Published: September 27, 2008 06:12 pm            

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Vision for ISU must include sports facilities

New president shows he understands issue

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State University appears to have a new president with a practical, yet visionary eye on the future.

Dan Bradley gave a heartening debut address this month, outlining priorities to enhance and strengthen the university. Expanding enrollment topped that list, as well as diversifying funding for ISU, developing and marketing the distinctive qualities of the school, finishing a strategic plan, and upgrading campus housing. Each is crucial.

Bradley also delivered a refreshing appraisal of Indiana State’s athletic facilities. Many of those venues “have not had any significant investment of capital” in more than 30 years, he noted. As for crumbling Memorial Stadium, home to the Sycamore football team, “its life has really run out,” Bradley said. Short-term improvements should be made, he added, but long-term plans are needed.

That vision itself changes ISU. The acceptance of a slow decay of its athletic outlets seems to be ending. That’s important. Those sports fields and stadiums are often where the general public experiences the local university. Visitors should feel a little pride, for both the school and the community, when they take their seats and watch the teams.

Building such pride requires some actual building — the bricks and mortar kind. As Bradley told the Tribune-Star, “If we want to compete in our current level, and I think we do, then we’re going to have to find ways to invest in the physical infrastructure to do that.”

A key component of ISU’s future should be a multi-purpose, on-campus facility to replace Memorial Stadium. Athletic director Ron Prettyman proposed such a project to the Board of Trustees last December. That structure would be a centerpiece for the university and the community, serving as home to the Sycamore football, soccer and track teams. Outdoor concerts and theater productions also could be staged in the stadium. Its location would bring thousands of people to campus, and liven up the downtown district.

Bradley appropriately emphasized that private fundraising would be needed for any new athletic facilities. The economy is rough right now. But having those ideas clearly on the drawing board as a long-term objective gives them a fighting chance to become realities.

Skepticism is useful whenever public universities invest in athletic programs. However, ISU is far from extravagance or over-emphasis of sports. Its conference affiliation is ideal. The Missouri Valley includes a mix of public and private colleges — some larger, some smaller — facing similar financial circumstances. None of those schools could be considered football or basketball “factories.” Yet they offer a high level of competition that gives fans an enjoyable afternoon or evening in a college atmosphere.

ISU can strengthen its connection with the community and state by carefully pursuing long-range plans for its athletic teams. That exposure can boost enrollment and philanthropy to academic ventures.

President Bradley is on the right track.

        

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