Mike Bower takes over as persdient and chiefe executive of Owens Community College

Mike Bower, a Maumee resident, began Monday his first day as president and chief executive of Owens Community College. Enlarge

Mike Bower officially began his appointment Monday as the sixth president and chief executive officer in the 47-year history of Owens Community College in Perrysburg Township.

He gave and heard welcoming remarks from various college faculty staff.

“I look forward to serving Owens Community College and collaborating with our educational, industry and community partners to raise and leverage resources for education and workforce training,” he said. “Together, our shared sense of purpose is to improve lives and to enrich our communities, which we do through the success of our graduates and students.”

He has more than 17 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator in North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Indiana. He also spent more than 19 years in various leadership positions of business and industry with Ford Motor Co. and Thomson Consumer Electrics (formerly RCA) in Indiana and Ohio.

Since July, 2008, Mr. Bower served as the president of Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, N.D., which has an enrollment of about 3,000.

His board-level professional and community involvement includes serving as a commissioner for the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission on Economic and Workforce Development, a state member for the National Council for Workforce Education, a member for the American Association of Community Colleges’ Voluntary Framework of Accountability for Workforce and Economic Development and an executive board member for the Council of North Central Two-Year Colleges. He also serves as a Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Corps Consultant-Evaluator and is a member of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

In addition, he has been awarded with a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International, advancing the Rotary’s goals of world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.

Mr. Bower earned a doctorate in education administration, curriculum and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Maumee resident holds a master of business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University, a bachelor’s degree in industrial supervision from Indiana State University and an associate’s degree in automotive technology from Vincennes University. He is a veteran and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.

He was hired by the Owens board of trustees in March, succeeding Larry McDougle, who retired. Mr. Bower was hired with a three-year contract.