by Aaron Butts
For many on campus, Capital’s president Dr. Denvy A. Bowman appears as a mysterious figure. Interactions with Bowman are limited to such things as ‘sweet Fridays’ where he hands out ice cream at the fountains. Because of this air of mystery that surrounds the president and what exactly he does, I shadowed him last Friday on the eve of homecoming to get a feel for what it’s like to spend a day in the life of Denvy Bowman.
Of course homecoming is a whole other beast than what a typical week would look like for Bowman, he assured me that no two weeks are alike in his job that every week is busy and homecoming is no different.
On Friday, Bowman kicked the day off at 8am at the Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne Ohio. There he welcomed nearly sixty alumni for an annual homecoming golfing event put on by the alumni association who was key in the planning of the week of homecoming.
Upon arriving Bowman introduced me to the Director of Alumni Relations Diane Loeser and Jennifer Patterson the Associate vice president for Advancement and Chief Development Officer. Both of whom work in Yochum hall and they explained that events like these are very common not just in Columbus but also “All around the country.” Loeser said.
Bowman stood to the side as golfers entered and registered for the day, going over to a few and shaking their hands while calling them by name and asking about their family. He explained that a lot of his job involves having to deal with alumni and so with many of the people at the golf outing, he had met with them before. But with the group in attendance, it was obvious by the number of older gentlemen in sweater vests present that morning that outings such as these seemed to only appeal to older members of the alumni, and so it is a ongoing effort to attract younger alum to events.
After the golfers started climbing into their carts to start the day, Bowman stood off to the side and explained that a lot of what he does is make appearances at fundraisers, “That’s what this is here.” He said, stating that alumni contribute tremendous amounts of money to the university.
After returning to campus, we took a walk around to examine problems that had been reported. This is a duty that he and a selection of other people within the administration take on alternating weeks.
He was short on time and so reserved his focus on a single issue, a broken fence that separates the C lot with residential south Bexley.
While walking through the rows and rows of cars I brought up with him the problem that most Capital students complain about which is parking, a problem that he wasn’t deaf to, “I park in the C lot” he explained, which for those that don’t know is the long parking lot that runs along the east side of Pleasant Ridge.
He explained that even he, the president of the university, sometimes has to make a few passes around the lot before finally finding a space.
On this day, the lot was very full and Bowman parked only a handful of spaces away from the very end of the lot near Astor Ave. This is because he had gotten rid of assigned parking spots (including his own) to free up more space for students and faculty on campus.
When asked why they don’t just expand the amount of parking available, he explained that to add 100 new spots on campus, it would cost the university upwards of roughly $600,000, a fee that he was not willing to pay when he said that there were many underutilized spaces over at the Capital Commons where many could park at every morning.
Bowman explained however that what his job focuses on is mainly things that are external to the university, not on matters such as parking, “The provost (Dr. Ashbrook) handles the internal matters.” He said. Rather, Bowman has to deal with the list of external forces that affect the campus on a daily basis.
Forces such as the city of Bexley whom he has been wrestling with for the past few months to raise lights and install speakers in Bernlohr stadium to accommodate the new lacrosse team and other teams which have games and practice on the field, “We absolutely need it,” Bowman said, “we can’t wait until after next summer.”
According to Bowman, there are upwards of roughly 360 laws and restrictions that effect the university as a whole, and it is his job to talk to the mayor, governor, even state representatives to allow the university to operate and grow within those regulations.
Bowman also explained a part of his job that many wouldn’t expect, but is almost as essential as any other role, that is his role as a kind of Lobbyist in Washington DC.
Bowman explained that Capital students take out tens of millions of dollars in loans every year from the federal government and so it is essential for the university to assure those loans and grants remain available to students. “I spend a lot of time In DC talking to congressmen.” Bowman said. But not on behalf of not just Capital, but also other colleges and universities around Ohio who depend on those government dollars to keep the lights on and enrolment up.
After our walk, Bowman took me with him back to the second floor of Yochum hall for a meeting with his chief of staff, Susan Merryman to review his schedule for the upcoming week.
“We try to have these meetings every week.” Bowman explained, taking his seat at a boardroom table in the northwest corner office of Yochum. Merryman sat opposite him and handed out a brief itinerary for the week, outlining key events and appearances that the president would have to make.
When I inquired to Merryman what all her job entailed, she explained that “My job is making sure that he’s prepared for meetings and events.” A job that sounds simpler than it actually is, as she started going through the stack of papers.
Planning started with the homecoming weekend where she explained he would be doing a series of things such as a brick dedication at the fountains on Saturday, as well as a series of appearances at alumni reunion gatherings, ending the week with a homecoming service at Christ Lutheran Church where he was expected to not only do some of the readings, but also dole out communion.
Bowman, a lifelong Lutheran who once planned on becoming a minister himself, expressed concern at the fact that he had never given communion before, “I don’t want to spill the wine.”
He said, mentioning that at any one of these events he was required to go to, there was the possibility of making himself look foolish. He chuckled as he gave an example of having to crown homecoming royalty and making sure that he crowned the proper people.
After finishing the schedule for the weekend, they moved into what a typical week looked like for Bowman, complete with meetings, fundraisers, dedications, and appearances of all kinds.
He explained that he receives over 100 emails every day and his days are usually so packed that it is sometime not until 10pm that he can start responding to them, taking sometimes as long as four hours to answer them all.
