Bowman Fellows Endowment
The Bowman Fellows was established in 2004 in honor of Illinois State University President Al Bowman. In 2012 the fund was permanently endowed through a gift from John '81 and Therese '81 Rigas to pay tribute to Bowman's legacy as he announced his retirement as president. Under Bowman's leadership, Illinois State was transformed into a first-choice Illinois public university, ranking for seven straight years as one of the top 100 public universities in the nation for quality and value. The average freshman ACT, retention rate and graduation rate achieved historic highs. Bowman joined the University in 1978 as a faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. He served as department chair for eight years. Bowman Fellows are education majors committed to being visionary leaders on campus, in their communities, and in their future field of education.