Campus News
John Carroll Associate Vice President is Juniata’s Next Provost Lauren Bowen, associate academic vice president for student learning initiatives and diversity at John Carroll University, started her new job as Juniata provost in July.
Juniata
Bowen had been a higher education administrator for seven years at John Carroll University, in University Heights, Ohio, after joining the faculty as an assistant professor of political science in 1989. She had been an associate vice president at the university since 2007. “Lauren Bowen emerged as the person best prepared to lead Juniata during this important time in our history,” says James A. Troha, president of Juniata. “The depth of experience and broad skill set she brings to the provost position is exceptional, including a comprehensive understanding of the many complexities facing higher education today.” At John Carroll, Bowen was tasked with strengthening the student experience at the university, which included chairing the Diversity Steering Committee, helping implement a Learning Commons and academic support center, developing programs to foster student success, and strengthening major fellowship advising. As part of her work related to the student experience, she oversaw the university’s honors program, the Center for Career Services, and the Early College Program. Bowen also worked with John Carroll’s academic departments to recruit faculty from historically underrepresented populations and work to retain those faculty. She also works with faculty, administrators, students, and staff to ensure an inclusive campus environment. 14
“I’m looking forward to being part of a college that challenges and supports students by encouraging them to ask critical questions, and to find their gifts and passions,” says Bowen. “Juniata’s commitment to experiential education appealed to me because it’s a dynamic curriculum that is grounded in the liberal arts tradition and yet contemporary. I was struck by how an education at Juniata empowers graduates to leave the world better than they found it.” From 2007 to 2012, Bowen was the university’s associate academic vice president for faculty programs and diversity, where she collaborated in introducing new academic programs and coordinated interdisciplinary programs. Bowen began her career in higher education at John Carroll in 1989 as assistant professor of political science and was promoted to associate professor in 1995. She was named director of the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching in 1997 until 2000. In 2000, she was named an American Council on Education Fellow at the College of Wooster for a one-year appointment where she primarily worked on diversity issues. In 2005 she was named director of John Carroll’s Core Curriculum in the Liberal Arts and oversaw the implementation of the first-year seminar program.
Lauren Bowen, who oversaw student initiatives and diversity in her duties as a senior administrator at John Carroll University, near Cleveland, Ohio, was named Juniata’s new provost in April.
Bowen earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1984 from Ohio State University. She went on to earn a master’s degree in political science in 1987 and a doctorate in 1992, both from the University of Kentucky. Her academic research focuses in the impact in implementation of judicial decisions, as well as how state courts interact with state legislatures and affirmative action issues. Bowen’s teaching interests have centered in the politics of race, class, and gender as well as constitutional politics.