“College Athletics at a Crossroads: What NIL and the Transfer Portal Mean for the Ivy League Model”

Dr. Ryan Lombardi

Thursday, April 16th from 10:30-11:30am- In Person & Zoom

Description: This discussion will explore how recent changes in college athletics—particularly Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies and the NCAA transfer portal—are reshaping dynamics across higher education. Specifically, we will focus on potential implications for the Ivy League’s long-standing model of scholar-athletes, academic prioritization, and institutional integrity, and consider what these shifts may mean for the future of athletics at academically intensive institutions.

Bio: Dr. Ryan Lombardi has served as Cornell’s Vice President of Student and Campus Life since 2015, overseeing the student experience outside of the classroom, including the university’s housing, dining, athletics and recreation, mental health and medical services, student organizations and clubs, community-engaged learning, resource centers, career services, and more.

In his tenure as vice president, Ryan’s priorities have focused on enhancing resources to support the Cornell student community. This has included the transformation of Cornell’s residential campus with the addition of new residence halls and world-class dining facilities on North Campus, the expansion of resources and services to support emerging student needs including those of first-generation and low-income students, and has been a champion for student wellbeing by enabling the growth of clinical mental health services and non-clinical programs to promote student flourishing.

Ryan is a hands-on leader who can most often be seen engaging with students and staff in campus community centers, dining halls, and at athletic events. In all spaces he is advocating for the mission that guides the work of Student and Campus Life: creating a campus environment that enables student transformation.