Contact: Jeffron Boynes, (312) 413-8702;
[email protected]
EDITORS: Bowman photo available
PHILLIP BOWMAN, NEW DIRECTOR OF UIC INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON RACE AND PUBLIC POLICY
Phillip Bowman, professor of urban planning and policy and African-American Studies, has been appointed director of the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His appointment was effective as of January.
"Phil Bowman brings a stellar research record and a depth of understanding of issues related to race and public policy," said Wim Wiewel, dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. "His work in a wide variety of settings, and with many different groups makes him the perfect choice to head up this exciting new institute.
"The Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy was started as a hallmark of UIC's goal to wrestle in-depth with issues of diversity. I believe that under Phil Bowman's leadership, the institute will create a unique and highly visible niche for itself among research centers nationwide."
Bowman said his first priority will be to ensure the institute remains committed to better understanding the perspectives and interests of African-Americans, Latinos and other groups who confront racial inequalities and injustices as America proceeds in the 21st century.
"We must bridge scholarly research with policy agendas to address affirmative action, crime, health, education, family poverty, economic development, community empowerment and other race-related issues that challenge the core values of multi-racial democracies," said Bowman.
Bowman plans to lead the institute in developing an "active, interdisciplinary research agenda" to address pressing public-policy issues facing historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in Chicago, the nation and the world.
Bowman received a bachelor of science degree in psychology and industrial technology from Northern Arizona University. He earned a master's degree in counseling psychology and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan, where he later served on the faculty, directed an innovative postdoctoral training program in survey research methodology, and helped to direct a series of landmark national studies at the Institute for Social Research.
Bowman has held appointments in psychology and African-American studies at both the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Most recently, as a professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University, he assumed several leadership roles including: co-coordinator of the Spencer Training Grant in Education and Social Policy, coordinator of the graduate program in counseling psychology, fellow in the Institute for Policy Research, interim chairman of the department of African-American studies, and director of the Summer Academic Workshop.
Bowman's scholarly work focuses on the application of social psychological theory and research methodology to address basic role strain and adaptation processes, as well as pressing race and public policy issues relevant to fields such as urban planning, education, organizational behavior, social work and public health. A Rockefeller and Senior Ford Postdoctoral Fellow, Bowman has received research funding from the Spencer Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Science Foundation.
Bowman is an active national lecturer and consultant on cultural diversity issues in psychology, research methods, and public policy debates such as urban poverty.
In support of UIC's Great Cities commitment, the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy is a research center committed to innovative programs of research at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and public policy, to improve the basic understanding and condition of African-Americans, Latinos, and other groups faced with persistent inequalities.
With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area, and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological, and cultural fabric of the entire metropolitan region.
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