The former head of State University of New York is the new president of Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education, a coordinating body which governs the state’s public universities and community colleges.

Robert L. King, 61, will be paid $360,000 a year, plus a $40,000 housing allowance and the use of a vehicle. He will also receive $40,000 for relocation expenses.

He was approved unanimously on a motion by former Gov. Paul Patton who said, “I could not be more enthusiastic about this hire.” Patton was governor when the CPE was created as part of House Bill 1 reforming the state’s higher education system and establishing the goal of matching the national averages for education attainment by 2020.

The other finalist was Robert Clarke, the chancellor of Vermont State College.

King comes to Kentucky from Arizona where he is president of the Arizona Community Foundation, a charitable foundation focusing on education and economic development. Before that he headed SUNY with 64 campuses and once served as budget director for then New York Gov. George Pataki.

Patton said King has the academic skills and “the political skills to get all the institutions working together, to work with the governor, to work with the legislators to pursue the goals of House Bill 1.”

Doug Whitlock, president of Eastern Kentucky University who met with King last week, agreed.

“He’s very politically astute. He has a good mix of skills,” said Whitlock by phone from Chicago where he was attending a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools conference. “He really has a deep understanding of the importance of higher education to the economic well being of the state.”

The council has been criticized for losing its focus on its mission which was to provide coordinated budgeting requests to the legislature and planning. Its first president, Gordon Daviess left after tussling with lawmakers and university presidents. His successor, Tom Layzell, was viewed by some as not forceful enough. Layzell was succeeded by Interim President Brad Cowgill, Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s budget director.

The council voted to employ Cowgill permanently, but Gov. Steve Beshear objected and Attorney General Jack Conway issued an opinion that HB 1 required a national search. Dr. Richard Crofts was chosen as Interim president following Cowgill’s resignation and a national search was undertaken, resulting in Tuesday’s vote to hire King.

Beshear said Tuesday, “At this critical juncture in the reforms of higher education, having someone with (King’s) experience, intellect and national standing will be invaluable as we seek to make college more affordable and accessible to more young Kentuckians.”

King said he is excited about his new job and Kentucky “has distinguished itself nationally” with its commitment to reforming higher education. He said he had not yet met with Beshear but hoped to do so later Tuesday. He met earlier Tuesday with most of the university presidents.

King is aware that issues confronting Kentucky’s higher education system such as turf battles between universities, a shortage of public funding, and difficulty in transferring credits from community colleges to 4-year institutions “are not unique to Kentucky.”

“This isn’t a game of pitting this campus against that campus,” King said. “All are important to the larger economic fabric of the state.”

He said HB 1 “articulates a vision” that all the state’s higher education institutions “are critical to the larger objectives which are to improve the quality of life and living standards of the people of this state. I’m going to try to articulate that.”

Former education commissioner Laura Owens served with King on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

“I think he was a leader on that commission and there needed to be some things revamped and he took the lead on that,” Owens said. She said she thinks King has the skills to navigate Kentucky’s often murky political seas in higher education.

King hopes to assume his position before April 1.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. He can be reached by e-mail at rellis@cnhi.com.