It’s not typical for a child of two Illinois alumni to decide to break tradition, but that’s exactly what Robert Bowsher did. For years, he assumed he’d follow in his parents’ footsteps and attend their alma mater. But everything changed after he took a tour of Happy Valley.

When Bowsher arrived on Penn State’s campus, he became a Lion Ambassador — a Penn State milestone he holds in high regard.

“I was a Lion Ambassador when I was in school, and that started my service to Penn State, and I’ve always wanted to continue it,” Bowsher said.

He graduated from Penn State in 1986 with a degree in accounting and enjoyed a long-lasting career in the business industry.

Although Bowsher resides in California, his connection to Penn State never wavered. He has remained active in alumni groups in both San Diego and Los Angeles, continuing to support the university from afar. That enduring pride is a key motivator behind Bowsher’s run for the Board of Trustees.

Bowsher has voiced opposition towards the university’s recent direction. He believes Penn State should be expanding its reach and reinforcing its commitment to accessibility.

“I would say that the main reason why I want to run is to make Penn State a growing organization again,” said Bowsher. “Right now, there’s just a lot of talk about shrinking the school, like closing Commonwealth Campuses, reducing the seating capacity of Beaver Stadium.”

Bowsher strongly opposes the closure of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses and believes such decisions should not rest solely with the university president, Neeli Bendapudi.

“I don’t think that it should be decided exclusively by the president. I think the trustees need to weigh in on that issue,” he said.

The university has cited financial pressures as a key reason for considering the closure of several Commonwealth Campuses, but Bowsher is critical of that rationale.

“They’re using a business model when they mentioned that essentially the Commonwealth Campuses, the 12 they have up for closure, are not as, quote-unquote, ‘profitable’ as other campuses,” said Bowsher.

Bowsher argues that financial struggles shouldn’t be used as justification for closing campuses, noting that every large organization, whether it’s a business or a university, goes through phases where certain sectors don’t perform as well as others.

“The thing is, when you have a large organization, no matter whether it’s a business or a university, you’re just going to go through phases where certain sectors don’t perform as well. And it’s a natural course,” he said. “When that happens, you need to turn to the sectors that are doing well.”

Bowsher has spent time visiting many of the Commonwealth Campuses and says the sense of community is unmistakable and something that Penn State’s University Park campus hasn’t had in many years.

“I visited Altoona, DuBois, and then back in 2017 when I ran, I visited six other campuses, and you can just tell there’s this community spirit,” Bowsher said. “That’s where you feel this kind of community-oriented work environment — a community-oriented university.”

Transparency is a core value for Bowsher, one he strives to embody in both his personal and professional life. He believes the Penn State Board of Trustees lacks that same openness and often operates behind closed doors, disconnected from the broader university community.

“The Board of Trustees right now could use a little more openness and transparency. In my career, I always had an open-door policy not just with the people who worked for me, but also with anybody in the company.”

Bowsher also emphasized his independence from university leadership, positioning himself as a candidate who will prioritize oversight and independent judgment over simply going along with Penn State’s top brass.

“I have no insider ties to university leadership, and I’ve never been a rubber stamp for any organization. I certainly won’t be for Penn State. I don’t think that’s helpful,” said Bowsher.

Bowsher also discussed the formation of the State College Interfraternity Council, an autonomous body operating independently of Penn State’s fraternity oversight policies. He pointed to the long-standing success of similar models at other universities.

“It’s worked at Colorado for over 20 years now,” he said. “I’m all for self-governance by the fraternities and sororities.”

Bowsher said he supports efforts to increase student safety and praised the SCIFC’s implementation of security measures and digital ID cards as a step in the right direction for their self-governance.

“I wish them the best,” he said. “I hope that if they can do what’s been done successfully elsewhere, it can work here, too.”

Bowsher is against hazing and believes the strongest common ground between Penn State and its Greek life community should be a shared commitment to ending the practice.

“That’s where my biggest stand is on the Greeks,” Bowsher said. “In order to self-govern, you have to tell the university, ‘Hey, we’re just not going to haze anymore.’ Then the university, in return, has to say, ‘Okay, because you’re not hazing, we will permit you to self-govern.’”

For Bowsher, running for the Board of Trustees is just another chapter in a lifelong connection to Penn State, one that began as a student ambassador and continues today as an engaged alum. His pride in the university has stayed strong, and he credits the Penn State name with opening doors throughout his career.

“I always kept my Penn State degree on my resume even into my 40s and 50s,” Bowsher said. “That network is incredible. People at multiple firms told me, ‘You really need to keep your degree on here,’ and I agreed. For a number of reasons, but especially because of the good name of Penn State.”