Thank you Dr. Rawlins!

[Harry]

Today is Rawlins' last day as president! Good luck to both him and future president Smatresk in the future! #UNT #GMG

— UNT UPC (@UNT_UPC)

January 31, 2014

[Harry]

[Harry]

[MEANGREENCOACH2]

+1

[cogido]

If there were College Hall of Fame Presidents, Lane Rawlins would be a lock.

[flyonthewall]

Why? I know he was good, but why all this greatness? The stadium was already under construction, the business building was already in the works, emerald eagle program already in place. Besides just being a great guy, what did he do besides steer a ship. I will check back later for the abuse I am about to endure, and please I am saying he did a great job steering, but I have not personally seen evidence of anything besides keeping the ship going in the right direction.

[cogido]

Flyonthewall: No abuse from me, but...My perspective on Lane Rawlins after having watched the NT leadership waffle and flat cave-in over the last 20 - 30 years is that someone who was not afraid of career derailment needed to keep this program on a solid footing and yes, "drive the bus" without getting pushed off course. Rawlins did that during very tough state university economic and political challenges. This University has had a tendency to get nervous and drop out of major college competitive strategies, i.e., drop from D-I, hire low-cost, unproven coaches and "carve out", not just "cut" corners only to remain a Metroplex doormat. Rawlins drove the ship, yes, and it has actually stayed on course.

[flyonthewall]

ok, fair enough. I guess I am still a little frustrated that because of politics a group of us had to come up with money to completely renovate a building across campus for a dedicated basketball practice facility when right across the street was a perfectly good gym floor that could have been "given" to basketball. I have been told, and I could be wrong on this number, that there are 32 gym courts on campus counting those in the rec. center. I wouldn't have hurt to give the old snake pit back to basketball and the donated money could have gone elsewhere, like building a baseball field. Just one example.

And I guess Coach McCarney is Rawlins hire and Benford will be RV's hire.......

And its not all about athletics, that's just what I support

[PlummMeanGreen]

Love reading all the opinions....sorta' what makes the Mean Green Nation so darn diverse and interesting.

I appreciate what Lane Rawlins did by simply being a friend and ally for the athletic program. He could have done

the complete opposite and haven't most of us seen that picture show in the past?

Thanks, President Emeritus Lane Rawlins!

GMG!

PS: Best part is Dr. Rawlins can (somewhat) guide our new President Smatresk along and save a lot of wasted "breaking in a new president" time as well.

In many ways, Dr. Smatresk will be able to start his new job on the run and that is what our chief fund-raiser is going to really need to get the necessary Tier 1 Research University status monies raised. It will be a tall Texas-like challenge but he seems to have the skins on the wall as well as his having a pretty good track record of success in that very department from UNLV.

Edited January 31, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

[PlummMeanGreen]

ok, fair enough. I guess I am still a little frustrated that because of politics a group of us had to come up with money to completely renovate a building across campus for a dedicated basketball practice facility when right across the street was a perfectly good gym floor that could have been "given" to basketball. I have been told, and I could be wrong on this number, that there are 32 gym courts on campus counting those in the rec. center. I wouldn't have hurt to give the old snake pit back to basketball and the donated money could have gone elsewhere, like building a baseball field. Just one example.

And I guess Coach McCarney is Rawlins hire and Benford will be RV's hire.......

And its not all about athletics, that's just what I support

Many of us are aware of your very significant contribution to the UNT athletic program, flyonthewall, and all we can say is a very big and sincere thank you. (And I know you were not soliciting that response, either, by any means).

As you'd know, this forum is like a sports bar with so many different hot sports opinions by many of us at different levels of sobriety (coupled with our respective experiences with our school thru the decades).......... and every once in awhile some of those HSO's from many on this forum even make sense--just not sure how many of the other kind of cents they make.

Again, thanks for all you have done and are doing.

GMG!

