Indiana University, the second-largest public university in the state, announced February 21 that its athletic department received a $15 million donation from the Cook Group, a medical device research group based in Bloomington, Indiana.
"This extremely generous gift from Bill and Gayle Cook will leverage many benefits for our athletic programs and for the entire Bloomington community," said IU president Michael A. McRobbie. "Their tremendous support will help ensure that we continue to build upon our proud and longstanding traditions of academic and athletic excellence. All of us at Indiana University are grateful for the Cooks’ steadfast dedication to the university and community."
The money was directed toward the For the Glory of Old IU campaign and will immediately be utilized to build new basketball center for the men’s and women’s teams. The building will house team offices, locker rooms, several practice courts and meeting rooms.
The payments will come in $1 million increments over the next 15 years. The university received the first installment on January 25 of this year.
In the past, the Cook Group has donated to academic branches of the university, including the schools of music and medicine.
IU has struggled to rebuild the reputation of its men’s basketball program in recent years following the resignation of head coach Kelvin Sampson in February 2008. Sampson made more than 100 unsanctioned phone calls to recruits prior to the 2007-08 season. The university self-imposed several sanctions against itself to avoid a postseason tournament ban from the NCAA. Still, IU is regarded as one of the premier men’s basketball programs in the country.
The university also sees the gift as an opportunity to build it women’s basketball program, which has not achieved the same level of success as the men’s program.