Mr. Michael R. McFarland was named the recipient of the 2007 Dr. Norman E. Wallis Award for Excellence.

This award was established to honor Dr. Wallis' 25 years of outstanding service as Executive Director of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry and is given to the candidate who receives the highest score on the targeted or main Part I Basic Science Examination each year.

The Award consists of a personalized plaque as well as a full refund of the Part I registration fee. The Award was presented to Mr. McFarland by Dr. Larry J. Davis, Dean at the University of Missouri - St. Louis College of Optometry and Secretary-Treasurer of the National Board during a ceremony on November 16, 2007.

Established in 1951, the National Board of Examiners in Optometry is a private, nonprofit organization that develops, administers, and scores examinations, and reports the results, that state regulatory boards utilize in licensing optometrists to practice eye care. Licensure is a public interest, public protection regulatory function of many professions, particularly in the health professions, due to the importance of receiving competent care. In serving the public and the profession for 54 years, and the National Board has compiled a distinguished record of accomplishments that include being the first national board among the doctoral level health professions to eliminate grading-on-a-curve, and one of the few national boards in any profession with a repertoire of examinations that includes conventional multiple-choice tests, a computer-based test, and a clinical skills test with live patients.