Brian L. McGowan

Brian L. McGowan is an Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning at American University. Dr. McGowan earned his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Indiana University with a minor in Sociology. His research seeks to illuminate how minoritized populations experience higher education. More specifically, his research explores Black men’s achievement, identity development, interpersonal relationships, and inclusive teaching and learning practices in postsecondary educational settings. Dr. McGowan’s scholarship and professional practice have been praised through awards and honors including the Tracy L. Davis Outstanding Emerging Research Award from ACPA’s Coalition on Men and Masculinities, UNCG’s School of Education Distinguished Research Scholar Award, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation Award, and the Emerging Professional Award from The Ohio State University Higher Education and Student Affairs Program. He co-edited Men and Masculinities: Theoretical foundations and promising practices for supporting college men’s development (Stylus, 2019) and Black Men in the Academy: Narratives of resiliency, achievement, and success (Palgrave MacMillan, 2016). In 2017, Dr. McGowan co-edited a special issue of the Journal of College and University Student Housing dedicated to social justice. Dr. McGowan has delivered over 50 presentations and invited talks at professional conferences and postsecondary institutions across the country on issues related to equity, inclusion, diversity and social justice. Dr. McGowan is active in several professional associations, including the Association for the Study of Higher Education, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the ACPA-College Student Educators International. He most recently served on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Prior to joining American University, he was a tenure track professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Indiana State University. He also served as a project associate for the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research primarily working with the National Survey of Student Engagement. Dr. McGowan has also held several positions within student affairs administration including housing and residence life, new student orientation, and career services. Given his expertise in retention and persistence of college men of color, Dr. McGowan was invited to be part of three conversations with 150 educational researchers, evaluators, and community advocates through Research, Integration, Strategies, and Evaluation (RISE) for Boys and Men of Color, a $10 million-dollar national field advancement initiative in 2016 and 2017.