President Brian J. Shanley, O.P. was named Chair of the BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors after being chosen by a committee of 11 of his fellow university presidents, the league office announced on June 2.
Creighton University President, Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J., Ph.D. previously held the position. Shanley officially takes over as Chair on June 30 and will carry out a two-year term.
Shanley has been serving as St. John’s President since 2021, but his leadership experience in the BIG EAST began long before that.
He previously served as Providence University President for 15 years. The new BIG EAST chair also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Commission for Independent Colleges and Universities in New York.
“I am grateful and excited to serve as Chair of the BIG EAST Board of Directors and build on the accomplishments of my predecessor,” Shanley said. “These are challenging and exciting times in the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics. With the rich BIG EAST history, a global brand, and our proven record as a competitive and visionary conference, there are only growth opportunities for our basketball-centric conference now and in the future.”
The election took place at the BIG EAST annual spring meetings in Ponte Vedra, Florida on May 21. The collection of conference representatives also met throughout the three-day event to discuss various ways to keep the conference thriving.
“This year’s meetings allowed us to reflect on the successes of the past year, take stock of fast-moving currents in the college sports world, and identify priorities as we plan for next year and beyond,” BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman said.
“We believe our basketball focus, broad national television reach, the stature of our coaches, the appeal of our conference tournaments, our brand strength and our unified strategic outlook will create advantages for our schools as we look to maintain our future stability and standing.”
To read about other highlights from the BIG EAST conference spring meetings click here.
