Owings to Receive Distinguished Fellow Award from National Education Finance Conference

William A. Owings, professor of educational leadership at Old Dominion, was among 10 individuals selected by the National Education Finance Conference (NEFC) to receive Distinguished Fellow awards at the organization's annual gathering in Louisville, Ky., April 23-25.

The honor goes to those who have distinguished themselves in terms of current education finance research and/or practice. Each recipient will be acknowledged during one of the general sessions and receive a certificate as an NEFC Distinguished Fellow.

Each year, the NEFC Distinguished Research & Practice Fellow Awards Committee extends this lifetime award to another 10 individuals who have gained national visibility by their exemplary research and/or practice in the field of public education finance, on the elementary and secondary level as well as in higher education. The award is one of the highest recognitions of those who have distinguished themselves in the field of education finance.

"This is a wonderful and well-deserved recognition of Dr. Owings' many contributions over the years - really a splendid achievement and one that will certainly reflect well on the university and on the Darden College of Education," said ODU Provost Carol Simpson.

The mission of the NEFC is to provide a forum focused on school finance to enhance education for both young and adult learners. The conference provides a venue for collaboration among legislators, postsecondary education, school district and state agency personnel, professional organizations, and researchers concerned with the importance of equity, adequacy and efficiency concepts that affect state, local and federal revenue generation, distribution and expenditures.

Leslie Kaplan, Owings' wife and his co-author on books, monographs and articles on finance, was also selected to receive an NEFC Distinguished Fellow award. She is a former public school teacher, school counselor, building and central office administrator, and currently a full-time education writer.

Owings was a public school teacher, elementary and high school principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent of schools before entering higher education 15 years ago. He holds an Ed.D. from Virginia Tech. A frequent conference speaker, he and his wife have authored numerous journal articles, monographs, technical reports and eight textbooks, including two editions of "American Public School Finance." He serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Education Finance and on the Board of Advisors for the National Education Finance Conference.