Business Research Centers in Indiana Claim National Honors

Press Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has been named winner of three of the seven Awards of Excellence presented this year by the Association for University Business and Economic Research.

The awards were presented at the national association's recent annual conference in Austin, Texas. Accepting on behalf of the IBRC staff was Carol O. Rogers, deputy director, chief information officer and executive editor of the award-winning publications.

"The IBRC stands as a national leader in research and information distribution through a variety of media, including the internet and print," Rogers said. "Our staff of editors and designers are the best in their field, combining communications expertise with subject-area knowledge that enables them all to transform dry topics into dynamic, readable content."

These awards recognize one of IU's oldest research centers, where the staff is dedicated to making economic research accessible to business and public sector leaders as well as the general public. The center's research report design has been adopted as a standard by a major federal agency as a template for future reports on the projects it supports.

According to AUBER judges, the IBRC's work exemplifies the very best in web and print publications, excelling in the categories of Economic Outlook Publications, Magazines and Journals, and Electronic Publications.

Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School, said, "I am very proud of our staff at the IBRC and of these latest awards. They offer further validation that the Kelley School is making an impact not only statewide, but nationally as well, with our work at the IBRC."

In addition to the IBRC's recognition, three additional AUBER publication awards were won by Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research. AUBER Past President Jim Kurre, who oversaw the judging process, noted, "Indiana nearly made a clean sweep of the seven award categories. This is unprecedented in my experience. Indiana can be justly proud of its two premier business research centers."

IBRC director Jerry Conover observed that the IBRC has won numerous awards of excellence over the years from a variety of organizations for its path-breaking publications and web sites. "We're blessed with a first-rate team that combines business research expertise with the ability to communicate effectively about complex subjects," he said.

Founded in 1947, AUBER is the premier professional organization dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and application of research in business, economics, and public policy. Its members are university-based business and economic research centers throughout the United States.

Established in 1925, the IBRC is an information outreach service of the Kelley School. It provides and interprets economic, demographic and social information needed by business, government, educational and other nonprofit organizations and individual data users in the state and throughout the nation. Its research can be found online at http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/.

Source: Indiana University

Press Release

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), the research division of the Miller College of Business, came away with three of the seven awards given Oct. 20 at the 63rd annual Conference of the Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER) in Austin, Texas.

Earning 2009 Awards for Excellence in Publications were CBER's interactive online county profile data system, promotional materials for an open house and the online report "Local Government Reform in Indiana."

Criteria for judging the publications included layout, design, production, writing, editing, composition, content and overall quality.

"These awards are a strong testament to the outstanding professional work done by our staff," said CBER director Michael Hicks. "The award-winning projects are part of CBER's strategic plan to provide government and business leaders across the state and nation with highly valued research that assists them in making important decisions on a variety of economic issues. Many Ball State faculty also benefit from CBER's work in their own research projects."

Jim Kurre, former AUBER president who oversaw the judging process, noted that the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business also received three awards, making it the first time that two universities from the same state have won six of the organization's seven awards.

"The state of Indiana nearly made a clean sweep of the award categories," Kurre said. "This is unprecedented in my experience. Indiana can be justly proud of its two premier business research centers."

In 2008, AUBER honored CBER's "2008 State of the Industry Report for Manufacturing and Logistics" and the accompanying "2008 Manufacturing Report Card" for using electronic means to convey diverse economic information to a wide audience.

Source: Ball State University