Last modified: Friday, September 22, 2006
IU Trustees approve athletic facility enhancement proposal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 22, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Trustees today (Sept. 22) approved an estimated $55 million athletic facility enhancement plan for the IU Department of Athletics. The plan calls for the renovation of one existing facility and the construction of three others.
Details of the plan were presented to the trustees by Indiana Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan during an open session on Wednesday.
Greenspan noted the university's storied athletic history, which includes dozens of Olympic athletes and coaches, along with team and individual champions in numerous men's and women's sports at both the NCAA and Big Ten Conference levels.
"Indiana is an elite institution that competes with other top universities in every facet of its educational mission," Greenspan told the trustees. "In order for the athletic program at IU to continue to compete at that high level, we must invest in our success, and that means providing resources and facilities comparable to those of our peers."
Greenspan said that this plan will bring IU's athletic facilities more in line with the university's Big Ten Conference peers. It also will eliminate crowding issues in some of the athletic department's current facilities.
The athletic facility enhancement plan would enclose the north end zone of Memorial Stadium, build a men's and women's basketball practice center, and construct new softball and baseball stadiums. It also would renovate the space under the east stands of Memorial Stadium for the student development and compliance offices. That space currently is utilized by the football program.
Details of the facility enhancement plan follow. Additional information is at https://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/.
Memorial Stadium North End Zone Project
This project would enclose the north end zone of Memorial Stadium with a facility that would provide space to accommodate coaches' offices and meeting areas for the football program, a Hall of Honor to spotlight successful student-athletes and teams throughout the history of IU athletics, and athletic administration offices. The new space also would house a strength development area to be used by more than 600 Indiana student-athletes. The project calls for the removal of the north and south end zone bleachers.
Indiana Basketball Development Center
The plans call for the Indiana men's and women's basketball teams to have a new practice facility. The Indiana Basketball Development Center would serve as the daily headquarters for both programs. Facility features would include practice courts, locker rooms, coaches' offices and meeting rooms for each team and a shared strength and conditioning area. The addition of the facility would alleviate serious overcrowding issues currently encountered at Assembly Hall.
Baseball and Softball Complex
The final component of the facilities upgrade is the construction of a baseball and softball complex, just north of the Mellencamp Pavilion and Indiana Tennis Center. Both stadiums would feature artificial playing surfaces, indoor batting cages and bullpens. The complex also would include new locker rooms and offices adjacent to the proposed stadiums. These upgrades would position IU to host future Big Ten and NCAA post-season play, as well as elite amateur tournaments.
Academic Center for Excellence
The Academic Center for Excellence would house the Student Development and Compliance unit, moving that staff from a modest 2,500-square-foot space in Assembly Hall into a spacious and renovated 18,000-square-foot area located on the east side of Memorial Stadium, currently used for football offices. The facility would include classrooms, private tutoring space, study areas, computer labs and staff offices.
