Masakhe 02_DIGITAL PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 45
LEGENDARY ACADEMICS
setting up his own after-work
boundaries when he was in full-time
employment.
“This is not a good thing to admit,”
he says, “[But] I never went to bed
with an email left unanswered.”
Years after he had acquired
his Masters and returned to the
University of Natal, Bowen was
beginning to feel a dissatisfaction
gnawing at him. It didn’t help that
most of his fellow academics had left
the institution. So, he began speaking
with his friend and colleague,
Emeritus Professor Alan Stevens
who was head of the Department
of Construction Economics and
Management at UCT.
“Alan and I had had been speaking
over months and months about what I
think I always began like banter: ‘Alan,
any places in UCT?’”
Eventually, the University of Cape
Town had a senior lecturer vacancy
in 1990. But before Bowen could
even apply for the job, Alan Stevens
needed to ensure he was
a good fit for the department.
“Alan was a very, very wise owl.
Very wise. He said, ‘I want you to
meet Keith Cattell and Rob Pearl.’
And so he wanted them to suss
me out.”
Bowen had friendly academic
debates with the two gentlemen,
earning their unanimous approval,
but he still needed to impress an
interview committee of deans soon
after. When he had passed that test,
he applied for an associate professor
position, though the position
advertised was for a senior lecturer.
He clinched the role on condition that
he complete his PhD in 2 years. He
did, through the University of Port
Elizabeth.
In his free time, Bowen likes to
travel with his wife to a timeshare
in Amazimtoti in Natal, practices
tai-jitsu and is even a top marksman.
“I don’t want to blow my own
trumpet, [but] I used to be a Protea
(formerly Springbok) Shooter.
I represented South Africa in the
World Benchrest Rifle shooting
competitions.”
He’s competed in New Zealand,
Sweden and the USA.
Retirement has slowed down
his pace of work, but Emeritus
Professor Paul Bowen remains an avid
academic. Sharing knowledge and
shaping a new generation of thinkers
in the construction space
is his calling. When asked if he had
any advice for young researchers,
he had this to say:
“My philosophy is you write a good
journal paper first and then write a
conference paper. I’ve advised all
youngsters I’ve mentored to focus
on journal papers, don’t follow the
paper trail and try to build up a hectic
CV of conference papers. If I was
on the NRF panel I would say, ‘Well
done. But where are your journal
papers?’”
“I ENJOYED
LECTURING. IT’S LIKE
HAVING A BLANK
CANVAS IN FRONT OF
YOU EVERY YEAR.”
ISSUE 2
43
DECEMBER 2 025
