Dr. Leland Blank, member of the Cowboy Academy of Industrial Engineering and Management at Oklahoma State University, will receive the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) on May 21, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.

The Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award is the highest and most esteemed honor bestowed by IISE. It recognizes those who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the welfare of mankind in the field of industrial engineering. The contributions are of the highest caliber and nationally or internationally recognized.

After earning his master's and PhD in industrial engineering at OSU, Blank started his teaching career at the University of Texas-El Paso. He recently retired as the Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in the United Arab Emirates. He was a professor of industrial engineering with expertise in the areas of engineering economics and international higher education development and assessment. He was the dean of engineering at AUS from 2001-05 and 2013-16, and holds the title of Dean Emeritus at AUS. Additionally, Blank is Professor Emeritus of industrial and systems engineering at Texas A&M University.

Besides UAE, he has served higher education internationally in Qatar, Kuwait, Australia, China, Japan, Mexico, and South Africa. He has worked in leadership roles in continuous improvement of academic systems, research center development and strategic planning facilitation. His industrial experience includes Southwestern Bell Telephone, GTE (now Verizon), and San Antonio Public Service. He served as a congressional appointee to the US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas.

He is Past President and Fellow of IISE, a Past President of Alpha Pi Mu and received IISE's Wellington Award for service to the engineering economy profession. Besides technical journal and research articles, he has co-authored 11 engineering textbooks and eBooks on the subjects of engineering economy and statistics.

Blank joins Ken Case, Joe Mize, and H.G. Thuesen from OSU who have received this award. A total of 44 awards have been given since 1962.