IUPUI athletic director turns in resignation after change in leadership

An administrative shift at the top echelon of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has filtered down to the athletic department.

Michael Moore, IUPUI's athletic director who led the school into the NCAA Division I level and doubled its sport offerings to 18, has resigned after 19 years.

"He saw the change in leadership at the chancellor level and saw it as an opportunity to seek out new opportunities for himself," said Ed Holdaway, assistant athletic director/communications.

IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz announced in November that he would step down from his post after more than a decade. His final day is Aug. 15. Incoming chancellor Nasser H. Paydar, currently the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at IUPUI, starts Aug. 16.

Moore's last day is Aug. 14. He is on a trip out of the country and was unavailable for comment. Moore announced his resignation Friday and left on the trip the next day, Holdaway said.

In an email, Paydar said "we are appreciative of the good work of Mr. Moore and wish him the best as he moves to the next chapter in his professional life. He has been a dedicated employee and has provided great service to IUPUI and our athletics program."

Paydar said he especially appreciated Moore's efforts toward improving athletes' academic success, "reflecting our highest priority at IUPUI."

IUPUI student-athletes recently recorded a 13th straight semester with a departmental grade point average of 3.0 or better. The Jaguars' spring 2015 GPA of 3.32 was the highest mark in the program's history. IUPUI Athletics received USA Today/NCAA Academic Achievement Awards in both 2002 and 2003 for excellent work in the classroom.

Under Moore, eight different IUPUI programs have won conference titles and the department captured its first-ever NCAA individual title in March 2010 when diver Chen Ni won her first of two national crowns.

Moore is credited with making the decision to move IUPUI's basketball games to Indiana Farmers Coliseum, resulting in the nation's 30th-largest increase in home attendance during the 2014-15 season, from 615 to 1,527.

"We've accomplished a lot as a department," Moore said in a statement. "We've assembled a great staff and have worked hard to achieve monumental growth. I'm particularly proud of the academic achievements we've attained and I'm proud of our accomplishments on the playing fields. I'm confident the groundwork has been laid for sustained success for IUPUI Athletics."

Holdaway said the university is viewing Moore's resignation as a positive because of the mark he's left on the program.

"We see it as a celebratory day," Holdaway said. "Looking back at all of his accomplishments."

IUPUI is beginning a national search for a new athletic director and hope to have the person on board in a few months, Paydar said. Before Moore leaves IUPUI, an interim director will be named.

Follow Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.