Beginning in 1972, Larry Large served as vice president and dean of students at Willamette University. During his 10 years at Willamette, he also served in other capacities, including as acting president in 1978 and in 2010. Large subsequently served as vice-president for Public Affairs at Reed College, as vice president for public affairs and development at the University of Oregon, and later was appointed vice chancellor of the Oregon University System. After several years there, he returned to Reed where he served as executive vice president before accepting an appointment as president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1998. Large was also the founding president of the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (The Alliance) from 2012 to 2016.