Larry Edward Penley said there is a great opportunity to make public universities indispensible resources for their regions - a goal he plans to make a reality in Albuquerque as the next president of UNM.
Students and colleagues alike say that Penley, 54, has made the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University one of the best in the nation during his 13 year tenure as dean. He was named last Friday as one of five finalists for the top post at UNM.
"Dr. Penley took the college of business here so far it is almost unqualifiable," said Andrew Bain, a recent graduate from the W.P Carey school who worked closely with Penley on several projects.
Penley was born in Virginia, raised in Tennessee and stayed in the South for his studies in higher education. He received a B.A. and M.A. from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. in management from the University of Georgia.
Two major areas of concern for Penley as a university administrator are fundraising and strengthening connections between local primary and secondary schools and the university. He has enjoyed a great deal of success with both at ASU.
"There is no expectation that the state will fund us the way we want, the way we need to be funded," Penley said. "The way we were able to be so successful [at ASU] was, in part, community involvement."
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Penley was instrumental in raising money for the ASU business school, including $60 million brought in through a capital campaign and a $50 million gift from Phoenix-area businessman W.P. Carey.
"Mr. Carey was very impressed with Penley and [Penley] was a big reason for the gift," said Garrett Neese, city reporter for the State Press, ASU's campus newspaper.
For too long, higher education and K-12 have been disconnected in an unacceptable way, Penley said. In Phoenix he developed the Rodel Community Scholars Leadership Program, which helped bring local minority students to ASU and, more importantly, helped keep them in the local community after graduation, he said.
"You don't want local businesses to feel like they have to go out of state to recruit," he said. "UNM has to be able to create a broad base of access and keep the very best students working in local industries."
Penley added that he is becoming more familiar with the issues at UNM, including the large Hispanic and American Indian populations on campus. Building "the best darn undergraduate program possible" would also be on the top of his list should he become president, he said.
Penley is the father of two, Jonathon, 23 and JoAnna, 19. His wife, Yolanda, is associate dean at Mesa Community College, Mesa, Ariz.
Penley said that he will be coming to UNM sometime in the next three weeks to visit with students, faculty and staff.
