Scott Cowen
Encyclopedia
Scott S. Cowen is 14th president of Tulane University
in New Orleans, Louisiana
, where he is also Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor in the A.B. Freeman School of Business and professor of economics in Tulane's School of Liberal Arts
. He has written more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and four books. Cowen is the eponym of Tulane's Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives.
, where he was class president
for his first three years and then president of the student council
. Upon graduation in 1964 he was cited as "the student who had done the most" for Metuchen High. Cowen was recruited by Lou Holtz
to play football
for the University of Connecticut
, where later-legendary Holtz was briefly serving as an assistant coach. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in accounting from UConn in 1968, Cowen entered the United States Army
Infantry Officer Candidate School
and served for three years as an infantry officer, including a tour in Turkey. On discharge he enrolled in George Washington University
, where he received his master of business administration (MBA) in finance and doctor of business administration (DBA) in management. After a brief stint as an instructor at Bucknell University
, he began a 23-year career starting as an assistant professor and finished as dean
and Albert J. Weatherhead Professor of Management in the Weatherhead School of Management
at Case Western Reserve University
.
Cowen is a director of American Greetings
, Forest City Enterprises
, and Newell Rubbermaid
; he is the lead director of Jo-Ann Stores. He is a former president of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB).
in 2005, Cowen was known in higher education
as a supporter of reform in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) to bolster academics involving athletes and also to open Bowl Championship Series
(BCS) eligibility to teams in conferences such as Conference USA
(C-USA) to which Tulane belongs. Cowen supported "to get rid of the BCS and go to a playoff
system."
Cowen was critical of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the State of Louisiana for their handling of Katrina recovery. In the plans to reconstruct New Orleans' Charity Hospital, Cowen's defended the need for Tulane Medical Center's representation on Charity's board, which resulted in the Louisiana State University System
to depart from earlier plans to monopolize the board appointments and instead to seek accommodation with Tulane, Xavier University of Louisiana
, and three other institutions in Orleans Parish (Dillard University
, Southern University at New Orleans
, and Delgado Community College
).
Cowen was appointed to the city’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission and charged with leading a committee to reform and rebuild the city’s failing public school system. He supported the appointment of Ed Blakely
to be "recovery czar" in New Orleans and was pleased with the outcome of the New Orleans City Council
elections of 2006. Cowen also is a co-founder of the Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors program, a group of New Orleans civic leaders dedicated to spreading the message nationwide that post-Katrina New Orleans is an economically viable, livable city with a recovery plan in progress.
In 2010, both before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
, Cowen testified, successfully, in the Commerce Committee of the Louisiana senate, against a bill by state senator
Robert Adley
to terminate funding for the Tulane University Environmental Law Clinic. Adley's bill had the backing of the Louisiana Chemical Association and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association.
Also in 2010 Cowen increased his attention to Tulane's athletics program
, including a joint announcement with athletics director Rick Dickson
that Tulane would build a new practice facility for basketball and volleyball and recognition that Tulane "must get better" in all its athletics programs and especially men's basketball and football. The message announced that Tulane in academic year 2011-2012 would be back up to the 16 athletics teams fielded prior to Katrina.
requirements. The Carnegie Corporation cited Cowen's leadership in New Orleans' recovery from Hurricane Katrina
. In 2009, TIME Magazine named Cowen one of the nation’s top "10 Best College Presidents".
Recipient of the Times-Picayune Loving Cup
for 2010, Cowen holds honorary doctorates from Brown
, Case Western
, George Mason
, and Yeshiva
universities. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Notre Dame
at its 2010 commencement ceremony for his post-Katrina efforts in rebuilding Tulane and New Orleans.
, the official residence of the president of Tulane University. They have four grown children. Scott Cowen has a sister, Joan Cowen Garthwaite.
Scott and Marjorie Cowen were credited by Mary Matalin
for swaying her to relocate to New Orleans. They convinced Matalin that her husband James Carville
was right about the merits of moving their family to New Orleans. After having breakfast with the Cowens, Matalin went shopping for a house.
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, where he is also Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor in the A.B. Freeman School of Business and professor of economics in Tulane's School of Liberal Arts
Tulane University School of Liberal Arts
The Tulane University School of Liberal Arts is a part of Tulane University and was created in the fall of 2005, pursuant to a university-wide Renewal Plan which in part separated the School of Liberal Arts from the School of Science and Engineering....
. He has written more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and four books. Cowen is the eponym of Tulane's Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives.
Background
Son of Helen Cowen and Stanley Cowen, Scott Cowen finished his secondary education at Metuchen High SchoolMetuchen High School
Metuchen High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Metuchen School District...
, where he was class president
Class President
A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a...
for his first three years and then president of the student council
Student council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
. Upon graduation in 1964 he was cited as "the student who had done the most" for Metuchen High. Cowen was recruited by Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
to play football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, where later-legendary Holtz was briefly serving as an assistant coach. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in accounting from UConn in 1968, Cowen entered the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Infantry Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...
and served for three years as an infantry officer, including a tour in Turkey. On discharge he enrolled in George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, where he received his master of business administration (MBA) in finance and doctor of business administration (DBA) in management. After a brief stint as an instructor at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
, he began a 23-year career starting as an assistant professor and finished as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
and Albert J. Weatherhead Professor of Management in the Weatherhead School of Management
Weatherhead School of Management
The Weatherhead School of Management is a private business school of Case Western Reserve University located in Cleveland, Ohio. Weatherhead is considered a top-tier business school, with its strongest programs concentrated in organizational behavior, nonprofit business, information systems,...
at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
.
