Xavier President Colleen Hanycz ‘Holding Court’ on First-Ever NCAA Tournament Trip

Mar 16, 2023

Xavier University President Colleen Hanycz, PhD, has brought her dancing shoes to Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Musketeers’ appearance in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Since joining the Xavier family in July 2021 as the institution’s first layperson and female president, Hanycz has been a cheerleader for all things Xavier but has especially relished the opportunity to engage Musketeer fans around home men’s basketball games.

Last month, the Cincinnati Enquirer featured her new tradition of spending time with the student section and pep band during each home game. 

While many have grown accustomed to what has become an annual March tradition — marking calendars, filling out brackets and making travel plans to support the team throughout the ‘Big Dance’ — this will be Hanycz’s first experience with the tournament.

Learn more about Hanycz’s perspective on traveling with the team, how basketball helps fuel the long-term mission of the University and more in this Q&A:

This is your first NCAA Tournament trip as Xavier's president. What is all of this like, just to be around it?

This is not only my first NCAA Tournament as Xavier’s president — it’s my first of all time. I could not be more thrilled to be here in Greensboro this weekend.

I have a very strong student-centered focus on all of this. When I think about this season, I am looking at it through the lens of our student-athletes. We asked a lot of them this last year, and they went through a lot when you think about the challenge of a coaching change and coming off a couple of difficult seasons that did not go the way they wanted.

For me, having watched this season through the eyes of the young men who step out on the court wearing Xavier uniforms in support of our University has been a joy. They have clearly come together, bonded and built a season for themselves that they should be very proud of … and as their president, I am thrilled for them and proud of them, too.

More broadly, for Xavier, what does it mean to be back in the NCAA Tournament? How does that map back to your long-term vision for what’s ahead for our institution?

There is no question that 20-some years ago, Fr. (James) Hoff, one of my predecessors at Xavier, made the decision to really invest in basketball as a spire of excellence for the University.

It was a brilliant decision, so as we’ve built this and invested in our program over the years, we’ve moved to the BIG EAST Conference and taken all these little steps that have turned our basketball programs into premier athletic achievements and priorities at Xavier.

It’s not the only or best thing we do, but it is certainly the most visible. It lifts the rest of us. It galvanizes our student body. It shows the world that Xavier is a school that is committed to excellence and committed to performance across all that we do — most especially in the classroom. For me, basketball shines a light on all of that, and it is a valuable, strategic and key priority.

What have been some of your favorite moments this season?

One of the practices I have instituted in my presidency has been to make sure I get down and spend time in the student section each game. Sometimes that has meant playing with the band, playing an instrument that I don’t know how to play or literally jumping up and down on the bleachers with the X-Treme Fans.

They are an extraordinary group of students and they have embraced me being with them in a way that is really very warm and hospitable. I have loved that time with them as much as I have loved hosting people in the University suite. It has all really connected me to Xavier Nation in a way that has been very enjoyable.

What are road trips like for you when you get to go with the team?

I love traveling with the team. It is a great opportunity to be with our student-athletes, but also our entire travel party. Many of them spend their entire day job focused on this moment in the calendar. I’ve traveled with many teams, even prior to Xavier, and always really enjoy it.

But seeing this, first around the conference tournament and now at the NCAA Tournament. It takes on a new level of excitement and has a slightly different complexion. Maybe a little bit more stress too.

I get the opportunity to connect with alumni, donors and friends at the University that I might not otherwise see. All of it just builds so much excitement for our program and where we’re heading as a University.

Just being a part of it has been terrific for [my husband] Peter and me. We really enjoy working with the group.

You mentioned your husband, Peter. Is he doing more cheering during the games, or are you?

Peter will make comments to the refs, which I have to remind him to sit tight and keep that a little bit more to himself.

But both of us cheer. I assume some very non-presidential stances sometimes as I’m jumping and waving my arms and clapping — nothing I’m apologizing for. It’s great fun.

What’s your official prediction for the NCAA Tournament?

I’m not sure if the rules allow me to fill in a bracket, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t secretly done one in pencil.

I don’t see one reason why we are not going to go much deeper in this tournament than this week. I realize all these games are tough and I know there are always “Cinderella stories,” but we are not that. This is a program with a long legacy and an extraordinary coach.

I see us going deep into the tournament, for sure.