The search is on for a new university president following current president Denvy Bowman’s decision to retire after the 2015-2016 school year. A search committee created by Capital University’s Board of Trustees is now set to take on the task of finding a successor. Meetings will be conducted from Tuesday, September 1st to Thursday, September 3rd in order for stakeholders to provide information on the search profile for the next president.
President Denvy Bowman is the 15th president of Capital University and will have completed his tenth year as president at the time of his retirement in July of 2016. He is among seven other university presidents who reached a term of ten years or more at Capital including President Otto Mees who served as president from 1912 – 1946, President Harold Yochum who served from 1946-1961, and President Josiah Blackmore who was president from 1987-1998. One of the major key elements President Bowman feels is important when searching for this successor is longevity.
The national average for the term of a university president has been on the downslide in recent years. It typically rests at seven years or less. President Bowman feels that having a president who is willing to serve a lengthy term “brings stability to the institution and allows us to undertake sustained efforts.” This includes, but is not limited to, improving the learning environment for students and the working environment for faculty and staff.
President Bowman also feels that conducting the search through this technique allows for a group of people who have a solid understanding of what sort of jobs the new president will have to face, as well as the new values they will bring to the campus to find the right fit. He also hopes that the new president is someone who “augments and enhances the values that we already have.”
While President Bowman will be retiring as president, he will still remain part of the Capital family. He will return to teaching as a professor of history. His area of focus is ancient history. In addition to this, he hopes to teach a course in general education so he can become acquainted with first-year students at the start of their college careers. He is excited to see what a new president will do in the years to come. “I think the next president will have a fun job,” he says, “because our students are the most talented, they are the most gifted, and the most diverse we’ve ever had in the institution’s history. The faculty’s credentials have never been stronger and I think the commitment of the staff has never been greater as well, so it’s a good time for a new president to come in and I am looking forward to what he or she will bring to the institution.”