Cowen is a director of American Greetings
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
, Forest City Enterprises
Forest City Enterprises
Forest City Enterprises is a $9-billion diversified real estate management and development company based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Its portfolio includes interests in retail centers, apartment communities, office buildings and mixed-use projects in the U.S...
, and Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products including such well-known brands as Rubbermaid food storage, home organization, and refuse container products; Sharpie, PaperMate, Parker and Waterman writing instruments; Calphalon gourmet cookware; Goody beauty and...
; he is the lead director of Jo-Ann Stores. He is a former president of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business was founded in 1916 to accredit schools of business worldwide. The first accreditations took place in 1919. The stated mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation and thought leadership. It is regarded...
(AACSB).
President of Tulane
After his arrival in 1998 at Tulane as president and prior to Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, Cowen was known in higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
as a supporter of reform in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) to bolster academics involving athletes and also to open Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) eligibility to teams in conferences such as Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
(C-USA) to which Tulane belongs. Cowen supported "to get rid of the BCS and go to a playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
system."
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina and flood waters resulting from the levee's failures hit Tulane's uptown and downtown campuses shortly after the start of the 2005 fall semester. Cowen led Tulane through a rebuilding and remodeling program, during which his decision to merge and eliminate Newcomb College's quasi-selfstanding character wholly into Tulane was criticized, as was also his decision to reduce the School of Engineering and merge its remaining departments with the other science departments.Cowen was critical of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) and the State of Louisiana for their handling of Katrina recovery. In the plans to reconstruct New Orleans' Charity Hospital, Cowen's defended the need for Tulane Medical Center's representation on Charity's board, which resulted in the Louisiana State University System
Louisiana State University System
The Louisiana State University System is budgetarily the largest public university system in Louisiana. John V. Lombardi is the system's president...
to depart from earlier plans to monopolize the board appointments and instead to seek accommodation with Tulane, Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana , located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college with the distinction of being the only historically black Roman Catholic institution of higher education...
, and three other institutions in Orleans Parish (Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
, Southern University at New Orleans
Southern University at New Orleans
Southern University at New Orleans is a historically black university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, and Delgado Community College
Delgado Community College
Delgado Community College ' is a Louisiana public community college with campuses throughout the New Orleans metropolitan area, the East and West Banks of New Orleans, the East Bank of Jefferson Parish and on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Covington and Slidell in St. Tammany Parish...
).
Cowen was appointed to the city’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission and charged with leading a committee to reform and rebuild the city’s failing public school system. He supported the appointment of Ed Blakely
Ed Blakely
Edward James Blakely is known primarily for having been Executive Director of Recovery Management for the City of New Orleans. He is currently Honorary Professor in Urban Policy at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney....
to be "recovery czar" in New Orleans and was pleased with the outcome of the New Orleans City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
elections of 2006. Cowen also is a co-founder of the Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors program, a group of New Orleans civic leaders dedicated to spreading the message nationwide that post-Katrina New Orleans is an economically viable, livable city with a recovery plan in progress.
Continuing challenges
In 2009 Cowen represented Louisiana's 10 private colleges and universities when he testified in the Louisiana legislature against a bill that provided for concealed weapons on campuses.In 2010, both before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Cowen testified, successfully, in the Commerce Committee of the Louisiana senate, against a bill by state senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Robert Adley
Robert Adley (Louisiana politician)
Robert Roy Adley , is a businessman and politician from Benton, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate...
to terminate funding for the Tulane University Environmental Law Clinic. Adley's bill had the backing of the Louisiana Chemical Association and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association.
Also in 2010 Cowen increased his attention to Tulane's athletics program
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
, including a joint announcement with athletics director Rick Dickson
Rick Dickson
Rick Dickson is the current athletic director of Tulane University. Since taking over in 2000, Tulane teams have won nine Conference USA Championships. They have advanced to NCAA postseason play 15 times...
that Tulane would build a new practice facility for basketball and volleyball and recognition that Tulane "must get better" in all its athletics programs and especially men's basketball and football. The message announced that Tulane in academic year 2011-2012 would be back up to the 16 athletics teams fielded prior to Katrina.
Awards and honors
Cowen was one of four US recipients of the Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Awards in 2009. Cowen dedicated the $500,000 award to Tulane's community-related activities and Tulane's Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives that coordinates the university's service-learningService-learning
Service-learning is a method of teaching, learning and reflecting, frequently youth service, throughout the community. As a teaching method, it falls under the philosophy of experiential education...
requirements. The Carnegie Corporation cited Cowen's leadership in New Orleans' recovery from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. In 2009, TIME Magazine named Cowen one of the nation’s top "10 Best College Presidents".
Recipient of the Times-Picayune Loving Cup
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
for 2010, Cowen holds honorary doctorates from Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Case Western
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, George Mason
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, and Yeshiva
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
universities. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
at its 2010 commencement ceremony for his post-Katrina efforts in rebuilding Tulane and New Orleans.
Personal life
Cowen and his wife Marjorie Feldman Cowen reside at 2 Audubon PlaceAudubon Place
Audubon Place is a privately gated street along St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana that sits next to Tulane University. As of 2009, Audubon Place homes typically cost around $5 million...
, the official residence of the president of Tulane University. They have four grown children. Scott Cowen has a sister, Joan Cowen Garthwaite.
Scott and Marjorie Cowen were credited by Mary Matalin
Mary Matalin
Mary Joe Matalin is an American political consultant, well known for her work with the Republican Party. She was an assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney until 2003. Matalin has been chief editor of Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint...
for swaying her to relocate to New Orleans. They convinced Matalin that her husband James Carville
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...
was right about the merits of moving their family to New Orleans. After having breakfast with the Cowens, Matalin went shopping for a house.