Mediocrity in the athletic department was tolerated by the administration, winning wasn’t a priority and Tony Hinkle’s
five principles—humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness—had not been adopted as “The Butler
Way.”
Butler University is planning to raise as much as $12 million to modernize Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of its Bulldogs basketball
team.
Fans decked out in blue crowded Monument Circle and spilled onto Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis, cheering on the
hometown Butler Bulldogs as they prepare for their first NCAA Final Four. Check out our photo gallery here.
The biggest chance Brad Stevens ever took, the best game plan he ever drew up, had nothing to do with a prized recruit or
some brilliant set of Xs and Os scrawled out on a greaseboard. It came on the day he decided to quit his job at Eli Lilly
and
Co. and to pursue his first love, basketball.
Butler's triumph has likely eliminated some of the direct visitor spending the city would have seen if Syracuse or Kansas
State would have made it to Indy for this year's Final Four. But corporate excitement could wipe away that loss.
About eight hours after Butler beat second-seeded Kansas State 63-56 to reach the first Final Four in school history, the
Bulldogs returned home to a large crowd and loud cheers.
Besides an immediate bump in apparel sales, the university is expecting a jump in student applications, alumni contributions
and season-ticket sales, as well.
Butler's stellar on-court performance drew big crowds to Hinkle Fieldhouse this season. But some still wonder if the Bulldogs
will have enough financially to retain Brad Stevens as coach.
Big name speakers coming to central Indiana.
Count Butler University basketball on the short list of teams that could make it to the Final Four.
Local TV station WNDY Channel 23 announced Friday that it will broadcast 13 Butler University men’s basketball games this
season, starting with the Bulldogs’ Nov. 21 game at the University of Evansville.
A little more than six months before the 2010 NCAA men’s Final Four is set to tip off at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA
has not yet finalized a rental deal for the facility. While officials for the NCAA and Local Organizing Committee,
the group charged with operating the event in Indianapolis, downplay any problems, sports business experts say it is unusual
not to have an agreement pinned down in the months leading up to the event.
In five years, Butler University President Bobby Fong wants to vault his school into the top 10 of the nation’s master’s
universities—schools that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees but few doctorates.
Students going into and out of Indiana’s teacher education programs tend to score below average on standardized test scores.
And national data indicate the gap is entirely attributable to those headed into elementary education.
Rob Koharchik, 40, has designed sets for local theaters including IRT and the Civic, developing a national reputation along with a keen eye for detail and an uncanny ability to marry form with function.
Butler University’s MBA program — once at risk of being eliminated — has been revamped to include more real-life
professional experiences, and enrollment has increased 63 percent.
An obscure not-for-profit has become a financial powerhouse since it was founded here 19 years ago. But now it’s in the crosshairs
of a New York state investigation into whether it and others that organize study abroad programs for college students offered
universities perks to become their preferred providers.
When a Butler University finance class starts investing in the stock market this fall, it won’t be Monopoly money that’s on
the line. In a three-year pilot program that is unique for a school of Butler’s size, a group of senior finance students will
use $1 million from the university’s endowment fund to invest.
Butler University is running with the big dogs these days in men’s NCAA Division I college basketball–at least on the court.
Financially, though, the Bulldogs face a difficult dilemma in chasing after programs with bigger budgetary bones.
