Topic: College of Sciences and Humanities
March 22, 2007
<b>President Jo Ann M. Gora congratulates Otis R. "Doc" Bowen during a March 23 ceremony at Ball State Indianapolis Center.</b>
Ball State is launching the new Bowen Center for Public Affairs to honor Otis R. "Doc" Bowen for his many years of public service that have impacted the residents of Indiana.
The center will provide training to public officials and provide university-based, nonpartisan research aimed at improving the performance and delivery of government services. In addition to creating the center, Ball State will house Dr. Bowen's papers in its University Libraries.
Ball State recognized Bowen and provided details about the new center during a March 23 ceremony at the Ball State Indianapolis Center, 50 S. Meridian St.
Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora said the center will provide the university with an opportunity to focus on improving public service among state residents — a trait exemplified by the former governor during his long career.
"It is a rare and therefore particularly special occasion when one has the opportunity to share the stage with a person for whom even the appellation 'living legend' seems woefully inadequate," Gora said. "Throughout his varied careers, Doctor, Governor and Secretary Bowen shared many important ideas on health and medicine, the challenges confronting our nation's social service networks, the workings of government and the formation of public health policy."
The center will be under the direction of Sally Jo Vasicko and Ray Scheele, Ball State political science professors. The center will consist of three components:
The Institute for Public Service will provide professional development opportunities for Indiana state, county, and local officeholders and administrators through targeted training and certification programs. These programs will feature best practice solutions to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of government services.
The Bureau of Policy Research will conduct university-based, nonpartisan research to help identify current public needs and respond to the research requirements of Hoosier leaders.
Bowen Institute on Political Participation, now in its 26th year and regularly hosted by Dr. Bowen, will be expanded by increasing enrollment at its annual meeting in Indianapolis. Additional sessions for students and community leaders will be offered throughout the state.
The collected Otis R. Bowen papers will offer rich resources for the study of political issues, health policy and Indiana history. The compilation primarily consists of material related to Bowen's time as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan. Many important issues arose during his tenure, including the early years of the AIDS epidemic, catastrophic health care insurance, medical malpractice and liability, and teen pregnancy.
The papers also contain materials from his two terms as Indiana's governor, including constituent correspondence and documents related to state property tax reform and medical malpractice law.
There also are personal papers, hundreds of photographs, campaign memorabilia and correspondence with important political figures of the 1970s and 1980s.
"The collection offers a tremendously rich resource for historical, political and cultural study," Gora said. "Together, the documents and the center's three components promise to raise the collective levels of both our civic literacy and community involvement, at the same time they preserve for posterity much of the life's work of an individual who to this day — less than month removed from his 89th birthday — remains the very embodiment of civic responsibility."
Financial support for the Bowen Center comes with an initial $200,000 challenge grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation as well as a $50,000 challenge grant from Ball Brothers Foundation president John Fisher, and his wife, Janice.
The Fishers, who were awarded the President's Medal of Distinction in 1998, are long-time supporters of the university, providing assistance for a variety of projects, including the campaign to build Worthen Arena. The John and Janice Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology was named in their honor.
Ball State's Archives and Special Collections Research Center has developed an online exhibit on the life and career of former Governor Bowen, which may be found at www.bsu.edu/library/bowenpapers.
By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist