Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass, right, shakes hands with IU Trustee W. Quinn Buckner before the groundbreaking ceremony for the IU Excellence Academy.IU President Michael A. McRobbie welcomes the audience to the IU Excellence Academy groundbreaking ceremony. The project will enclose the south end zone of Memorial Stadium with a structure that will house the Excellence Academy, one of the most innovative and effective student-athlete development programs in all of intercollegiate athletics.IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Excellence Academy. 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.Mattie White, Indiana University senior associate athletic director for academic services and the Excellence Academy, talks about the Excellence Academy and how it will help develop the entire student athlete. The Excellence Academy will include two primary levels. The first level will be home to the Dr. Lawrence Rink Center for Sports Medicine and Technology, which will include the Irsay Family Wellness Clinic, the Rehabilitation and Treatment Center and the Center for Elite Athlete Development. Also on the first level will be the Hancock Hiltunen Caito Center for Leadership and Life Skills, which will include the Glass Family Student-Athlete Leadership Suite and the Career Counseling Center. The second level will be home to one of the premier nutrition facilities and dining spaces in all of college athletics — the Tobias Nutrition Center.Sarah L'Hommedieu, a member of the IU women’s soccer team, expresses her gratitude for the IU Excellence Academy.Indiana University football cornerback Rashard Fant expresses his gratitude to the donors and the athletic program for providing student athletes with the most advanced and best educational and athletic resources and facilities.IU Trustee Anna M. Williams, left, IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass and IU Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and the IU Excellence Academy Mattie White break ground for the IU Excellence Academy, which is scheduled to open in summer 2018.IU President Michael A. McRobbie closes the groundbreaking ceremony, which was held inside the D. Ames Shuel Academic Center.IU President Michael A. McRobbie, center, watches as donors Rob Caito, Dena Rae Hancock and family turn dirt after a groundbreaking for the IU Excellence Academy. The Hancock Hiltunen Caito family provided a gift in support of the IU Athletics Excellence Academy to establish the Hancock Hiltunen Caito Center for Leadership and Life Skills. The center will be the foundation of IU Athletics' promise to its students. It will offer them comprehensive support with the use of cutting-edge technology; protect their health, safety and wellness; maximize their athletic potential; help them develop leadership and life skills; and build a culture of trust and respect.IU football cornerback Rashard Fant, left, IU President Michael A. McRobbie and IU women's soccer keeper Sarah L'Hommedieu stand together behind the ceremonial shovels following the groundbreaking ceremony.Deborah Tobias, left, IU President Michael A. McRobbie and Ambassador Randall L. Tobias turn dirt after a groundbreaking for the IU Excellence Academy. The Tobias family gave a major gift to IU Athletics in support of the new IU Excellence Academy. In recognition of their significant contribution, the new state-of-the-art nutrition facility and dining space in the new IU Excellence Academy will be named the "Tobias Nutrition Center," and the new courtside hospitality area in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall has been named the "Tobias Champions Locker Room." As part of the Excellence Academy, the Tobias Nutrition Center will be home to one of the premier nutrition facilities and dining spaces in all of college athletics. The nearly 10,000 square foot space will provide a place to fuel the nearly 650 students who participate in IU's 24 varsity sports.
