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Oil on canvas by Steven Polson, 2005

Research opportunities expanded considerably, particularly in the College of Medicine and in the sciences, during Hunter Rawlings’ tenure as president of the University.

A student of Latin and Greek, Rawlings received the B.A. degree with honors from Haverford College in 1966 and a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University in 1970, both in classics. Prior to coming to Iowa, Rawlings was vice president for academic affairs for the University of Colorado system. From 1995 until 2003, he was president of Cornell University.

Under Rawlings’ leadership, a new building for the College of Business adjacent to the Pentacrest was completed, and the University was chosen as the site of the National Advanced Driving Simulator.

Rawlings chaired the Association of American Universities and the Ivy Council of Presidents, and served on the boards of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the National Academy Foundation, and Haverford College.

Rawlings was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 14, 1944. He married Elizabeth Trapnell, a professional translator with a master’s degree in French from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa. They have four children.