Our History
We've made some big changes throughout the years.

Cardinal Communications has come a long way since its inception in 1976. The firm was originally named Limited Edition to suggest that only a limited number of students were chosen to serve the agency. Limited Edition was the first student-run firm in the nation to work on a fee basis. Two journalism students saw this beginning as an opportunity for growth and ran with it.

By 1983, the agency had grown and was chosen to receive the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Outstanding Agency award that year. Under the direction of Dr. Mel Sharpe, what had begun as a small group of ambitious public relations students now boasted a staff of 40.

In 1998, Limited Edition sought to change its own image that began with its name. The reason for the name change was to affiliate Cardinal Communications more closely with Ball State and to better define the broad services the organization offers.

Today the agency has a diverse staff of students with various majors including public relations, advertising, magazine journalism, communications, telecommunications, marketing and graphic design, among others.

In the 2005-06 school year, the Cardinal Communications staff expanded to approximately 53 students, divided into six account teams and one production team. Today, students in Cardinal Communications are completing projects that range from crisis communications plans to collateral materials and public awareness campaigns for more than a dozen clients.

This innovative learning experience is mutually beneficial. Businesses and organizations benefit from this learning experience by receiving professional products and campaigns at deeply discounted rates as compared to regional agency rates, while students are able to implement the skills and knowledge they acquire in the classroom.

Cardinal Communications continues to evolve its services and skills to better meet our clients’ needs in an increasingly evolving and competitive business environment.