of land must be re-zoned to allow for construction of a certain type of building. If the city planning commission has ill feelings toward the university, administrators may have a difficult time getting the necessary change.This is only one area where the university may encounter problems. The economic backing of the community is a second and extremely important area to be considered.The importance of the solved problem is a good working relationship between two independent yet interconnected groups. No one answer can really "solve" the problem. It is a continual process involving many people in many different ways. A workable solution however, benefits both groups. For the university, it gives greater freedom in allowing higher education to expand and benefit more people.For the city of Muncie, it means a boost to economy both in offering more jobs and in the additional income gained from university students and faculty. It also means increased cultural activities for the public including plays, concerts, films, and speakers, all of which are open to the public.Public Relations has, throughout the years, taken on many meanings. Some are complimentary, but many are not. This paper 1s not intended to look at the techniques which "sell" the university to the people of Muncie. Public Relations in this instance means simply relations with the public. The two publics in this study are Ball State University and Muncie, Indiana.The problem in this paper will be examined from the standpoint of individual feelings from both the community and the university. From these responses some conclusions will be drawn on the public relations that exist between the two.