Larry Rowley fell in love with higher education as an Old Dominion student. That's why he's dedicated his career to it. "I tell anyone who asks that Old Dominion gave me the opportunity to develop my interest and skills," said Rowley, who received his bachelor's degree in communication in 1991. "It was such a nurturing experience that I decided to commit my life's work to furthering higher education, especially for African Americans."

His experience at Old Dominion eventually led him to the University of Virginia, where earned a master's degree in social foundations of education and a doctorate in higher education.

"I grew up poor on the Eastern Shore. Who would have thought I'd get a Ph.D. from UVa?" he said.

This fall, Rowley has embarked on his second academic year as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, a joint appointment with the school's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and Center for Afro-American and African Studies. It's a position that allows him to conduct research and teach in the area he has such a passion for.

As part of his current research, he is studying the public service and civic mission of higher education and working on a project titled "Preparing College Students for a Diverse Democracy," which examines the educational benefits of having a diverse student population.

Prior to his appointment at UM, Rowley held similar research positions at the University of North Carolina and Duke.

Rowley's work in higher education began right after he earned his undergraduate degree. "My first job out of college was as an admissions counselor at Old Dominion," he noted.

Even as an undergraduate, Rowley was a leader in promoting higher education for African Americans. He was a founding member of the Black Student Alliance, served on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration planning committee and the founding committee for Unity Week, and helped orient African Americans to college life during Preview. He served as president of Alpha Phi Alpha (a historically black fraternity) and was a representative on the National Pan Hellenic Council, the governing body for historically black fraternities and sororities.

Although he now lives halfway across the country, Rowley remains involved with Old Dominion, serving as secretary on the Alumni Association board. His participation in the association began in 1997 after he moved to North Carolina and became involved in the chartering of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill chapter. He also served as the chapter's first co-president.

Despite the change in climate, this self-described "son of the South" says he feels at home at the University of Michigan, where his wife, Stephanie, teaches psychology. They have a son, Lawrence Jacob, who is 2 1/2.

"I can't imagine being anywhere else but on a college campus," Rowley said.

- Sylvia Corneliussen '01