Black Ivy League in each of its institutions, including faculty holding endowed professorships, head athletic coaches, deans, and one president, Ruth Simmons (Dillard graduate) of Brown University. From 1967 to 1976, black enrollment in Ivy League colleges rose from 2.3% to 6.3%. In addition, Ivy League alumni who are African-American have formed the Black Ivy Alumni League, as well as separate black alumni groups for each individual university. The Black Ivy Alumni League notes that "over 50,000 alumni of African descent connected through our Ivy League experiences." African Americans who earned undergraduate degrees at Ivy League schools include President Barack Obama; his wife,
Ivy League These counterparts are often referred to in the American media as the "Ivy League" of their respective nations. Additionally, groupings of schools use the "Ivy" nomenclature to denote a perceived comparability, such as American liberal arts colleges (Little Ivies), lesser known schools (Hidden Ivies), public universities (Public Ivies), and schools in the Southern United States (Southern Ivies). Ivy League universities have some of the largest university financial endowments in the world, which allows the universities to provide many resources for their academic programs and research endeavors. , Harvard University has an endowment of $37.1 billion, the highest of any US