IU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Fred Glass will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year according to a press release from the university. Glass has been the athletic director since 2009.
“It’s time,” Glass said in the press release. “It’s an all-in, all-consuming role, and I’ve loved it, but I’m ready to step back and do something that keeps me closer to home with more time with my granddaughters and the rest of my family. I’ll finish up the Bicentennial Year and give President McRobbie enough time to select a great successor.”
IU President Michael McRobbie will announce a committee to find Glass' replacement soon. It will be chaired by IU vice president for government relations and economic engagement Bill Stephan.
Glass' tenure has seen the football program produce its best season in 26 years. Glass hired both football head coach Tom Allen and men's basketball head coach Archie Miller. Glass hired men's soccer head coach Todd Yeagley and the program won a national championship in 2012. Glass hired women's basketball head coach Teri Moren who has led the program to its best national ranking in team history. He hired baseball head coach Jeff Mercer who won a Big Ten title in his first season. And he hired volleyball head coach Steve Aird who has rejuvinated a volleyball program in its new arena.
Glass also oversaw investments in the football facility with a new locker room and south endzone complex, the opening of Wilkinson Hall and the beginning of renovations to Bill Armstrong Stadium. Glass' program has set six all-time fundraising totals in the last nine years and secured 17 of the 18 largest gifts in the athletic program's history. IU expects to hit its $215 million fundraising goal for the Bicentenninal Capital Campaign.
“I feel like we’ve rebuilt IU Athletics both culturally and physically,” Glass said. “We have followed the rules. We are graduating our students at a record rate. Competitively, most of our programs are doing historically well, and the futures are bright for all of our sports. We are an athletic department nationally known for the holistic care and development of our students. We have had unprecedented success with fundraising and facility development. I thank all of the students, coaches, faculty, staff, donors, and fans who have made this such a wonderful experience for me, and especially President McRobbie for giving me this opportunity and being such an engaged and supportive leader.”
