Peter William Stanley (born 1940) is an American historian and academic administrator who served as the eighth president of

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

. A scholar of

Asian studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

, his tenure at Pomona coincided with a substantial increase in the college's endowment and prestige.

Education and career

Stanley earned his BA and doctorate degrees at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He was a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow at Jesus College,

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He subsequently taught Asian history at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

and Harvard, and served as the chief academic officer at

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the main campus is between Northfield and the approximately Carleton ...

for a year. From 1979 to 1987, he directed the education and culture program at the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

. Stanley became president of

in 1991. During his tenure, he oversaw a number of construction projects, including most prominently the Smith Campus Center (1999), that modernized the college's facilities while restoring elements of

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

's master plan that had degraded over time. He also led the extremely successful Campaign for Pomona College from 1997 to 2002, which ultimately raised over $206 million, far exceeding its goal. Pomona's endowment increased from $364 million to $1.1. billion over the course of his presidency. After Pomona, he became vice president of the

executive search Executive search (informally often referred to as headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service which organizations pay to seek out and recruit highly qualified candidates for senior-level and executive jobs across the public and private sect ...

firm Isaacson.

Personal life

Stanley married Mary-Jane Cosgrove in 1978, and had one daughter, Laura. After retiring from Pomona, Stanley moved with his wife to

Old Saybrook, Connecticut Old Saybrook is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10, ...

; she died in January 2020 after 42 years of marriage.

Legacy

The Peter W. Stanley Academic Quadrangle at Pomona is named in his honor. The college also awarded him an honorary degree at its 2008 commencement ceremony.

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Peter William

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

1940 births Harvard University alumni Living people Alumni of the University of Cambridge American expatriates in the United Kingdom Place of birth missing (living people)