Honorary Alumni Award
Bill Lathen
Retired Professor of Accountancy, Boise State University
Parent of Boise State alumni: Daughters Leisha Lathen Atkinson ’98 and Mabry Brice ’00, and sons-in-law Jim Atkinson ’96 and Mark Brice ’00
Bill Lathen has dedicated more than three decades to advancing Boise State University through leadership, philanthropy and service. He joined the Boise State accounting faculty in 1984 and spent the next 31 years helping shape the future of the College of Business and Economics before retiring in 2015.
Lathen served as chair of the Department of Accountancy from 1986 to 1994, where he helped the program earn accreditation from AACSB International and laid the foundation for Boise State’s Master of Science in Accountancy. He later served as dean of the College of Business and Economics from 1999 to 2006, leading efforts to recruit outstanding faculty, strengthen international partnerships, establish the Executive MBA program, develop the college’s advisory board and secure support for what would become the Micron Business and Economics Building. During his tenure, the college expanded its global reach through a landmark partnership with Vietnam’s National Economics University, where distinguished professor Nancy Napier led the establishment of the country’s first business school.
Bill and his wife, Rebecca, have remained steadfast supporters of Boise State since making their first gift to the university in 1986. Over nearly four decades of philanthropy, they have established an endowed accounting scholarship and are recognized as named donors to the Micron Business and Economics Building. Their connection to Boise State extends across generations: daughters Leisha and Mabry, along with sons-in-law Jim and Mark, are all Boise State graduates.
Education and service have remained central to the Lathens’ lives beyond Boise State. Together, they served as dean and volunteer at Al-Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, completed an 18-month church mission in Sri Lanka and later served at BYU–Hawaii. Today, they continue to support students around the world as missionaries with BYU–Pathway Worldwide, helping expand access to affordable higher education in more than 180 countries.
Married since 1972, Bill and Rebecca are the proud parents of six daughters, grandparents of 28 and great-grandparents of eight. Their lifelong commitment to education, service and philanthropy has impacted countless students at Boise State and around the world.