As Indianapolis accelerates its bold pursuit to become the global capital of sports and entertainment, Butler University is launching the Butler Institute for Sports & Entertainment (BISE), a transformative initiative that unites academic excellence, industry innovation, and hands-on experiential learning to power the city’s next era of leadership on the world stage.
Designed to amplify Butler’s longstanding strengths in athletics, media, business, and education, BISE will serve as a catalyst for developing the talent, research, and partnerships needed to fuel the region’s growing influence on the sports and entertainment industries. Through cutting-edge academic offerings and immersive real-world experiences, BISE advances both Butler’s institutional priorities and the shared vision articulated in Indiana Sports Corp’s 2050 strategy, positioning the University—and the city—as a driving force in shaping the future of global sports and entertainment.
The concept for BISE emerged from internal collaboration among leaders in Butler’s College of Communication and Lacy School of Business, who recognized an opportunity to better connect the University’s academic and co-curricular strengths to the region’s rapidly evolving sports and entertainment landscape. As Indiana Sports Corp (ISC) introduced its 2050 Vision, Butler was simultaneously advancing conversations around how to align its capabilities with industry demands—especially in areas such as experiential learning, media production, business analytics, and fan engagement.
Butler leadership identified clear synergies within the “Sports Academia” pillar of ISC’s 2050 Vision, and BISE was subsequently designed to complement and support that pillar by offering scalable, customizable partnerships that meet both the needs of industry partners and the educational goals of Butler students. With a flexible, cross-disciplinary approach, BISE positions Butler as a responsive and collaborative partner—one that comes alongside organizations to co-create solutions and build a sustainable talent pipeline for the future of sports and entertainment.
“At Indiana Sports Corp, we believe that shaping the future of sports starts with investing in people—and the launch of the Butler Institute for Sports & Entertainment does exactly that,” Sarah Myer, Chief of Staff & Strategy, Indiana Sports Corp, said. “This initiative aligns powerfully with our 2050 Vision, especially in our commitment to growing Sports Academia as a pillar of Indiana’s long-term sports strategy. By connecting world-class education with real-world experiences, Butler is creating a pipeline of talent that will elevate our region and industry. We’re excited to partner with BISE to fuel innovation, develop future leaders, and further solidify Indianapolis as a global destination for sports and entertainment.”
“Butler University has a strong foundation in athletics and arts, and building upon that foundation to make our Midtown campus a destination for sports, arts, and entertainment is a strategic priority as we look toward our own future,” Joseph Valenzano, Dean of Butler’s College of Communication, said. “We have premier facilities like Hinkle Fieldhouse and Clowes Memorial Hall, strong academic programs in Sports Media and Sports Management, dedicated faculty who are mentoring some of the nation’s brightest students, and a well-earned reputation for leading innovation within higher education. Butler University is the ideal academic partner to help ISC achieve its goals.”
Craig Caldwell, Dean of Butler’s Lacy School of Business, says BISE can leverage its students, programs, facilities, and other resources to advance its own goals, as well as the goals of central Indiana sports and entertainment organizations. Services that BISE can offer to partners include marketing, video production and streaming, event data analysis, market research, kinesiology-related projects, and more. To accomplish those initiatives, BISE will employ faculty and students from its College of Communication, Lacy School of Business, and College of Education. “Our students are going to get practical, real-world experience that will propel them as they start their careers,” Caldwell said. “Additionally, central Indiana sports and entertainment organizations—many of which have limited staff and resources—will benefit from the bench-strength Butler can provide. It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Hamilton County Sports Authority (HCSA) just north of Indianapolis will serve as BISE’s first partner, as Butler students and faculty will serve on the communication and marketing team for the LIV Golf Indianapolis 2025 tournament August 15-17, 2025, at The Club at Chatham Hills.
Over the past two years, Butler University students have served on Street Teams, playing an active role in welcoming visitors to the city for Taylor Swift concerts, the NBA All-Star Game, and the USA Swimming Olympic Trials. Through Butler’s College of Communication, students use a University-owned remote production truck to produce sports broadcasts in football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s basketball, all of which are livestreamed on butlersports.com. Butler’s College of Communication also manages a full-service video production house, providing affordable production services to a wide variety of clients ranging from not-for-profit organizations and local businesses to Butler University faculty and colleges. Additionally, the Lacy School of Business is poised to contribute students already equipped with impactful knowledge and experiences in marketing, data analytics, entrepreneurship and finance, to assist local sports and entertainment organizations solve problems and propel success.
“We already have the pieces in place to support Indy’s ever-expanding sports and entertainment ecosystem,” Valenzano said. “The Institute is going to bring all of those resources under one roof, giving sports and entertainment organizations a single point of contact for partnering with the University.”
Butler Professor Bob Schultz, who previously held leadership roles with Downtown Indy, Inc. and Visit Indy, will lead BISE. Schultz has worked on countless local organizing committees for large-scale sporting events in Indianapolis, including the 2012 Super Bowl, 2021 College Football Championship Game, 2024 NBA All-Star Game, and every Men’s Final Four since 2003.
“One of the reasons I chose to join the Butler faculty full-time was to connect our amazing students to the many outstanding learning opportunities that these high-profile events provide,” Schultz said. “BISE will take this further and allow us to expand on a rich tradition of bringing the Butler Way to community partners and making meaningful contributions to the tapestry of Indy-area sports and entertainment milestones.”
Additional information about partnering with the Butler Institute for Sports and Entertainment is available here.