Hackney gets his turn as chairperson of Ivy Group

U.S. News and World Report may say the University is in the cellar of the Ivy League, but as of January 1, President Sheldon Hackney is leading it. For the next two years, Hackney is chairperson of the Council of Ivy Group Presidents, where he will oversee both the Ivy League's athletic and academic policies, serve as spokesperson for the League and set the agenda for the biannual meetings of the eight schools' presidents, Ivy Group Executive Director Jeff Orleans said. The council's chair changes every two years, Orleans said this week, passing to the president of the next member school alphabetically. Harvard President Derek Bok should have held the chair, Orleans said, but Harvard's term was passed when Bok announced this summer he would resign at the end of the year. Hackney said this week that chairing the Council is a necessary -- but not time-consuming -- duty. "It's my turn to arrange things," Hackney said. He added that the Council will spend most of its time discussing Ivy League athletic policies, adding that it is "distressing" that the presidents cannot spend more time on other issues. "The group is good," Hackney said. "I learn a lot from the group about common problems." Hackney's experience with the National Collegiate Athletic Association should aid him in athletic affairs, Orleans said. Hackney represents the Patriot League and the Yankee Conference as well as the Ivy League to the NCAA Presidents' Commission. Hackney added that the Council will also talk about the Persian Gulf war and the federal budget.

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