From the Classroom to the Final Four

One of the defining aspects of IU Indianapolis, and what makes it so attractive to students, is the ability to translate learning into real-world experience, even while they are still in the classroom. Take this week, for example, as students in our Tourism, Event and Sport Management program go behind the scenes to understand what it takes to host the NCAA Final Four. Here are just a few examples of that learning in action:

• IU Indy students collaborated with NCAA staff to develop a standardized Men’s Final Four Operations Playbook that will guide planning and operations for future championships.
• Co-led by the NCAA VP of Men’s Basketball and IU Indianapolis faculty, students enrolled in the Mega Events course are part of the Final Four Street Teams, a high-level volunteer unit responsible for distributing information citywide to attendees under NCAA direction.
• As part of the 2026 Men’s Final Four Analytics Challenge, IU Indianapolis will host the IU Indy DataViz Games, operated by the IU Indianapolis Sport Innovation Institute, engaging high school students in sports-focused data visualization challenges.
• As the official host institution, IU Indianapolis students will have an operational role in game management and be there to help deal with issues that may arise when an event of this magnitude is being hosted.
• We are offering a mentorship program developed by 25 of our students in partnership with NCAA staff and members of the local organizing committee. Over the past four months, this initiative has connected students with professionals while helping them explore careers in sports and event management. In addition, students have participated in speed-networking sessions with members of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Committee, including athletic directors and conference commissioners, further strengthening Indianapolis’s role as a premier host city.

And of course there is more:

• A First-Generation College Celebration Panel spotlighting first-generation sports industry professionals across officiating, ticketing, March Madness™ operations, and Sports Corp leadership.
• A sustainability initiative where our students engage with key efforts such as emissions inventories, recycling and waste diversion, donation efforts, and development of a Green Team.
• Journalism & Storytelling by students from our sports journalism program who produce written and digital content for official Final Four platforms.
• Importantly, a volunteer effort by our students to work with elementary schools to increase literacy as part of the Read to the Final Four.

As highlighted recently in the Indianapolis Business Journal, our students are playing meaningful roles behind the scenes. These are real responsibilities tied to one of the biggest sporting events in the country and our students are stepping up in impressive ways.

This happens thanks to our faculty who are committed to ensuring that our learning converts into doing in a manner that is engaging and exciting. A great example is a sports management course taught by Dr. Geoff Sherman, lecturer in our School of Health & Human Sciences and assistant director of the IU Indianapolis Sports Innovation Institute. Through a mock NCAA tournament selection exercise, his students see just how complex it is to build a bracket by balancing factors like travel logistics and scheduling constraints while maintaining a competitive balance. Using sophisticated software, they also learn how even one small change can impact the entire tournament structure. It’s the kind of experience that completely changes how you view March Madness™.

And our classroom extends beyond our campus. JoAn Scott, a longtime NCAA leader and Vice President of Men’s Basketball Operations, is teaching a course at IU Indy that is livestreamed to universities across the state! Thank you, JoAn.

At IU Indianapolis, we bring education to life.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor