This project follows a 2024 announcement that highlighted a $9 million grant given to Butler by the Allen Whitehall Clowes Charitable Foundation. 

In a university press release, President Danko stated, “The Whitehill Ballroom reflects our confidence in Butler’s future, Indianapolis’ future and our belief that the arts remain essential to building vibrant communities.”

The event venue further contributes to the Gateway Project goal of developing a stronger Midtown Arts District to create a community impact. Simultaneously, renovations are being done at Clowes Memorial Hall to improve accessibility and performance capabilities. 

The Butler Collegian will continue to report on this story as it develops.

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Zentgraf cited a family move across the country as a reason for stepping down.

“This is really bittersweet,” Zentgraf stated. “We are excited to get back East and be around more of our family but we’re sad to leave Butler, these amazing young women and the entire community that has supported our family these last few years. Butler is a wonderful place with incredible support, and I want to thank Molly Sullivan, Michelle Bowman and Grant Leiendecker for their belief, guidance and patience. I’ve enjoyed coaching this team of talented student-athletes so much and I know they will do big things moving forward.” 

Zentgraf won a Big East championship as a player at Notre Dame, but did not find the same success coaching Butler. She posted a 10-51 record with the Dawgs.

Leiendecker, the vice president and director of athletics, praised Zentgraf’s tenure.

“Maggie has built a strong culture within our women’s lacrosse program and we could all see the groundwork she laid start to show itself more and more on the field,” Leiendecker stated. “We certainly support her decision to prioritize her family and being closer to them. And we want to thank Maggie for all her efforts over the last four years as a mentor to her student-athletes and a great representative of our university and The Butler Way.” 

Butler has now begun a national search for the third head coach in the program’s history.

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The fund will begin distributing donations to local arts organizations in Indianapolis in the summer of 2027, with a focus on increasing accessibility and opportunity surrounding the arts. This will include providing spaces for arts organizations to show their works, whether that be in Clowes or other venues, including a new one that Butler is about to break ground on. The program’s long-term goal is to reach $10 million, with a short-term goal to raise $1 million by summer 2027.

As a part of the Butler Gateway Project, the university is being centered as a place for the arts to thrive. The Gateway Project represents Butler’s long-term goals of transforming the campus and surrounding areas into a community that will better support entertainment, arts, athletic and educational opportunities. 

Aaron Hurt, vice president for arts, events and enterprise management, highlighted the university’s enthusiasm for providing a central space to celebrate the arts.

“We’re very excited about the Arts Performance Fund and the impact it will have both on advancing the City of Indianapolis’ performing arts scene and Butler’s leadership in the Arts,” Hurt stated. “Clowes Memorial Hall was built in 1963 to be the arts center for Indianapolis, and over the last 60 years has been the home for many of central Indiana’s performing arts organizations. As we look to what a modern arts center needs to be for 2026 and beyond, we want to be a leader for the arts sector nationally, and the Arts Performance Fund is our next major step to fulfilling that vision as a part of the Boldly Butler strategy.”

Funds supporting the arts are crucial to many students and community members, as they enable them to follow their dreams. Many careers in the arts receive less recognition than other paths, making them discouraging to pursue.

Marissa Huggett, a sophomore acting and arts administration double major, spoke about how many arts students face potentially damaging stigmas.

“There’s the caricature of the struggling artist, because there’s so much shine about [being] a performer, but it’s still not valued, despite it taking just as much time or effort [as other careers],” Huggett said. “I feel like [performance arts are as specialized as] other fields, but it’s not regarded as that.”

Funds like these help the arts gain more attention and be taken more seriously, while providing a place for students to share their work. 

Huggett also emphasized the importance of arts education and how this specific fund can benefit children getting involved in the arts.

“[Art is] very pivotal to development,” Huggett said. “The arts in general are so important everywhere in the world. It is a defining factor of culture, and with kids, it [develops] fine motor skills, creativity and imagination. Giving funding to the smaller places that are open for everybody allows it to be that much more accessible.”

Performance arts also serve as a source of community for many individuals, who can connect over a shared passion for and understanding of the arts.

Lily Avery, a senior dance pedagogy and psychology double major, explained why the arts are invaluable and why they have been so important in her life.

