Awards

Honorary Degree - 1986

L.H.D.

Doctor of Humane Letters

Commencement

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Presenter: John William Ryan

Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award - 1962

About Sylvia E. Bowman

Born in Advance, Indiana, on June 19, 1914, Sylvia Bowman died on December 24, 1989 in Redington Beach, Florida. Ms. Bowman began as a lecturer in English at the Indiana University Center At Fort Wayne in 1946. She completed her doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris, France in 1952. She became a full professor in 1963, chaired the English Department from 1952-1970 when she was named dean of the newly formed Division of Arts and Sciences. In 1972 Dr. Bowman was named chancellor of the IU Regional Campus Administration. She was the first female chancellor at a Big Ten university. Following a system-wide reorganization in 1974, Dr. Bowman became special assistant to President John Ryan in charge of development of IU's external degree program. She retired in 1980.

Ms. Bowman was internationally known as a scholar on the author, Edward Bellamy and as editor of the Twayne series on authors. She received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from IPFW in 1986. She received degrees from Central Normal College (B.S., 1939), University of Chicago (M.A., 1943), L'Universite de Paris (Docteur, 1952), St. Mary's College (Litt.D., 1972) and Urbana College (H.L.D., 1981).