Bowen named vice provost for academic affairs at Penn State

University Park, Pa. -- Blannie E. Bowen, C. Lee Rumberger and family chair of agriculture and head of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State, has been named vice provost for academic affairs, effective July 1.

“Dr. Bowen is a distinguished scholar, teacher and administrator,” said Rodney A. Erickson, executive vice president and provost. “He will provide outstanding vision and leadership for academic affairs at Penn State in the years ahead.”

Bowen replaces Robert Secor, who served in the position since 1995 and whose retirement caps 35 years of distinguished service to the University.

“The opportunity to become involved in academic affairs across the University will present many new challenges, but also excellent opportunities to make a positive difference within our academic community,” said Bowen.

As vice provost for academic affairs, Bowen will work closely with the provost and academic deans in areas including faculty development, promotion and tenure, executive searches and reviews, leadership seminars, and other issues related to academic personnel and their concerns.

Bowen also will serve as the University's liaison to the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the academic arm of the Big Ten Conference, and to the Faculty Senate on issues relating to faculty affairs, University policies and shared governance. He also will chair the Council of Campus Administrators, composed of the deans and campus executive officers from the campus colleges, and serve as a member of President's Council and the Academic Leadership Council.

Since 1998, Bowen has led the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, which conducts educational, research and cooperative extension programs in teacher and extension education in agricultural sciences, family and youth development, and related fields.

From 1996 to 1998, Bowen was associate dean for graduate programs and senior faculty mentor in The Graduate School.

Bowen joined Penn State in 1988 as the C. Lee Rumberger and family professor of agriculture, a professorship endowed to support the teaching, research and extension programs of an outstanding faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He served as interim head of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education from 1990 to 1992. He also served as undergraduate programs coordinator in the department from 1992 to 1996.

Bowen is widely known for his work on the participation of African-Americans in the agricultural sciences. He also works on research methods, and communications and instructional technologies.

Before joining Penn State, Bowen held a joint appointment at The Ohio State University in the Department of Agricultural Education and the School of Natural Resources. He began his academic career in 1980 at Mississippi State University as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education and was an extension training officer for the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service.

Bowen received a doctorate in agricultural education from The Ohio State University in 1980 and master's and bachelor's degrees from North Carolina A&T State University, also in agricultural education.

He is active in many professional organizations, including Agricultural Communicators in Education; the American Association for Agricultural Education; Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences; National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture; and the National FFA Alumni Organization.