Janice M. Bowman Memorial Scholarship

If the number of memorial gifts received following a person’s death is any indication of their personal impact, Dr. Janice Bowman had a great affect on many lives. Jan was a woman of many talents, and the reflections at her memorial service from her family, her students and her colleagues all speak to these gifts. Married to Pastor Gerry Swanson for 47 years and mother to CLU alumni Krister ‘85 and Karl ’91 and Augustana alumna Mindy ’88, Jan balanced her various roles with love and grace. Once you knew her well, you learned that the English language, whether expressed in prose or poetry, was the driving force of her heart and mind.

Jan died in February 2009. Six years earlier, she had the foresight to put her intentions for her scholarship into writing. She also described the professional accomplishments for which she wanted to be remembered, as follows:

A Professor of English at CLU for more than 20 years, starting in 1974, Dr. Jan Bowman addressed the need for the curriculum to include the perspectives and contributions of women around the world. An advocate of interdisciplinary studies, she led efforts to develop a cross-disciplinary writing program as well as women’s studies, ethnic studies, and global studies.

While Jan’s summary of her life’s work was brief, her colleagues and students had so much more to say about what she brought into their lives and worlds. A CLU colleague described her this way:

Jan was, above all, a mentor to scores of students, especially women, that she inspired as much by what she taught as by who she was. Whether they were traditional students or reentry women, she had a way of helping them to open up, explore and affirm the worlds within themselves.

Jan touched people wherever she went—in her home, the classroom, committee meetings, her church, Holden Village. Her words, whether spoken or written, were cherished for their beauty and wisdom.

Jan designed her scholarship for upper-division students majoring (or minoring) in English and/or women’s studies. It will eventually become endowed, but it was brought into existence through the flood of memorial gifts following her death.