Howard Alonzo Rollins Jr

Howard Alonzo Rollins Jr. passed away peacefully in Atlanta on February 2, 2026, surrounded by his loving sons and compassionate caregivers. He was 83 years old.

Howard was born in 1942 in Shelby, NC to parents Howard Sr. and June Blanton Rollins. He graduated Cum Laude from Wake Forest University, where he was recognized as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious of college academic honors societies. Not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps in the business world, he charted his own path and earned a PhD in psychology from UCLA. While in Los Angeles, he met the love of his life, Maureen, his wife of 53 years. In 1967, they settled in Atlanta, building an incredible set of lifelong friends and where Howard spent more than 45 years affiliated with both Emory University and Georgia Tech.

At Emory, he served in multiple capacities, including Chair of the Psychology Department and as Associate Dean of Emory College. During his Emory tenure, he served on several boards, including the Emory Federal Credit Union and the Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University. It was twenty years into his career before he acted on his true passion - establishing and leading Emory's Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA), now Emory Abroad. His efforts forever changed the curriculum and learning model for undergraduate education at Emory and beyond. In recognition of his cutting edge achievements in those efforts, he was the recipient of the 2001 Creekmore Award for Internationalization.

So deep was his belief in enhancing global interconnectedness and the associated impact on learning, that after Emeritus retirement from Emory, he was recruited to build a similar program at Georgia Tech. There, he served as Associate Vice Provost of International Programs. Today, almost half of undergraduate students at these two prestigious institutions study abroad as part of over 100+ programs across many disciplines in over 50 countries around the world. Tens of thousands of students have benefited from the programs he created, and the numbers continue to grow.

Maureen and Howard loved to travel and built a life around these adventures, bringing smiles to friends and family alike with entertaining anecdotes from each experience. They made lifelong friends living in London on two separate occasions, and traveled extensively with family throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia. Their favorite place was the valley of Grindelwald, a beautiful village in the heart of the Swiss Alps, and a close second was Lac Nuage (Lake of the Clouds), their home in Highlands, North Carolina.

In his spare time, he loved to go on long walks in the clear, fresh air of the mountains. He loved a wide variety of music from various points in his life, whether beach music on the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand, the Beatles on 8-Track, ELO on an LP, or Coldplay on CD. He and Maureen enjoyed membership at Druid Hills Golf Club, where they were avid tennis players.

He was intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful and wise, and he was a mentor for many of those near him. He was known for being extremely logical, with a keen ability to simplify complex matters. He was steadfast in his strong and non-negotiable ethics. Above all, he was remarkably humble, rarely talking about his many lifelong achievements and the lives he positively impacted along the way.

Most importantly, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He loved to spend time with his four grandchildren, attending sporting events, playing games and watching movies. He will be dearly missed. Howard was preceded in death by his wife, Maureen, and is survived by his son, John Douglas Rollins and wife Mandy; son Todd Howard Rollins and wife Shirley; and grandchildren Ashton, Parker, Ansley and Piper.

The family would like to offer our deepest and heartfelt appreciation to the staff and friends from The Orchard Brookhaven and his caregivers for their compassionate love and support for Howard over the past 6 years.

A Celebration of Life will be held in the Little Chapel at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta at 4:00pm on February 28th, where he and his wife were members for over 40 years. A live stream will be offered and will be accessible at Glennon's.org/worship. There will be a private burial at Decatur Cemetery to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Howard's memory to help Emory students experience global education. 

Emory College Study Abroad Scholarships Fund in honor of Howard Rollins