Ball State University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

We provide sustainability training through our:
• annual staff training which includes topics on wellness and personal safety;
• Leadership Excellence and Development Academy (LEAD), a comprehensive leadership development program. The program includes four self-assessments to develop self-awareness of strengths and influences their leadership and management styles; modules on leadership and management; and a final business improvement project presentation to reduce waste and increase efficient operations in their department.
• Mini-course system which contains 30-minute to 2-hour classes. Sustainability courses include the Lean Six Sigma workshop that teaches on two process improvement methods that improve operational excellence, on-line health and well-being tools available to employees; and diversity, equity, and inclusion classes.

There are 3 ways an employee can receive professional development and training opportunities in sustainability at various levels. The Shafer Leadership Academy provides training for gaps articulated by local Muncie employers such as leadership and management skills as well as attracting and retaining local talent. Academic Impressions provides training for those in higher education such as sustainable and inclusive leadership, personal and professional resilience, responding to burnout and attrition, indicators of a sustainable academic program, and intersectional approaches to addressing food insecurity including creating an integrated and sustainable food pantry. UDEMY provides national training such as the Basics of Sustainability, Corporate ESG and Sustainability, Sustainability Reporting, Climate Change and Sustainability Essentials, and Understanding the SDGs.

Ball State employees are regularly reminded at group meetings of its Beneficence Pledge which includes a pledge to act in a socially responsible way to treat each person with civility, courtesy, compassion, and dignity and to respect the property and environment of the campus. Employees are also often encouraged to connect their work to the University’s Strategic Plan which have goals of community engagement and impact; scholarship and societal impact; and institutional and inclusive excellence including a vibrant culture of wellbeing. Performance reviews do appraise employee’s contribution to the University’s goals. Additionally, to the extent that an employee’s job description is specifically related to sustainability, such as compliance with regulations, it is part of the scoring.