From teaching high school English to helping Ball State University earn national recognition, Teachers College Accreditation and Assessment Coordinator Shawn Sriver has built a career around one goal: making education better for the students it serves.

For Shawn Sriver, success has never been about simply checking a box.

Whether standing in front of a classroom, navigating state education policy, or guiding a college through national accreditation, he has spent his career looking beyond the requirements to the people and possibilities behind them.

That philosophy recently took center stage when Sriver accepted the 2026 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement on behalf of Ball State University’s Teachers College at CAEPCon in Arlington, Virginia.

Presented by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the recognition honors institutions that demonstrate excellence in educator preparation through strong evidence, data, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Ball State was among 31 educator preparation providers nationwide to receive the distinction.

For Sriver, who has coordinated much of the college’s accreditation work since joining Ball State in 2009, the recognition was particularly meaningful.

“This recognition reflects the tremendous work of faculty, staff, and college leadership who helped Ball State earn accreditation, and, beyond that, national recognition for continuous improvement,” he said. “Having coordinated much of that effort, I was especially proud to accept the award on behalf of everyone who contributed.”

But behind the award is a much larger story, one that stretches from a northern Indiana high school classroom to state education leadership, national accreditation reviews, and even an unexpected adventure in publishing.

Turning Data into Meaningful Change

Accreditation may not be the most visible part of preparing future teachers, but its influence reaches into nearly every aspect of an educator preparation program.

Sriver has helped guide Ball State through three successful accreditation site visits, in 2011, 2018, and 2025. Along the way, he has watched standards evolve, expectations grow, and the role of assessment become increasingly important.

The college’s work has earned attention beyond successful accreditation decisions. Following the 2011 review, Ball State was selected to host a three-day training session for approximately 50 members of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Board of Examiners because of the strength of its Unit Self-Study.

The 2025 review led to the Frank Murray recognition the following year.

Sriver takes particular pride in those accomplishments, but he emphasizes that accreditation is about far more than earning approval or collecting awards.

Assessment results, surveys, and feedback from P–12 educators help the college identify what is working and where improvements can be made. The real value comes from putting that information to use.

“To me, continuous improvement means regularly asking whether we are preparing future educators as effectively as we can—and then acting on the answers,” Sriver said.

That approach requires collaboration across departments, careful communication, and a willingness to adjust when evidence points toward a better way forward.

For Sriver, the strongest accreditation results come from a culture where faculty and staff view assessment as an opportunity to strengthen their programs rather than another administrative requirement.

From the Classroom to the Bigger Picture

Sriver’s approach to working with colleagues has roots in his earliest days as an educator.

He began his career teaching high school English at Bremen High School in northern Indiana, where he taught every student in the junior class.

The experience taught him the importance of clear expectations, respectful relationships, and providing feedback before it is too late to make a difference.

Those lessons followed him into a 17-year career with the Indiana Department of Education, where he eventually served as director of the Division of Professional Standards.

While working for the state, Sriver participated in approximately five national accreditation visits to educator preparation programs across Indiana. Seeing how different institutions approached the process gave him valuable insight into what made accreditation efforts effective.

When he arrived at Ball State in 2009, he brought that experience with him.

Over the years, his focus has shifted from mastering accreditation requirements himself to helping others understand how those standards connect to their programs.

“I have learned that good collaboration starts with clear communication—and few people appreciate last-minute surprises,” he said.

His approach emphasizes explaining expectations early, recognizing different working styles, and building the trust needed to tackle complicated projects together.

A Teacher’s Most Meaningful Recognition

Although Sriver has helped guide nationally recognized accreditation efforts, the professional accomplishment he treasures most happened long before his arrival at Ball State.

In May 1989, during his final year teaching at Bremen High School, he was named Teacher of the Year.

The following March, he received an unexpected telephone call.

The president of the Class of 1990 wanted to know if Sriver would deliver the commencement address.

These were the same students he had taught during their junior year, and they wanted their former English teacher to help send them into the next chapter of their lives.

Sriver accepted, delivering a speech titled “Fail to Succeed” about the lessons people can learn from failure.

“Being invited back by students I had taught remains the proudest moment of my professional career,” he said.

Decades later, that experience still reflects what matters most to him about education: the lasting impact teachers can have on the lives of their students.

Although his current position does not involve teaching candidates directly, he sees his work as another way to contribute to that impact.

