While the impact of the loss of the University of Miami and Virginia Tech cannot be ignored, I am convinced that the schools of the Big East will rebuild a strong, competitive athletic conference, which will be viable for many years to come.
p. I look forward to working with my fellow athletic directors as we plan for the future of the Big East Conference. It is certainly good that Syracuse and Boston College are committed to the conference.

This conference has great things working in its favor: competitive athletic teams, great fan support and strong television markets. We will each work together to strengthen our conference as we improve our own athletic programs.

I want to commend President Hardesty and all the Big East presidents for working so tirelessly in attempting to maintain the conference intact. I know that they will put that same energy into making the Big East stronger than ever.