President V. Lane Rawlins has been honored with the Alumni Award of Excellence from the Brigham Young University-Idaho Alumni Association for his distinguished career in higher education. BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark presented the award to President Rawlins during a reception in June. President Rawlins was joined by his wife, Mary Jo.

President Rawlins, a native of Idaho, began his college education at BYU-Idaho, which at that time was a junior college known as Ricks College. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from BYU in 1963. BYU-Idaho is now a four-year private university -- the largest private university in Idaho -- and is home to about 15,000 students. It is part of the BYU System.

President Rawlins earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969 and started as an assistant professor in economics at Washington State University. In 1977, he became chair of the Department of Economics at WSU, launching his career in higher education administration. He went on to serve as WSU's vice provost from 1982 to 1986, and later vice chancellor for academic affairs in the University of Alabama System for five years.

In 1991, he was appointed president of the University of Memphis, the first of three university presidential appointments he has held. In 2000, President Rawlins accepted the position as president of WSU -- becoming the first WSU faculty member to be appointed president -- and held the role until retiring in 2007.

President Rawlins led WSU when it was designated a top-tier research university and substantially grew its research funding. He also led the creation of a strategic plan that guided the university's drive for educational and research excellence. Under his leadership, WSU saw increased enrollment of academically talented students, a more diverse student body and a stronger statewide presence while still supporting the needs of its multiple campus locations.

Following President Rawlins' retirement from WSU, he served from 2007 to 2009 as the interim director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center for Conflict Resolution, a regional program of WSU and the University of Washington.

President Rawlins joined UNT in May 2010 as its 15th president. Drawing on his long career in higher education, President Rawlins is steering UNT on a course of excellence as it seeks to grow as a public research university offering the best undergraduate educational experience in Texas. Guided by four bold goals, UNT is focused on being high quality in every area -- education, research, student support, workplace operations, and community engagement.

Throughout his career, President Rawlins has focused on maintaining strong connections between world-class research and top-quality undergraduate education. His ultimate commitment is to foster excellence in public higher education because of its power to transform individuals, regions, states and nations.