Indiana State University conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Sen. Luke Kenley during winter commencement Saturday in the Hulman Center.
Kenley retired from the Indiana General Assembly in September, ending a quarter-century of distinguished service as a state senator. The Noblesville Republican was first elected to the state Senate in 1992 and has directly influenced major public policy issues relating to transportation and infrastructure, economic development and K-12 education.
“Sen. Kenley has been a great friend to higher education in the state of Indiana,” said Greg Goode, executive director of government relations at Indiana State. “His forward-thinking approach has resulted in tremendous investments in people and campuses across the state. This is one of the important areas where Indiana stands out as leader among other states in the country and positions our state to compete globally. We are deeply grateful to Senator Kenley for believing in Indiana State University.”
Kenley has been instrumental to higher education in the state of Indiana with his leadership of the Senate Appropriations Committee and his authoring budget bills that support universities across the state, as well as key statewide initiatives such as the 21st Century Scholars Program.
At Indiana State, Kenley’s support for high priority capital projects such as the College of Health and Human Services and the Hulman Center are two of several projects that are transforming the campus. His support for funding the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute, housed at State, enables public school principals across the state engage in leadership development programs, and his support of Indiana State’s student success initiatives has led to increase improvement in student retention and graduation rates.
Prior to the Senate, he served as a Noblesville city court judge for 15 years. He also worked as a lawyer and led a family business, expanding it from 20 to more than 200 employees.
An officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era, Kenley is a graduate of Noblesville High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Miami University and a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School.