Bill Scholl, director of intercollegiate athletics at Ball State University, will serve as Marquette University's next vice president and director of athletics, according to President Michael R. Lovell. Scholl has more than two decades of athletics administration experience and oversaw 19 NCAA Division I athletic programs at Ball State. He will begin at Marquette mid-October.

"Our search committee did a tremendous job of finding a leader who embraces our tradition, shares our values and shows an adept ability to navigate the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics," said President Lovell. "Bill brings a combination of strong leadership qualities that are grounded in integrity, an extensive history of leading successful athletic programs and a track record of developing student-athletes who are scholars and who compete at the highest level of NCAA athletics."

President Lovell expressed gratitude for Bill Henk, dean of the College of Education, who chaired the successful search and for the great work of the entire committee. Henk is a member of the University Academic Senate and University Leadership Council. He was a student-athlete in his undergraduate days, playing basketball at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.

"This process was an excellent marriage between our talented Korn/Ferry search firm partners and our deeply thoughtful search committee, one that resulted in hiring a seasoned athletic leader with integrity and vision," Henk said. "In addition to seeking a proven winner, we aspired to securing an athletic director who understood Marquette, our mission, and the importance of the student-athlete experience."

Scholl has led the Ball State Cardinals since 2012, during which eight programs have reached the postseason and 13 teams placed either first or second in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State has boasted four All-Americans in each of his two years and the Cardinals placed 54 student-athletes on all-conference teams in 2013-14, a 14.9-percent increase over Scholl's first year and a 54.3-percent increase over the year before his arrival.

Under Scholl's leadership at Ball State, student-athletes also saw success in the classroom, with 14 teams scoring better than the national Division I average in the NCAA's Academic Progress Report baseline. The men's basketball team climbed in its academic standing steadily, posting a 2013 score that is 20 points higher than the national average.

Prior to his term at Ball State, Scholl served 23 years at Notre Dame, where he finished as deputy athletics director. Scholl collaborated with the university's advancement office to lead the athletics department in an $84 million athletics fundraising initiative for the Spirit of Notre Dame campaign.

Scholl earned a bachelor's degree in American studies in 1979 from Notre Dame. He and his wife, Julie, have three children: Michael (a 2009 Notre Dame graduate), Stefanie (a 2012 Ball State graduate) and Kelly (a 2014 Notre Dame graduate).

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