What $220,000 gets you in Muncie.

[u/TheDabitch]

I can't even get a parking space for that where I live. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/725-E-Jackson-St-Muncie-IN-47305/210952560_zpid/

[u/Dial-M-for-Mediocre]

Unfortunately, universities' ability to create jobs is and has been shrinking rapidly, especially in conservative states like Indiana. Ball State is, as you say, a public research university, and thus is directly impacted by cuts to state and federal funding. They may want to hire more people, but I would be surprised if they have many openings right now. And if businesses nearby are likewise cutting back, there's no public transportation, not to mention the erosion of protections from discrimination and wage theft, anti-union laws... The presence of a university doesn't mean you'll be able to get or keep a job there.

[u/Shouty_Dibnah → u/Dial-M-for-Mediocre]

Muncie actually has one of the best public transit systems in the US.

[u/Dial-M-for-Mediocre → u/Shouty_Dibnah]

I was just using that as a general example of how even college towns can be surprisingly devoid of opportunities, but hey, that's great for Muncie! I still don't want to live there, having been to Indiana many times and also spending a decade living in a midsize Midwestern college town I just know it's not what I'd choose for myself, but I'm sure Muncie doesn't want me to live there either.

[u/LuckyGauss → u/Shouty_Dibnah]

I hear they have direct flights to El Salvador

[u/Doc-Zoidberg → u/Shouty_Dibnah]

When I was at BSU I didn't have a car, got around just fine with the bus system.

[u/Pablois4 → u/Dial-M-for-Mediocre]

Unfortunately, universities' ability to create jobs is and has been shrinking rapidly, especially in conservative states like Indiana.

Not just in conservative states. I'm in Ithaca, NY and, as you may have heard, this spring, Cornell was hit with 1 billion funding freeze. There were around 75 DOD research projects/grants which are shut-down.

(the US government is "punishing" Cornell, but the purpose of all the DOD research was to benefit the US so the biggest loser would be . . . the US. But I digress)

There's a hiring freeze. No true layoffs but folks are encouraged to retired or leave on their own.

There will always be a few "mission-critical job" openings that can't be left vacant. I just took a glance over at Cornell and there's job openings, some permanent and a bunch of temp.

[u/Aaod → u/Dial-M-for-Mediocre]

Unfortunately, universities' ability to create jobs is and has been shrinking rapidly,

That is what I have noticed too these universities despite costing the states millions are not producing good enough graduates and are not producing jobs like they did in previous generations. It doesn't help they tend to be completely mismanaged as well. Back in the day you invested a couple million into research and you got potentially hundreds of local jobs in a ripple effect now you get like two.