Indiana U. Celebrates Career of Longtime Facilities Administrator

For the most part, campus facilities administrators keep fairly low profiles. They may be responsible for construction projects worth millions or even hundreds of millions, but they can usually walk or golf-cart around their campuses unrecognized. And while they’re likely to be blamed if something goes amiss, when things go well the glory often seems to go to architects — and of course to college presidents.

So it’s nice to see an article in the Indiana Daily Student about an event celebrating the career of Terry Clapacs, Indiana University’s vice president and chief administrative officer. Mr. Clapacs, who is retiring, is a 1965 graduate of the university whose career there has spanned six university presidencies and a remarkable 661 construction projects.

“Terry has overseen the construction of nearly half of the buildings on all Indiana University campuses,” said the current president, Michael McRobbie. “It is virtually impossible to look at any Indiana University campus without seeing the impact of Terry Clapacs.” In addition, Mr. Clapacs has overseen the institution’s human-resources and campus-police operations.

What next? Mr. Clapacs plans to work on a book about the university’s architectural history.