Howard Rothmann Bowen (October 27, 1908 – December 22, 1989) was an American
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
and college president, serving as the president of
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.
Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-stu ...
from 1955 to 1964 and as the fourteenth President of the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
from 1964 to 1969. Bowen then served as president of
Claremont Graduate University
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...
from 1970 to 1971. He is remembered for the formulation of "Bowen's law," a description of spending in higher education.
Biography
Early life and education
Bowen was born in
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929 and Master of Arts degree in 1933 from
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
. He did his doctoral studies at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
and received his Ph.D. in 1935, then went on to do postdoctoral study at the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, England, and the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
from 1937 to 1938.
Marriage and children
He married Lois B. Schilling of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1935. The couple had two sons.
Career
Howard Bowen's career began at the University of Iowa. He taught economics at the university from 1935 to 1942, then decided to make a career change. He was chief economist of the Joint Congressional Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation from 1944 to 1945 and economist for the
Irving Trust Company, a Wall Street bank, from 1945 to 1947.
After serving the government for a few years, Bowen decided to return to education. His first job back into education was at the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
. At Illinois he was appointed dean of the College of Commerce in 1947. Howard Bowen’s tenure at Illinois was a good one with improvements in many different programs. In 1950, Bowen had to resign from the University of Illinois because senior professionals did not like his curriculum on the social responsibility of businessmen and, as an example of
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner.
The term origin ...
, accused him of being anti-business.
Howard Bowen loved higher education so much that, despite his problems at the University of Illinois, he decided to teach economics at
Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
in Massachusetts. Bowen loved this job but enjoyed administration more, so he then went to
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.
Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-stu ...
in Iowa. While serving as
Grinnell president, he increased enrollment, quality of students and faculty, and endowment to national stature. After making such great improvements at Grinnell the State University of Iowa wanted him to work for them. The State University of Iowa hired Bowen in 1964 to be president of the college. Howard Bowen made a great accomplishment by going to the legislature in Iowa and convincing them to change the university's name to the University of Iowa. He was president there during student uprisings and anti-war demonstrations in the late 1960s.
Bowen's Law
The last job Howard Bowen ever took was as the R. Stanton Avery Professor of Economics and Education at
Claremont Graduate University
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...
. Bowen also served as CGU president for one year. During his tenure from 1974 to 1984 Bowen published three important writings: ''Investment in Learning'', ''Costs of Higher Education'', and ''American Professors: A National Resource Imperiled''.
''Costs of Higher Education'' is best known for Bowen's Revenue Theory of Costs, sometimes called Bowen's Law:
:...at any given time, the unit cost of education is determined by the amount of revenues currently available for education relative to enrollment. The statement is more than a
tautology, as it expresses the fundamental fact that unit cost
.e., the cost of educationis determined by hard dollars of revenue and only indirectly and distantly by considerations of need, technology, efficiency, and market wages and prices. (p. 19)
Bowen's book provided plentiful evidence that higher education institutions of similar size, situation and repute had radically different costs per student, and spent each dollar differently from one another. Their different costs were a function of their different histories in raising money.
Death and afterward
Howard Bowen died on December 22, 1989. The Association for the Study of Higher Education has given an award in his name, the Howard R. Bowen Distinguished Career Award, annually since 1991. There are annual Howard Bowen Lectures at the
Tippie College of Business
The Tippie College of Business, also known as Tippie, is the business school located at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Established as the College of Commerce in 1921, Tippie is one of the oldest and highest-ranked business schools in ...
and Claremont Graduate University. The Bowen Science Building at the University of Iowa is named after him.
Published works
*''Toward Social Economy'' (1948)
*''Social Responsibilities of the Businessman'' (1953)
*''The Business Enterprise as a Subject for Research'' (1955)
*''Automation and Economic Progress'' (1966)
*''Technology and Employment'' (1966)
*''The Finance of Higher Education'' (1968)
*''Efficiency in Liberal Education'' (1971)
*''Who Benefits from Higher Education--and Who Should Pay?'' (1972)
*''Evaluating Institutions for Accountability'' (1974)
*''Investment in Learning'' (1977)
*''The Costs of Higher Education'' (1980)
*''The State of the Nation and the Agenda for Higher Education'' (1982)
*''American Professors: A National Resource Imperiled'' (1986)
*''Academic Recollections'' (1988)
Awards
*1965: Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University
*1983: Frederic W. Ness Book Award, Association of American Colleges and Universities (for ''The State of the Nation and the Agenda for Higher Education'')
*1985: Distinguished Service to Education Award, Council for Advancement and Support of Education
References
External links
Howard BowenEncyclopedia of Education 2002 Retrieved October 22, 2007
* Th
Howard Bowen Papersare housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Harold Rothmann
1908 births
1989 deaths
Employees of the United States Congress
Writers from Spokane, Washington
Presidents of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa alumni
Washington State University alumni
Williams College faculty
Presidents of Grinnell College
20th-century American economists
Economists from Washington (state)
American academic administrators
Presidents of the American Finance Association
20th-century American academics