E-mail
Dr. Lawless

Bob Lawless, senior consultant, joined Academic Search in 2006. He is President Emeritus of The University of Tulsa after serving eight years as the sixteenth president of the University. Dr. Lawless also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center from 1989 to 1996. He was first Vice President – Finance and Chief Financial Officer then as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Southwest Airlines in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Lawless held numerous academic and administrative position at The University of Houston from 1969 to 1982, including Senior Vice Chancellor, Associate Chancellor, Associate Dean of Faculties, Acting Dean of Business, Associate Dean of Business, Chair of the Management Science Department, and Director of Doctoral Programs in Business. He was promoted to full Professor of Management Science in 1974. At Texas A&M University in College Station, he served as Assistant Professor of industrial engineering. Dr. Lawless has published extensively in professional journals and has presented papers at national and international meetings. Before his career in academia, Dr. Lawless was a research technician and instrumentation engineer for the Monsanto Company in Texas City, Texas.

His board appointments and community service record are extensive. He has served as a member of the Hillcrest Healthcare System Board of Trustees; the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and the Oklahoma Science and Technology Development Resources Board. He also served as Independent Director for the Williams Communication Group, Inc; four Salomon Brothers Mutual Funds and Central and SouthWest Corporation. Additional board appointments have included serving on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the National Conference for Community and Justice, Tuition Plan, Inc., and the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. From 1990 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Board of Directors for the College Football Association.

Bob Lawless was actively involved with the NCAA during his two presidencies, serving on the President’s Commission, 1994-1997 (chair, Division I) and the Division I Task force to review the NCAA Membership structure, 1994-1996. He chaired the Special Committee to Study NCAA Marketing, Licensing and promotional activities, 1995-1997, and chaired the NCAA Project 2000. Additionally, he served from 1998-2000 on the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues. From 1998-2003, Dr. Lawless served on the Division I Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, chairing the Executive Committee from 2001-2003. He also chaired the NCAA Presidential Search Committee, 2002-2003. He currently continues his involvement with the NCAA through various committee assignments and certification peer review teams.

Dr. Lawless has received numerous awards including the Outstanding Alumni Award from Lee College in 1984; the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Houston College of Business Alumni Association in 1971; the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award in 1972; and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Houston in 1990. In 2004, in addition to becoming President Emeritus, he was named a member of The College of Engineering and Natural Sciences’ Hall of Fame at The University of Tulsa.

A native Texan, Dr. Lawless holds three degrees: an Associate Science in Chemistry, Lee College; a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, University of Houston; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Operations Research and Statistics, Texas A&M University.

Dr. Lawless and his wife Marcy have four adult children and five grandchildren. Currently, they split their time between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Lubbock, Texas.