Everybody knows it was time for a change in the athletic department - new blood, new ideas for fundraising. The question is: how will the new director really improve the culture of Ball State's program?
Bill Scholl was announced as Ball State's new athletic director on Monday afternoon at a press conference in the Worthen Arena Lounge. He's leaving a 22-year tenure at Notre Dame to help pick up the pieces our current AD, Tom Collins, left behind.
Why leave Notre Dame, a school where tradition, honor and football are synonymous? University officials and Scholl say it's for his ability to bring money to the program, as well as his emphasis on academics before athletics.
"Trust me, I want to win. I want to win a lot," Scholl said in our front-page story. "I have no doubt our coaches want to win a lot, but never at the expense of the academic side of the university."
Collins has been through some rocky patches during his time here: a lawsuit that came from firing a former women's tennis coach, funding issues and an ongoing Title IX investigation. This summer's allegation that the women's locker room wasn't even worth using led Collins to create a new facility for female athletes. Why wait so long to take action? How could you not know that women were never using their facility?
There are things that Collins seemed to not understand or didn't know how to respond to.
During Collins' nearly six-year reign at Ball State, fundraising has always been a concern. On the other hand, Scholl was able to increase his school's athletics budget from $13 to $75 million in just two years. President Jo Ann Gora alluded to this during her introduction of the new hire. She wants someone who can make a difference for our program, and it starts with funding.
This type of funding is what Ball State will need to stay competitive against other mid-major universities, and not just among the top sports teams. We want to see people in the stands at Scheumann Stadium, and we also want the see the track team compete at home more often.
We think Scholl's efforts on fundraising and marketing will make it happen.
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