“I feel like there is nothing that can replace [the arts],” Avery said. “It’s something that gives you a chance to think deeply, [but] there’s nothing to influence you to think a certain way other than strictly what you’re seeing. There’s so much meaning behind [art], and I love, especially with contemporary dance, there are so many ways you can interpret it and have it connect to your life.”

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It feels like just yesterday that I was a first-year sports reporter grinding out far too many OTs in my first semester on The Collegian, when Caleb — the assistant sports editor at the time — and sports editor Sarah Hohman pulled me aside to ask if I wanted to be on the women’s basketball beat. 

I worked on the women’s basketball beat for the following two years with managing editor Sawyer Goldwein, as we each climbed our way up The Collegian ladder, becoming co-assistant editors under Caleb during the first semester of our sophomore year before stepping into the sports co-editors role in the spring term. 

Over those two years, and as we both progressed onto the leadership team this year, Sawyer has become one of my closest friends. Although his rage-baiting ways drive me crazy on Tuesday nights, I appreciate him more than he knows and I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

As for Caleb, he and I have also grown close these past few years. Despite Sawyer and I collectively enraging him every week, his leadership and guidance these past three years have impacted me for the better, and I cannot wait to see where we both end up.  

Late last year, Sawyer and I both transitioned onto the men’s basketball beat. I was able to experience one of the best weeks of my life with him in New York City to cover the Big East Tournament together. Lucky enough to see a singular Butler win, the two of us got to interview some of the greatest minds in basketball and explored all over the city. 

At some point between then and now, my junior year quickly got changed to my senior year, and suddenly, the real world is right around the corner. However, as I delay that inevitability, this past academic year has been my favorite by far. 

Serving as a managing editor for The Collegian, I have been able to work closely with both Caleb and Sawyer, while also growing my relationships with Piper Bailey, Emma McLean and Anna Gritzenbach. Those three are some of the smartest, strongest and most badass women I know, and I cannot wait to see how they continue to leave their mark. 

During this last semester, I got to write some of my favorite stories of my young career thus far, as I interviewed Gordon Hayward, spent a week with the football team, spoke with Butler’s official painter and even took over the weekly crossword duties. 

These are just a few of the 136 stories I was fortunate enough to write for The Collegian, all of which would make little David over the moon if he knew all the cool people I would talk to and the fun things I got to do for work. 

So, without further ado, just a brief thanks to so many who helped me along the way: 

To my mom, dad and my two sisters — Liv and Nat — thank you all for being such a strong foundation to lean on and being my biggest fans. 

To my high school journalism teacher, Ms. MacMillan, thank you for the countless recommendation letters you’ve written for me, the endless support you’ve shown and for convincing me to join the Tiger Times my senior year. I am not where I am today without you!  

To the entire editorial board and all of the reporters, thank you for all of your hard work this year, and I cannot wait to see all of your continued work for years to come. An added shout-out to the late-night crew of Caleb, Piper, Emma, Sawyer, Lilly Frieling, Jada Gangazha and Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy for unprecedented efficiency in creating yet another award-winning paper this year. 

At last, thank you to all of the athletes who have let me share their stories, cover their games and become a small part of each of their fantastic careers. 

I have no idea where journalism will take me in life after I graduate, but one thing I know for sure is that I am beyond grateful that it led me to three incredible years with The Butler Collegian that I will always hold close to my heart. 

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Head coach Ronald Nored is attacking the offseason with just two rotational players — graduate guard Jalen Jackson and senior center Drayton Jones — returning to play for the new head coach.

Nored began his tenure by going global, securing his first commitment from Asim Đulović, a 20-year-old Serbian national who averaged 18.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season in the top league in Serbia.

Next, Nored reaped the benefit of bringing on new assistant coach Jalen Courtney-Williams from LSU, with four-star high school wing Herly Brutus flipping his commitment from the Tigers to the Bulldogs. Brutus joins unranked guard Baron Walker in Butler’s 2026 high school recruiting class. 

Walker was initially recruited by former coach Thad Matta before he stepped into his current role as the special assistant to the president and athletic director. 

“We think he’s going to be a heck of a player for us,” Matta told The Collegian in February. “[He] is a local who can [make an] impact.” 

