New York- THE new owner of Penthouse magazine, Florida-based financier Marc H. Bell, surprisingly turns out to be a trustee of New York University.

A few weeks ago, Bell, a 1989 graduate of NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, edged out Mexican magnate Luis Enrique Fernando Molina for control of the bankrupt skin mag and claims he’ll keep Penthouse founder Bob Guccione on board as a consultant.

Bell said he plans to “clean up” the monthly. While his formidable funds should cover the cash-strapped title’s operating costs for the immediate future, there’s no word yet on whether he’ll be plucking interns and/or models from NYU’s well-stocked ranks.

Carolyn Dinshaw, director of NYU’s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, refused to give PAGE SIX her opinion of the trustee’s purchase, as did a New York University rep. Other members of the NYU community weren’t quite as reticent. One NYU undergrad we spoke with sounded shocked by the news, while another said Penthouse magazine was “definitely all right by me.”