December 22, 2016

SVSU promotes Bowrin to business dean

Saginaw Valley State University has announced that Anthony Bowrin has been chosen to serve as dean of the College of Business and Management. He had been serving as interim dean since June.

Bowrin joined the SVSU accounting faculty in 2009. He served as associate dean of the College of Business and Management from 2013 until his appointment as interim dean. Bowrin also previously chaired the College’s Graduate Committee, which has responsibility for activities related to SVSU’s M.B.A. program.

In 2013, Bowrin co-authored the College’s self-evaluation report for AACSB accreditation, which was ultimately successful. This places SVSU among the top 5 percent of all business schools worldwide.

“We conducted a national search and ultimately decided that Tony was the right person to lead our business programs,” said Deb Huntley, SVSU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “He is highly respected by faculty within his college, and he has been an enthusiastic leader as associate and interim dean. Under Tony’s experienced leadership we will continue to innovate our curriculum and strengthen ties to regional businesses.”

Among other tasks, Bowrin will oversee adapting the M.B.A. curriculum to a fully online program, starting in 2017.

In addition to academic programs, SVSU’s College of Business and Management serves as a valuable resource to the regional business community.  It is home to the Stevens Center for Family Business, which supports family businesses through education, collaboration and networking opportunities, and the Dow Entrepreneurship Institute, which stimulates the creation of new business ventures, serves as a resource for research activities aimed at business innovation, and provides internship opportunities with area businesses for student entrepreneurs.

Prior to SVSU, Bowrin served nine years on the faculty and held leadership positions at the University of the West Indies, where he had completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He completed a Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University.

As executive director of the University of the West Indies School of Business and Applied Studies, Bowrin led a team of 25 permanent administrative staff and over 60 part-time faculty members. The school achieved profitability and cash flow stability by initiating strategies that strengthened the institution’s focus on excellence in academic programs and customer service. These initiatives included flexible scheduling of classes, the development of customized assistance activities to facilitate student success, and finding creative ways of resolving students’ challenges, while maintaining the integrity of program requirements and objectives.

A resident of Midland, Bowrin will be responsible for providing strategic and academic leadership for the college, and for maintaining continuous improvement to meet AACSB standards. He officially begins his new duties January 1.