Thanking Honors College Dean J.D. Bowers

October 14, 2026

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

I am writing to share the news that Dr. Jerome David (J.D.) Bowers II has announced his retirement from the university and will be stepping down as Dean of the Honors College, effective June 30, 2027.

Dean Bowers has served with distinction in this role since his arrival in 2022 and has made notable contributions to honors education on and off campus. He took the lead in envisioning and building the Honors College LGBTQ+ Learning Collaborative, a unique program designed to foster education and scholarship on LGBTQ+ issues. He also served as a central figure in the honors integration process that combined the Honors College, Engineering Honors Academy, and honors programs in the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences into a unified honors community. Beyond Rutgers, Dean Bowers served as a co-founder, inaugural Executive Director, and thought leader of the Council on Honors Education.

With his retirement, Dean Bowers plans to turn his attention to civic resilience and transformative justice projects through ongoing work with various NGOs and community-based projects throughout Eastern Europe and regions of the Middle East.

We are launching a national search for the next Dean of the Honors College. I have asked Dr. Charles Keeton, Vice Provost for Experiential Learning, to convene a search committee comprising members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick community invested in honors education, with the goal of hiring a new dean to begin July 1, 2027. Questions or expressions of interest in the search process should be directed to Vice Provost Keeton.

Please join me in thanking Dean Bowers for his service to Rutgers and wishing him well during this next chapter of his life.

Sincerely,

Jason Geary, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Rutgers University–New Brunswick