UHV names business school dean through 2020
A former South Carolina business school dean, venture capitalist and U.S. Navy veteran is serving as dean of the University of Houston-Victoria School of Business Administration through fall 2020.
Charles Stowe started in the position Oct. 1, replacing James Jordan-Wagner, who served as the dean under a one-year contract and retired at the end of August.
“Dr. Stowe has extensive experience in higher education and will be valuable in providing insight and strengthening the UHV School of Business Administration,” UHV President Bob Glenn said.
Stowe joined Sam Houston State University’s College of Business Administration in a tenure track position in 1982 after completing his law degree at the University of Houston Law Center. Stowe also earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas.
During his time at Sam Houston State, he attained the rank of professor and served as assistant to the late Elliott T. Bowers, during Bowers’ last two years as president. He also held a number of administrative positions, including four years as director of the Office of International Programs and founder and director of the university’s Entrepreneurship Institute in partnership with Montgomery Community College.
In August 2008, Stowe joined Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., as dean of the College of Business and Public Affairs. Lander’s business program is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a distinction held by less than 5 percent of all business schools, including the UHV School of Business Administration.
Stowe also was responsible for Lander’s Department of Political and Social Sciences, which included programs in political science, public administration, sociology and criminal justice. As dean, Stowe led the creation of the seventh online Master of Science in emergency management in the nation. In addition, he led the faculty in creating faculty development workshops leading toward the conversion of all courses in the curriculum to an online format.
In 2016, Stowe joined Texas A&M University as online adjunct faculty teaching “Leadership” and a course in “Human Resources Development Employment Law.”
Stowe will be working to help UHV become a destination university while strengthening the UHV Katy teaching center to serve a growing metropolitan community. UHV Katy serves primarily working adults who want to finish a bachelor’s degree as a transfer student or obtain a master’s degree.
“I am excited to be living in Victoria and working to expand UHV’s positive impact on both Victoria and Katy,” Stowe said. “Both of the School of Business Administration’s graduate and undergraduate programs are strong due to an excellent faculty.”
Stowe’s background also includes 15 years as a co-general partner of a Connecticut-based venture capital firm, vice president of a Massachusetts-based paper company and public affairs officer for the Navy.
He is married to Laura Everett Stowe, who has been in the college and high school textbook publishing industry for more than 30 years. They have a son, Charlie, a sophomore attending Boston Conservatory to study contemporary theater.
Glenn expects Stowe to serve as dean of the UHV School of Business Administration for 24 months. A national search for a new business school dean will begin at a later date.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
