TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Back in 2021, the addition of Name, Image, and Likeness changed the entire landscape of college sports. Since then, things have been in a constant state of change across the nation, and locally at Indiana State University.
Director of Athletics Nathan Christensen says that it is important for Indiana State University to focus on all three areas of revenue stream for student-athletes. This includes facilities, operating budgets, and their NIL collective, which means connecting with the donor base.
“You know, if they have questions, we can certainly help answer those,” Christensen said. “But it’s really for us to work with Crossroads of Champions and the board that we have, they’re very active but we’re certainly a part of those conversations and it’s important for us. Again, it’s important in this ever-changing landscape of college athletics and it needs to be part of us, part of the future here.”
In today’s era, success comes at a cost. Christensen mentioned that his hope for men’s basketball is to have around $400,000 annually through their collective.
“We’re very intentional about being in the community, being part of the school corporation, being part of the city, and having a really good working relationship with the mayor, but also the people that are supporting us,” Christensen said. “It doesn’t matter if you have season tickets, or are a donor, or both. We need people to continue to step up and really invest in our student-athletes and our programs here at Indiana State.”
There are also plans in the works for a new program that will allow the university to show appreciation to that donor base that has become so important.
“There’s a strong history here with many of our programs, and we need to continue to invest in those areas to be successful and it’s going to take all of us, but first we’ve got to build those relationships,” Christensen said. “We’re going to be announcing here in the near future, Investor’s Society, which is going to be a giving society for leadership gifts, and really recognizing those folks that go above and beyond their giving to Indiana State.”
As of now, Indiana State University and the Missouri Valley Conference will not be participating in the House settlement that would allow institutions to pay athletes directly through revenue sharing, but Christensen says things could change in the future.