Amidst the work being done to bring in players new to college, the portal has not gone unnoticed by Nored and his staff. Ole Miss guard Eduardo Klafke found his home in the Circle City after two seasons in Oxford. The Brazilian averaged 4.6 points and shot 42.6% from deep in 15 minutes per game during his sophomore season with the Rebels. 

Elsewhere in the backcourt, Florida Gulf Coast standout Jordan Ellerbee will bring his microwave scoring ability to Hinkle Fieldhouse next season. The Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman nominee averaged 13.1 points per game last season, including a 42-point explosion against Kennesaw State. 

Ellerbee and Klafke show depth being rebuilt in the Bulldogs’ backcourt, with the pair likely to fill parts of Finley Bizjack and Evan Haywood’s roles, respectively. Ellerbee will share some ball-handling responsibilities with Jackson and should thrive getting up and down the floor quickly in Nored’s fast-paced offensive style. Meanwhile, Klafke will likely play the spot-up shooter role, leaving the playmaking to his fellow guards.

Despite Klafke’s billing as a shooter, Nored is optimistic that he adds a well-rounded skill set to the roster. 

“Eduardo is battle-tested from playing in the SEC the past two years,” Nored stated. “He’s earned the reputation as a shooter, but we were also impressed with his ability to drive the ball and his vision in making plays for others. Eduardo will play a significant role for us for the next few seasons and we’re excited to get him on campus soon.”

With the guard rotation taking shape, the arrival of North Dakota State’s Treyson Anderson helps shore up a presence on the interior. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his sophomore season with the Bison. Anderson is a candidate to take on a starting role and fits the need for length and physicality to join Jones in the frontcourt. 

Anderson — like all of the Dawgs’ transfer commitments thus far — also aligns with Nored’s preference of players with multiple years of eligibility remaining. 

Shortly after landing Anderson, Nored stayed aggressive in the portal, tabbing a commitment from Samis Calderon. The former four-star and top-100 recruit saw just 66 total minutes of action during his first-year campaign at Kansas. The 6-foot-8 forward displayed high levels of athleticism playing for Overtime Elite at the prep level, measuring in with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a 38-inch vertical.

Overall, Nored has quickly built a roster of 12 players — including six transfers —  leaving him with three roster spots remaining, which are expected to be filled soon. 

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Happy summer break, Dawgs!

The Collegian Cordle will return in Fall 2026.

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I’m not sure how to feel. On one hand, I’m excited to open a new chapter and move on from a place that has brought me so much joy, but also many … many tired nights. Conversely, this newspaper has been my home for the past four years and a part of my being now belongs to it.

Coming into college, I had no intention of working for a print publication. I wanted to call sporting events like my heroes Jim Nantz or Neil Sika, not write the words we all read every day on screens. After a few broadcast classes it became apparent that the television route was not my destination, vaulting me into an entirely new path that changed the trajectory of my life. That road led me to this newspaper.

Thank God for The Butler Collegian.

This publication taught me how to be a journalist. Sure, you can go to lectures and soak up the ins and outs of the news business, but you won’t learn as well as doing actual journalism every day. That practice is refined in the interviewing, writing and painstaking editing that happens in and around The Collegian office on the second floor of Fairbanks. 

You don’t need me to tell you that though. This independent student-run newspaper has been around for 140 years now. Time speaks for itself. Throughout the 14 decades that The Butler Collegian has existed, there have been times of great triumph, moments of sadness, loads of grammatical edits caught and an incalculable amount of stories written by students. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to author some of those stories. From meticulously thought-out features and column ramblings to quickly-published previews/recaps and stories that were hard to write, this place allowed me to do real journalism. For four years, my life revolved around telling those stories. I’d like to say I’m proud of how they turned out. Even though I’m simply a guy who writes about sports, I hope they made an impact.

That impact speaks for itself in the work that every Collegian employee puts their heart into, so I’m going to take these words I have left to talk about the people that made this place my home.

If not for this newspaper, I would never have the memories of the amazing people that have made Indianapolis a habitat for this kid from Columbus, Ohio. I’ll always remember talking with Eva Hallman about quitting at Collegian bootcamp during our first year, driving Matthew Crane out of his mind with the amount of soccer stories I tried to write and attending women’s soccer games with Alison Miccolis.

