Published Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 4:13 pm

Oct. 10, 2013. To honor the legacy of Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees voted Friday, Sept. 27, to approve the renaming of Thelma C. Raley Hall to Kenneth E. Peacock Hall.

The change will occur once the $200 million Campaign for Appalachian is successfully completed in June 2014.

Peacock, former dean of the Walker College of Business housed in Raley Hall, became the university’s chancellor in 2004. Under his leadership, Appalachian has strengthened academics and international education, implemented new programs to better serve the region, raised graduation rates and made the university more efficient and sustainable.

“With the Chancellor’s announcement this spring that he was stepping down, we are focused on surpassing the campaign goal before his tenure ends,” said Mike Steinback, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

“All gifts supporting any area of the university during this last year honor his legacy, and renaming the building allows us to publicly thank Ken for the many ways he has advanced Appalachian.”

The name change has support from the family of the late Thelma Raley, a resident of Winter Haven, Fla., and Blowing Rock who led a successful business in Florida’s citrus industry. She and Peacock were longtime friends. The building was named in Thelma Raley’s honor in 1992 for a future commitment. She died in 2006, and her son, Lindsay Raley, who lives in Lakeland, Fla., made the following statement:

“My mother was close friends with Chancellor Peacock and had great admiration and respect for his work as dean. I believe she would feel this is a perfect way to honor his commitment, dedication and impact on Appalachian State University. Our family sees re-naming the building as an opportunity to inspire others to continue to support the Campaign for Appalachian as it draws to a close.”

Publicly launched in Oct. 2011, the Campaign for Appalachian has raised $164.5 million in gifts and pledges university-wide. As part of this comprehensive campaign, funds are being raised to update and refurbish the building to be renamed for Chancellor Peacock. Other funds raised strengthen academics, athletics and the arts for students, faculty and staff through scholarships, programs and facilities.

Peacock, who views his legacy as developing and supporting future leaders, accepted the naming recognition after the Raley family, together with members of university leadership boards, recommended the change to Appalachian’s Board of Trustees.

Peacock announced April 18 that he would step down from his current position once a successor is named. A Chancellor Search Committee convened in August and in September hired Baker & Associations executive consulting firm to assist in the recruiting and screening of candidates. The next chancellor could be named in Spring 2014 with a start date of July.

For his final year, Peacock has stated that his priorities include exceeding the campaign goal, specifically by creating more scholarships for high-achieving students, increasing funding for need-based scholarships, preparing financially for athletics’ move to the Sun Belt Conference and expanding international opportunities. He also aims to break ground on a health sciences building and raise $1 million for The Appalachian Fund, which provides support to the areas in the university in greatest need.