Indiana University held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the IU Excellence Academy that will be housed within the enclosure of the south end of Memorial Stadium. The event took place inside the D. Ames Shuel Academic Center as construction for the new facility is currently underway.
IU President Michael A. McRobbie presided over the ceremony. Others making remarks at the event included Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass, Senior Associate Athletic Director Mattie White as well as students Sarah L'Hommedieu (Women's Soccer) and Rashard Fant (Football).
The Excellence Academy building will provide a home for and thereby enhance the Excellence Academy program which, is one of the most innovative and effective personal development programs in all of intercollegiate athletics. The $53 million, 66,575 square foot facility will enclose the south end zone at Memorial Stadium and create a bold new "front door" to campus for Memorial Stadium and more generally the Athletics campus. The Excellence Academy will open in the summer of 2018.
The Excellence Academy will complete the "Circle of Excellence" in Memorial Stadium complementing the D. Ames Shuel Academic Center and the Jay and Nancy Wilkinson Performance Center. The Excellence Academy will also include a multi-purpose ceiling terrace and a prominent entry plaza with green space. The project will also provide for renovations to the football locker room.
