Dr. Kathleen Bowman President Dr. Kathleen Bowman Randolph-Macon Woman's College

Kathleen Gill Bowman has been the president of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College for twelve years, during which time she has led efforts to develop new academic programs, diversify the student body, globalize the campus, and enhance the academic of standing of an institution that ranks in the top 10% of all U.S. colleges and universities for the percentage of its graduates who go on to earn the Ph.D.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota in English and Spanish, Bowman went on to earn a Ph.D. in English Education with an emphasis on linguistics. Her dissertation, a study of the means by which language mediates social stereotypes, began a long-standing commitment to understanding the effects of social and racial bias in education.

Bowman’s interest in the welfare of women began long before her arrival at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. In the mid-1970’s, she served as Research Associate for the Minnesota Legislature’s Advisory Council on the Economic Status of Women and published a study of women in state government employment. In the late 1970’s, Bowman authored a series of six books on contemporary women for middle school audiences. The series, whose volumes included profiles of women in politics, medicine, social science, media, art, and dance, was selected by Ms. Magazine as one of the most important texts available for young teenage girls. In 1977, Bowman was elected Minnesota delegate to the International Women’s Year Conference.

Before coming to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Bowman served as Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Oregon from 1985-1989 and Vice Provost for International Affairs from 1989-1994. In those positions, she was instrumental in developing the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, the Humanities Center, and the Southeast Asian Studies Program. Bowman was also the architect of a $1 million challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and played a major role in the securing of major grants from the Ford Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation. Between 1977 and 1982, Bowman served as a faculty member, Associate Director of Graduate Studies, and Executive Assistant to the President at Reed College, in Portland, Oregon.

In 1993, Bowman was a Fulbright scholar to Japan and South Korea, where she undertook a study of reforms of the higher education systems of both nations.