A visionary leader, William G. Bowen (1933-2016) addressed major challenges in higher education during his tenure as provost and president of Princeton University and later as president of the Mellon Foundation. At Princeton, he confronted issues such as cost inflation, inclusion, affirmative action, college access, and completion. His influential works, including The Shape of the River (coauthored with Derek Bok), highlighted successful policies for increasing racial diversity at elite institutions. In "Changing the Game," Nancy Weiss Malkiel presents Bowen as a pivotal figure in higher education, noting his presidency at Princeton, which began in 1972 when he was just 38. He focused on financial stability, coeducation, and inclusivity, breaking the traditional Ivy League mold by promoting equal access for women and actively recruiting Black, Hispanic, and Asian American students. To enhance faculty quality, he implemented targeted recruiting and raised scholarly standards. In 1988, he transitioned to the Mellon Foundation, where he developed digital research tools like JSTOR and championed racial diversity through initiatives like the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Bowen's tenacity and insight demonstrated how a visionary leader could transform institutions in higher education.
