Peter William Stanley^[1] (born 1940)^[1] is an American historian and academic administrator who served as the eighth president of Pomona College.^[2] A scholar of Asian studies, his tenure at Pomona coincided with a substantial increase in the college's endowment and prestige.^[2]

Education and career

Stanley earned his BA and doctorate degrees at Harvard University.^[3] He was a Frank Knox Memorial Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge University.^[3] He subsequently taught Asian history at the University of Illinois and Harvard, and served as the chief academic officer at Carleton College for a year.^[2] From 1979 to 1987, he directed the education and culture program at the Ford Foundation.^[1][4]

Stanley became president of Pomona College in 1991.^[4] During his tenure, he oversaw a number of construction projects, including most prominently the Smith Campus Center (1999),^[5] that modernized the college's facilities while restoring elements of Myron Hunt's master plan that had degraded over time.^[4] He also led the extremely successful Campaign for Pomona College from 1997 to 2002, which ultimately raised over $206 million, far exceeding its goal.^[4] Pomona's endowment increased from $364 million to $1.1. billion over the course of his presidency.^[2]

After Pomona, he became vice president of the executive search firm Isaacson.^[3]

Personal life

Stanley married Mary-Jane Cosgrove in 1978,^{[6][better source needed]} and had one daughter, Laura.^[2] After retiring from Pomona, Stanley moved with his wife to Old Saybrook, Connecticut; she died in January 2020 after 42 years of marriage.^{[6][better source needed]}

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.^[3]

Publications

• Stanley, Peter W. (1974). A Nation in the making: The Philippines and the United States, 1899-1921. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674436053.