How could I forget the countless hours spent with my dear friend Sarah Hohman in the Hinkle Fieldhouse media section? Or trying to find a slice on our way to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament? In fact, if Sarah didn’t encourage me to apply to be an editor, I would not be writing this right now. I’m thankful she did, because I enjoyed the two years that followed covering the men’s basketball team with her … although the product on the court always made us question how much longer we could do it.

I will miss David Jacobs and Sawyer Goldwein bullying me because the Crew lost, Jada Gangazha putting me through deep breathing exercises to keep me sane, Anna Gritzenbach and Maddie Wood making me laugh constantly and all my non-journalism friends — Tanner, Noah, Nathan, Audrey, Braxton, Karin, Emma, Brogan, Chloe and all my friends back home  — who listened to my endless rambling about Oxford commas and the ethical dangers of AI.

Most of all, I will miss our staff that showed up every single day to tell the stories on campus that students, faculty and alumni needed to know. A year ago, you all believed in me to lead you as editor-in-chief, and it has been the greatest honor of my life getting to work alongside you. I was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but you accepted me for all my flaws and still trusted me, which means more than any award I could receive. 

All this in mind, it would suffice to say that without student journalists’ will to do impossibly hard work for crappy pay, campuses across the nation would be worse off.

So, thank God for The Butler Collegian.

From here on I’m not sure where I will end up, what job I will have, what state I will live in or where my life may lead, but I do know that The Collegian will be a part of me. This paper has made me feel every emotion from joy and happiness to anger and frustration, but I hope that shows how much I cared for the people and the work we did.

All that there is left to do now is say thank you.

Thank you to every member of the staff for supporting me over the last four years.

Thank you to many of you who became my best friends.

Thank you to others who were adversaries, for teaching me patience and persistence.

Thank you to Dr. Karaliova for your constant support of not only all of us as student journalists, but as people too.

Thank you to my family — Mom, Noah and Chloe — and friends for the outpouring of love and assistance as I navigated this chapter.

Finally, thank you God for The Butler Collegian. 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

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New head coach Maria Marchesano now inherits a roster of two — redshirt junior guard Saniya Jackson and senior guard Nevaeh Jackson. As Marchesano begins to assemble a team, the Jacksons will be at the core of her rebuild.

Saniya was the second-highest scorer last season, averaging 9.2 points per game while leading the team in rebounds with 5.5 per game. Despite missing time with a broken hand, Nevaeh notched 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. The twins are versatile on both sides of the ball and will continue to be key players for the Bulldogs.

However, the Dawgs lose two offensive threats in junior guard Lily Zeinstra and redshirt junior forward Mallory Miller. Zeinstra — the team’s longest-tenured Bulldog — was third with 7.9 points per game, and heads south to Florida Gulf Coast University. Miller, who led the team with 9.6 points per game and 35 total blocks, follows Zeinstra to the Sunshine State to join the Gators.

Sophomore guard Addison Baxter — half of Butler’s 2025 recruiting class —  was key for the Bulldogs in transition play, but will be joining reigning MAC champions Miami University next season. Butler also lost senior forward Caroline Dotsey. A transfer from Maine, Dotsey averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. 

To start, Marchesano brought in senior forward Lili Krasovec from Purdue Fort Wayne. Krasovec averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, making 57% of her shots from the field. While the forward only made one three-pointer in her season with the Mastodons, Krasovec should fill a large gap offensively. Her knowledge of Marchesano’s system will help with the adjustment to Big East play as well.

Sophomore guard Destiny Macharia followed her former teammate from Fort Wayne to Hinkle as well. In her first year with the Mastodons, the guard averaged 3.3 points per game. Macharia is still raw and largely unproven as a player, but her remaining eligibility allows for room to grow and develop.

While the Dawgs are still building up a roster, Marchesano said in her introductory speech that she has already seen anticipation building around the team.

“We’ve seen so much excitement around the Butler name, this magical building and a new chapter that we are unfolding,” Marchesano said. “We take great pride in the product that we will put out in November and our legacy.”

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