Indiana State receives international award for Larry Bird events

Indiana State University has earned an international award for the \"Honoring A Legend: The Larry Bird Scholarship Dinner and Statue Dedication\" events.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education selected Indiana State\'s entry for a bronze award in the multi-day event category of the annual Circle of Excellence Program. The prestigious international awards program recognizes \"superior accomplishments that have lasting impact, demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and deliver exceptional results.\"

The events were conducted last fall in conjunction with the installation of a statue honoring Indiana State alumnus Larry Bird\'s tremendous contributions to the game of basketball. The events included an appearance of the statue at the opening game of the Indiana Pacers season before it was delivered to campus for permanent installation, a high-profile dinner designed to raise funds for the Larry Bird Scholarship, the statue dedication ceremony, and a special presentation and sponsor recognition program during the halftime of Indiana State\'s season-opener against Ball State.

The weekend attracted thousands of individuals, and the dinner became the largest single fundraising event in university history by netting more than $400,000 for the endowed scholarship fund.

\"It is great to see the hard work of our foundation and university staff recognized for putting together this series of events. They were aided by many community partners, alumni and donors who helped support and promote the Honoring A Legend activities,\" said Ron Carpenter, president of the ISU Foundation.

Indiana State President Daniel J. Bradley echoed Carpenter\'s sentiments.

\"It was a wonderful weekend in the history of our university, and the committee and others worked extremely hard at pulling it off to perfection. Most importantly, we appreciate Larry allowing us to honor him in this manner and use the installation of the statue as an opportunity to provide scholarships for future Sycamores. We are also indebted to the students who originated the idea,\" said Bradley.

Members of the planning committee from the Indiana State University Foundation included: Ron Carpenter, Rex Kendall, Kim Kunz, Teddy Lenderman, Phil Ness, Amy Roman, and Catherine Saunders. University staff members on the committee were Jennifer Cook, Fred Clark, Teresa Exline, Greg Lansing, Lisa Moore, Ron Prettyman, Kevin Runion, and Dave Taylor. Dana Babel from Sodexo, artist Bill Wolfe, and engineer Betsy Wilkinson also participated in the planning.

Indiana State and the University of Notre Dame were the only Indiana institutions to receive honors in the competition.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/Events-by-Year/2013/Larry-Bird-Statue-Dedication/i-7jjHtR6/0/3X/November%2009%2C%202013%20Larry%20Bird%20Statue%20Dedication%202-221-3X.jpg - Larry Bird speaks during the Nov. 9, 2013 dedication of a statue in his honor. The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education recognized Indiana State University with a bronze award in its international Circle of Excellence program for the multi-day \"Honoring a Legend\" weekend that paid tribute to the basketball star and Indiana State alumnus and raised $400,000 for scholarships.

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu