by Kent Sterling
A significant amount of time is spent by athletic directors finding the cash needed to update facilities, and when Fred Glass welcomed Cindy Simon Skjodt and her $40 million dollar donation that will cover the tab for a much needed renovation of Assembly Hall, that represented a watershed moment in his era running the most visible department on IU’s Bloomington campus.
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Glass continues to get stuff done at a dizzying pace and with boundless enthusiasm. He’s like a very, very smart and ambitious kid in candy striped pants as he does the work to make sure Indiana fulfills the promise of providing the best experience and education possible during their time in Bloomington.
The very least a school should do, if the NCAA is not going to allow players to share the wealth they create while playing sports that generate revenue is to find a way for all athletes to spend their time in Bloomington as productively as possible.
The Excellence Academy is doing a lot of that heavy lifting, and that work will only be enhanced by announcements in the coming weeks and months. The facilities are a big part of what allows student-athletes to pursue their potential in all areas, and the $40 million isn’t just going to be good for the athletes, but for the fans.
How does that kind of moment come about, exactly what does it pay for, and how does it help IU achieve its mission? I asked Glass to explain.