INDIANAPOLIS — IU and Purdue are officially separating after a 53-year partnership, beginning a new chapter for IUPUI.
The school will split into two: IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis. IU Indy will retain all athletic programs. With that, a new voice is leading the way and navigating the vision of IU Indianapolis Athletics.
Luke Bosso will take over the school's athletic department. Starting in the fall of 2024, IUPUI's athletic programs will compete as IU Indianapolis.
Bosso didn't take the traditional path to becoming a Division I athletic director but is excited for the opportunity.
"I'm not going to say that I've always wanted to be an athletic director, but I've always wanted to be around sports. This campus, this city, and this state, when I looked at it, I was like 'why wouldn't I want to do this?', " Bosso said. "I think a great athletics program at IUPUI, and what will eventually become IU-Indianapolis, will be so good for the city, so good for the state--and in this state, a sports crazy state, why not come here and lead this athletics department?"
Among the many reasons Bosso took on the responsibility of athletic director, he said the transformation to IU Indianapolis is his main motive.
"Now there's a specific area for sports, they called it out in the transformation plan. There's a buy in from the community that I don't think you've ever seen before," Bosso said. "You have some top-level CEO's leading transformation committees. I saw that in the announcement. The amount of people that reached out and said, 'Hey, we're ready to support the Jags and anything you do' was really overwhelming and exciting."
With a new vision and one brand, Bosso believes IU Indy will pave the way for endless opportunities of athletic success in the Circle City.
"I think one thing that is really unique is that the IU network is really bought in. President Pamela Whitten is 100% into this program, and we're going to have resources and support that we've never had before," Bosso said.
Bosso, who formerly served as managing director of government advisory with Katz, Sapper, and Miller, began his career with Indiana University Sports Properties and Learfield Sports. He is now returning to athletics after a career leading policy and economic development initiatives for the state of Indiana, while also serving in volunteer leadership for the Horizon League.
He said his main focus will be sponsorships, donors and alumni engagement, which he believes can fuel sustained athletic success.
"I'm excited for that challenge. If I didn't think we could do it, I wouldn't be here," Bosso said. "As soon as the announcement was made, I had a number of alums, from all across the country, who have reached out and said, 'Hey, we want to meet, let's have conversations.' It's a sports-hungry state, people are prideful about the university they went to, and I know we can build something really nice here."
It's the inception of a new challenge and opportunity for what's to be IU Indianapolis Athletics — one Bosso is extremely excited for.
"Get in now," Bosso said. "Because in two or three years when we have this rolling and we're making NCAA tournaments and we're winning conference championships, everybody is going to want to get on board the train. So, get on board now."
IUPUI will officially end on June 30, 2024. All IUPUI programs will become a part of IU Indianapolis by July 2024, except for the schools of engineering, technology and computer science, which will become part of the Purdue system.
As aforementioned, IU Indianapolis will retain all athletic programs and compete in the Horizon League.