Edited January 31, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

[cogido]

Flyonthewall: Real good points on the availability of basketball practice courts on campus which could have been dedicated to the B-ball program. I didn't know that. I would love to have that money invested in the baseball program as I think it will be a positive move for UNT in north Texas. (Oh, and I love the Great Game) The Head Coach hires you mention, I get your point - we'll all dance a little on that issue but at least something very good has happened to UNT thanks to great supporters who have stepped up. Hope to see you at the games, I'll be the guy in the green shirt and white hat

[Ben Gooding]

Steering a ship is sometimes easier said than done. He has been supportive in every aspect of the progression of North Texas. Hopefully the next President takes the momentum being handed off to him and runs with it.

[UNT90]

And I guess Coach McCarney is Rawlins hire and Benford will be RV's hire.......

No, they both are RV's hires. As is Peterson, Aston, Stevens, Dodge, and JJ (?) .

The good and the bad, because that is HIS JOB.

Speaking of bus driving, the basketball bus was driven over a cliff and is still shattered and burning in the valley. Sure wish someone would send the fire department to rescue what life may be left in that bus...

[drex]

Apparently the power of the physical education department is being discounted when you reference 32 basketball courts. For independence from academia and for recruiting purposes, the new basketball facility is a good thing...and it was done with private funds.

[GrayEagle]

Maybe it's because I have long harbored the same idea but I thought that the school donating the Snake Pit to the Athletic Department would have been a much better usage of funds that I agree with fly on the wall about a basketball practice facility. The Pit could have even been used for intramurals, if necessary, on scheduled hours with the basketball teams holding first priority. The funds drive would not have then been necessary or could have been used toward a baseball stadium or an indoor practice facility.

Before the Super Pit there were only two gym floors and four hours of PE were required unless you had a doctor's excuse or were on a varsity team. We also had intramurals and we made it just fine.

I'm not sure what Dr. Rawlins might have been able to do in that regard but I count my blessings that we got Lane Rawlins in our time of need. True, he may have only stayed the course we had relatively smooth sailing under his leadership. I believe that it was his help (from being a founding president and NCAA representative) that solidified our admittance to CUSA. He was able to support not only athletics but to continue the march toward being a #1 research university. I believe that his being given the status of president emeritus indicates that he can still contribute with his knowledge and influence.

I will always appreciate the contributions of fly on the wall and was disappointed when he didn't post as much as I wanted him to. But, if anyone has the right to express disagreement of any nature it's those that give the most. My thanks to both Dr. Rawlins and fly on the wall.

Edited February 1, 2014 by GrayEagle

[Christopher Walker]

Reasons why Dr Rawlins is beloved and deserves the appreciation:

• He didn't just "steer the bus between the white lines". He led UNT through the tail-end residual effects of the Recession and masterfully handled a drawdown in State and Federal funding (hiring freeze, consolidating departments) while still actively finding ways for research to be advanced and to not eliminate degrees, departments, or entire Schools - which, a lot of our university brethren out there had to do over the last five years. We came out of the Recession a hell of a lot stronger than we entered it, and that ultimately has a lot to do with how he reformed the University's budget.
• He actively oversaw the most successful fundraising initiatives UNT has ever pulled off. Think Uncle Charn and everyone else from the last few years.
• He is incredibly frank and does not give you the bureaucratic run-around. I actively witnessed this in Sustainability Council meetings and public forums with him; the man does not dodge questions, no matter their pointed aim.
• On the flip-side of that token, he is also very approachable and amicable.
• Though it certainly was not his baby, he took the rebranding in stride and towed the company lines as it were to advance it.
• He is beloved by students. Though there were certainly whole contingents of students, myself included at the time, who loved Dr Bataille, Dr Rawlins has an incredible report with the students he interacted with.
• I personally loved seeing him attend so, so many concerts of student performances at the Murchison and elsewhere.
• And, most importantly to some of you, he is a fierce advocate for athletics when others gave up on it. He has been oft quoted as saying, "Athletics are the world's window into a University and often the first impression anyone will have of it." He took that mantra to heart in his support for everything across I-35.

So there.

[UNT 90 Grad]

This

[UNTLifer]

Thank you Dr. Rawlins for serving my university well during the "interim." May you enjoy retirement and continue to be a part of the Mean Green family.