L. Tony Hawkins received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Education from Mars Hill College in North Carolina and taught high school English for two years in the mountains of North Carolina. In 1970, he received his Master of Arts Degree in Guidance and Counseling from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Upon completion of his master's degree, he worked as a counselor for three years with Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina. Dr. Hawkins came to Purdue in 1973 to pursue his Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services. While pursuing his doctorate, he served as a graduate intern one year each in the Office of Admissions and the Division of Financial Aid. In 1975, he began working full time in the Office of the Dean of Students as a counselor. He completed his Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services at Purdue in December 1979.

Dean Hawkins is in his 35th year of experience in Student Services at Purdue - as graduate intern, counselor, assistant dean, interim dean, and dean. From July 1997 to August 1998, he also served as Purdue's Interim Vice President for Student Services.

Dean Hawkins is married to Joyce, an audiologist and clinical faculty member in Purdue's Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. They have two daughters, one of whom is a recent Purdue graduate, now teaching art in northern Indiana; the other is also a recent Purdue graduate who is currently serving as a traveling leadership consultant for her sorority before returning to Purdue for graduate studies next year.