In 1968, Rawlins became an economics professor at WSU. He served as the chair of the department from 1977 to 1981 and was WSU's vice provost from 1982-1986. He served as the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of Alabama for five years before assuming the presidency of Memphis State University—overseeing its renaming as the University of Memphis.
In June 2000, Rawlins returned to Washington State where he served as president until May 21, 2007. Rawlins created some controversy in the WSU community in 2002 when he tried to phase out the popular nickname "Wazzu" from usage. The change proved a firestorm of protest from students and alumni. As of the start of football season 2022, the nickname is back in popular use by WSU Athletics.[1] He is remembered for a strategic plan developed by faculty that led to increases in research funding and to growth in the numbers of talented students choosing WSU.[citation needed]
Rawlins is a labor economist by training and much of his research work focused on the effects of education on earnings in people's lives. His books include "Public Service Employment: The Experience of a Decade," co-authored with Robert F. Cook and Charles F. Adams, published in 1985.
On April 16, 2010, the University of North Texas System Board of Regents appointed V. Lane Rawlins as UNT's president for the 2010-11 academic year. The appointment, effective May 14, was expected to run through summer 2011 as UNT conducted a national search for its next president. On November 9, 2010, Rawlins accepted the offer to become the university's permanent full-time President. Rawlins succeeded Phil C. Diebel who served as UNT's interim president following Gretchen Bataille's February 2010 resignation.[citation needed]
Personal life
He and his wife Mary Jo Rawlins have three children and 11 grandchildren.
As Vice Chancellor of Alabama, Rawlins also served as bishop of the Tuscaloosa Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[2] He was president of the North Memphis Tennessee Stake of the LDS Church.
