Council of Presidents and Chancellors

The Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) holds ultimate authority and responsibility for Big Ten Conference governance. All policy is decided at the COP/C level, including the conference office annual budget and all other financial matters.

Other responsibilities of the COP/C include, but are not limited to, hiring and determining duties of the Big Ten Commissioner, enforcing conference rules, agreements, appendices and bylaws, amending or repealing bylaws and admitting new institutions into membership.

The COP/C Executive Committee conducts the regular business of the COP/C between its two annual meetings and provides direction to the commissioner in the conduct of the day-to-day operations of the conference.

The COP/C has roots that date back to early 1952. In May of that year, it was determined that the conference commissioner be employed by the 10 conference presidents, and that the commissioner shall report to that group on the enforcement of conference rules and regulations. The group, then known as the Council of Ten, was re-named the Council of Presidents and Chancellors with the inclusion of Penn State University in June of 1990.

Current COP/C members are listed below.

• Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Pamela Whitten, President, Indiana University
• Barbara J. Wilson, President, University of Iowa
• Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland
• Santa J. Ono, President, University of Michigan
• Kevin Guskiewicz, President, Michigan State University
• Jeff Ettinger, President, University of Minnesota
• Chris Kabourek, Interim President, University of Nebraska System
• Michael Schill, President, Northwestern University
• Ted Carter, President, The Ohio State University
• Neeli Bendapudi, President, Penn State University
• Mung Chiang, President, Purdue University
• Jonathan Holloway, President, Rutgers University
• Jennifer L. Mnookin, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin

Last updated: 3/6/2024