Chancellor, AD issue statement on Big 12 agreement

Sept. 22, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger tonight issued the following statement regarding the Big 12 Conference:

“Tonight, nine members of the Big 12 Conference affirmed their solidarity and agreed to measures that will ensure the stability of the conference moving forward.

“The preservation of the Big 12 has been our primary objective as we worked to uphold the interests of KU, our student-athletes and fans. Tonight’s agreement will enable us to again look at expansion as a way to solidify the conference’s national standing. We look forward to working with interim commissioner Chuck Neinas in that effort.

“We want to thank Jayhawks for their patience as we have worked aggressively toward this outcome. We would have liked to have shared details of the various discussions with you, but it better served our common objective to proceed with the utmost discretion.

“While details remain to be worked out, this agreement points to a bright future for the Big 12 and allows us all to begin to turn our attention back to the accomplishments of our student-athletes in the classroom and on the field of competition.”