“Two things have sustained my interest: the people and the purpose,” he said. “I value the professional relationships this work has allowed me to build, and I know that strong accreditation and meaningful program improvement ultimately benefit future teachers and the students they will serve.”

More Than an Accreditation Expert

Away from the office, Sriver shares his life with Tanya, his wife of 37 years. He’s also a passionate enthusiast of music, movies, and professional football, with a remarkable knowledge of the people and stories behind each.

A self-described historian of popular music and film, Sriver has spent decades exploring the artists, movies, and cultural moments that captured his imagination.

His fascination with music began at age 11, when he used money earned mowing yards to buy records. He closely followed Chicago’s WLS-AM 890 record surveys and shared extra copies with classmates.

Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 became a weekly tradition, and his interest in music history eventually grew into a collection of more than 5,000 CDs.

His love of movies began with family outings to theaters and drive-ins, but one particular film changed everything.

In 1968, his parents took him to see Planet of the Apes.

Sriver was captivated. From that point forward, he began following Academy Award nominations, reading reviews, and studying film history with the same enthusiasm he brought to music.

Sports became another lifelong passion, thanks in large part to his father, who coached football, basketball, and track at Noblesville High School. Sriver played football from seventh grade through his senior year and remains an avid NFL fan.

Those years on the field even influence his approach to accreditation.

“I often borrow analogies from football,” he said. “I see accreditation coordination a little like coaching: you study the requirements, build a game plan, put people in a position to succeed, and adjust when conditions change.”

And sometimes, his interests have led to opportunities he never expected.

From the Football Field to the Bookshelf

Shortly after joining Ball State, Sriver found himself involved in a project that brought several of his favorite subjects together.

Former Teachers College Dean Dr. Roy Weaver told him about a book he was working on about Timmy Brown, a former Philadelphia Eagles star whose talents extended well beyond professional football.

When Sriver mentioned recognizing Brown from his appearances on the television series M*A*S*H, Weaver invited him to join the project.

Alongside Weaver and David Sullivan, Sriver co-wrote Running Against the Grain: The Story of Philadelphia Eagle and Movie Star Timmy Brown.

Brown’s remarkable career made him a fascinating subject. In addition to playing in the NFL, he recorded music, opened for the Supremes and other performers, and appeared in movies and television.

For someone who loved football, music, and film, the project was an unexpected opportunity to explore all three.

In 2010, Sriver had the chance to meet and interview Brown personally, an experience he still considers one of the most memorable of his life.

His enthusiasm for exploring history has not faded. Recently, he read Peter Guralnick’s The Colonel and the King, a book about Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The experience prompted him to revisit Elvis’s music, rediscovering overlooked recordings and hearing familiar songs from a new perspective.

For Sriver, learning something new can transform even a subject he has followed for decades.

The People Behind the Progress

Throughout his career, Sriver has remained convinced that the most meaningful accomplishments are shared.

He credits numerous colleagues and mentors with helping shape his work at Ball State, including former Dean Dr. Roy Weaver, former Associate Dean Dr. Laurie Mullen, and former Office of Teacher Education Services Director Dr. Judy Miller.

He also recognizes the support of Associate Dean Dr. Susan Tancock, Dr. Jerrell Cassady, and current Office of Teacher Education Services Director Jon Dee, along with many others across the university.

Some of those professional relationships have grown into lasting friendships, something Sriver considers among the greatest rewards of his career.

His commitment to educator preparation also reaches beyond campus. For more than a decade, he has served on the Executive Committee of the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (IACTE), including three and a half years as president and two years as past president.

Through that involvement, he has collaborated with educators across Indiana on issues affecting teacher preparation statewide.

And while the recent Frank Murray recognition marks an important achievement, Sriver is already thinking about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“What excites me is that the work never stands still,” he said. “Accreditation standards and expectations continue to evolve, and each change poses a new question: How can we meet the requirements while also making our programs better?”

For someone who has spent his career studying what works, learning from others, and helping educators succeed, that question is part of what makes the work rewarding.

Because behind every assessment, accreditation standard, and improvement plan is a purpose much larger than the process itself.

“P-12 students deserve educators who are knowledgeable, ethical, compassionate, and prepared to help them thrive,” Sriver said. “Strong schools are also essential to a healthy democracy.”

And for Sriver, the connections built along the way have made that work as meaningful as the accomplishments themselves.