He commented on the length of his days by saying that he may need a few cups of coffee to get him through them. Merryman explained that Bowman had given up caffeine, to which Bowman responded jokingly “It might drive me to drink again!”
From there, they reviewed every inch of the Capital magazine, making sure to point out flaws and also what parts he liked, before finally concluding his meeting with his chief of staff, the whole thing taking just a little over an hour.
But Bowman explained that this wasn’t the full extent of his weekly duty, “What you didn’t see here is what happens at the Law School.” He said, explaining that although his office is on the main campus, he is equally responsible for the Capital Law School located downtown.
Next into the boardroom walked the university Provost, Dr. Richard Ashbrook to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the misspelling of “Ackerman” on the new kiosk maps around campus, to the rededication of the newly renovated campus center. They also discussed the naming of many of the places on campus, such as the change in name of the office of Multicultural Affairs to “The Office of Diversity and Inclusion”.
At the end of their discussion, they gave me the opportunity to ask some of my own questions. The questions that I asked them were ones that I had gotten from around campus by talking to students and hearing their concerns. Although they were not able to answer on all of them due to time constraints and legal ones as well, both Bowman and Ashbrook went into detail to explain some of the questions that I and other students had.
The first question that I asked regarded the school mascot, a very hot topic especially among faculty. The term “Crusader” refers to a chapter of the Church’s history that is typically frowned upon for the atrocities that were committed in the name of Christianity. Of course, most students don’t link Cappy the mascot with this dark chapter of Christian history, but it is still a debate nonetheless. Even this summer, the Cru Club was renamed the ‘One Main Café’ and rumors circulated that it was because the university was trying to distance itself from its mascot. This rumor isn’t exactly true, “There were a lot of reasons for renaming it,” Bowman said, going on to explain however that by changing the name it opened oppurtunities for the university to consider a larger change in mascot down the road “We’re probably in a transition period.” Bowman said. “’Crusader means different things to different people.” Ashbrook said, explaining the complexity of the debate. Bowman agreed, “I don’t want to see Cappy die.” He said, adding that the mascot’s name holds a lot of weight with athletes and Alumni who are not wanting to see it go because of some objections, and that changing the mascot would be akin to tearing down a beloved building on campus. Change of any kind only makes alumni feel more disconnected from the ever-changing campus, “It’s about them disappearing.” Bowman said.
The next question was prompted by the weekend of homecoming being upon us once more, and the decision to change the title of King and Queen to ‘Homecoming Royalty’, presumptively because of the controversy that was sparked last year when Daniel Mollett won homecoming queen. I asked Bowman what the reaction was like from alumni and received a very interesting answer, “I don’t know, or much care what the alumni thought.” Bowman said, “I didn’t give it another thought.”
Bowman commended the students on handling the situation the way they did, pointing out student government whom he said was key in getting the students energized no matter who won. Bowman explained that when it was revealed that a man might win queen and television crews started showing up on campus, he knew that they would either show the boos and jeers from some in the audience who were upset, or the massive applause and celebration from the students. Bowman was satisfied that the option almost all stations chose was to not run it at all. According to Bowman, what benefit Capital gained from this experience is that they were able to start a discussion.
Next I asked Bowman probably the most commonly asked question I received (other than those regarding parking), I asked him about the role of the University within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and whether or not the more ecumenical approach Capital was taking was moving the University further away from the church. Bowman cut me off before I was able to finish my question and rejected the premise that ecumenicalism wasn’t related with the Lutheran tradition, “Lutherans have always been ecumenical,” he said, “we want the Lutheran church to reflect the diversity that we find in the world. Diversity that is inherit in God’s creation.”
Bowman himself did his undergraduate work at Roanoke college in Virginia which is one of Capital’s sister schools in the ELCA, and has worked at Capital for the past eleven years as professor, dean, provost, and now president. He explained that Roanoke, like Capital, takes the same approach towards faith on their campus due to the diversity that both of our schools have in common. Bowman explained his point by saying that the original University constitution required that two thirds of the board members be Lutheran, but recently the board amended it so that only a third had to be. Currently the board for Capital is 55% Lutheran, including the head bishop of the entire ELCA, but that as time goes and Capital becomes more diverse its policies will change to reflect that diversity. Ashbrook summed up the method in which the university goes about making decisions in this way, “The principle that guides us in every decision is what would best serve the student’s interests.” He said.
My last question that I had for Bowman regarded the reason that I did this piece, I asked him what he thought about this character of ‘Debow’ as he is portrayed around campus as a kind of secondary mascot. He embraced it, saying that when the athletic director, Dr. Bruening approached him about ‘Debow’s challenge’ “I fully approved it.” He said. Bowman loves being at such a small institution and all of the opportunities that it brings to serve a smaller community of students that he can personally interact with. He described the years before coming to Capital working within the University of South Carolina’s system, as well as at the university systems of New Hampshire, Florida, and North Carolina, but said that nothing beat returning to a small private Lutheran University to fulfill his passion in faith-based higher education, “I jumped at the chance, I was delighted.” He said.
He went over all the stress and long hours that he has to put up with as president, but concluded that he couldn’t think of a better job to have, “I have a job that makes me a better person.” Bowman said.
abutts@capital.edu
