Established in 1996 with $300,000 in gifts from friends of J. Ray Bowen
The purpose of this professorship is to recognize distinguished faculty in the College of Engineering who display dedication to educational innovation and curriculum development. The professorship honors the life and leadership of J. Ray Bowen, who served as the 10th Dean of the University of Washington's College of Engineering from 1981-1996.
Ray led the College's advancement in innovative curricular change, diversity efforts, enrollment growth, and philanthropy with the first public effort, the Campaign for Washington. Ray caringly mentored many students and colleagues during his career, which spanned more than half a century. He led the formation of the Washington Technology Center, and advised other universities on tech center establishment. As a science educator and research specialist in the chemical engineering of combustion, Ray served professional associations, including leadership roles in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in the American Society Engineering Education, and in the Institute for Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems. He also served as an adviser to the United States government. Ray came to the UW in 1981 from the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he served from 1963-1980.
We are grateful to Ray for the incredible legacy he left at the College.
Allen School holders of the J. Ray Bowen Professorship for Innovation in Engineering Education
Dan Grossman, 2013-2018