IU official to help governor

Governor Mitch Daniels has requested an IU official to play an essential, independent advisory role in assisting the state of Indiana. J. Terry Clapacs, IU vice president and chief administrative officer, will aid in the construction of the recently-approved 63,000 seat, retractable roof stadium for the Indianapolis Colts, and the expansion the convention center in downtown Indianapolis.\nClapacs will serve as Daniels' adviser to the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, the governor announced Tuesday. \n"This is an opportunity for IU to contribute to one of the state's most important economic development projects," Clapacs said in an IU press release. "I am honored to be called upon to serve the state in this endeavor." \nClapacs will have to attend authority meetings and provide members with advice and analysis of architectural and construction matters. \nLarry MacIntyre, IU's director of media relations, said Clapacs has a reputation for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and has cemented this image with over 35 years of experience in overseeing major building projects on all of IU's seven campuses. \nThe stadium project will largely be paid for through proposed local tax increases in central Indiana counties, after Daniels officially approved the stadium on May 11. That meshes well with Clapacs' background, MacIntyre said. \n"Terry has probably built more buildings in Indiana using public funds than anyone, and he knows how to get the job done," MacIntyre said, adding that Clapacs has worked with several of the world's most prestigious architectural firms. \nClapacs said IU has developed very high standards for project design and construction that enable the University to bring projects in on time, within cost and at a high level of quality. These processes and standards should also be helpful to the stadium and convention authority, he said. \nClapacs will remain in his current position as an IU vice president, but he will need to divert some of his time to the advisory position.\n"The position will not take a lot of his time from IU," said MacIntyre, who suggested that Clapacs will be a close, voluntary, unpaid adviser. "The Governor is very interested in Terry, and President Adam Herbert is very proud of him."\nDaniels will visit Bloomington, where Clapacs works, for the first time since the announcement this Friday. The governor will talk to the Save Crane Committee, a group within the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation dedicated to preserving the Crane Naval Base in Bloomfield, Ind., to thank them for their efforts and discuss with them the next steps in their strategy.