President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, left, flank former Oklahoma Sen. David Boren in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, as the president announced Boren, and former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, as co-chairs of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Barack Obama has appointed OU President David Boren to serve as co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, according a news release issued by University Spokesman Jay Doyle.

The board provides Obama with an independent source of advice on the effectiveness of the U.S. intellegence community, according to the White House’s Web site.

Boren said the position, which is part-time and uncompensated, will not affect his plans to remain OU’s president.

“I am honored by the president’s appointment to co-chair the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board,” Boren state in the release. “I appreciate the opportunity the president has given me to help in the effort to strengthen our national security.”

Boren will co-chair the committee with former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb).

“I’m especially pleased that ... Chuck Hagel, for whom I have great respect, will serve as the other co-chair. It is my hope that together, with the other members of the board, we can give candid, thoughtful, and nonpartisan advice, which will be helpful to the country.”

Obama made the announcement this afternoon from the Cabinet Room of the White House. Leaders from all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, including Director of National Intelligence Denny Blair, attended the announcement, Obama said, according to a transcript of the announcement.

“Our work is clear,” Obama said. “The [16 U.S. intelligence] organizations represented here have made real progress in recent years. But we all agree that more needs to be done — to improve the collection of intelligence, to ensure that analysis reaches senior decision-makers in a timely way, and to provide strong oversight to ensure that our intelligence activities are consistent with our democratic values and the rule of law.”

Boren served in the U.S. Senate from 1979-1994. While in the Senate, he was the longest-serving chair of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (1986-1992). During his six years as chair, he wrote legislation to establish an independent inspector general of the CIA and instituted major reforms in the oversight of covert actions after the Iran-Contra affair, according to the release.

The President’s Intelligence Oversight Board oversees the intelligence community’s compliance with the Constitution and all applicable laws, executive orders, and presidential directives, according to the White House’s Web site.

The board is non-partisan, according to the White House’s Web site.

President Eisenhower created the board in 1956, according to the news release.