Purdue University’s Board of Trustees has renamed the Polytechnic Institute’s School of Construction Management Technology to the Bowen School of Construction, following a $10 million donation from the Bowen family. The decision, made on December 12, underscores a significant investment in the school’s growth, particularly in Indianapolis.
The Bowen family—Robert Bowen, Terry Bowen, Doug Bowen III, and Julie Bowen—aimed to bolster construction education through this substantial gift. Robert Bowen, a 1962 Purdue civil engineering graduate, contributed $3.25 million to the new Bowen Laboratory, touted as the world’s most modern large-scale civil engineering facility. This donation will also support the expansion of construction education, strengthen industry partnerships, and enhance curriculum, laboratory space, equipment, faculty hiring, and hands-on learning opportunities at Purdue Indianapolis.
A portion of the gift will establish the Bowen School of Construction Endowment at Purdue’s main campus. The Bowen family’s long-standing involvement with Purdue is evident in their commitment to advancing construction education. Doug Bowen, a 1993 Purdue business management graduate, now leads Bowen Engineering, a company founded by his father. Robert Bowen continues to engage with the university as the Donn E. Hancher Distinguished Fellow in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.
This generous donation not only honors the Bowen family’s legacy but also propels Purdue’s construction program into a new era of innovation and excellence. As the construction industry grapples with the need for sustainable and technologically advanced practices, this investment could catalyze a shift in how future professionals are trained to meet these evolving demands.
The Bowen School of Construction’s renaming and the establishment of the endowment signal a broader trend in higher education: the increasing importance of private philanthropy in shaping academic programs. Such partnerships between universities and industry leaders can drive progress, fostering a more skilled and sustainable workforce.
As Purdue University continues to expand its footprint in Indianapolis, the Bowen family’s gift highlights the potential for collaboration between academia and industry to address real-world challenges. The Bowen School of Construction is poised to become a beacon of innovation, preparing the next generation of construction professionals to build a more sustainable future.