WSUV grad holds master class in dedication

WHAT: Washington State University Commencement.

WHO: 917 students who earned degrees in 2010-11: 768 bachelor’s, 141 master’s and eight doctorate degrees.

WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday. Parking and gates open at 11 a.m., seating area at 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Sleep Country Amphitheater, 17200 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield.

The keynote speaker will be Connie Niva, member of the WSU Board of Regents and retired Port of Everett commissioner.

Concessions will be available.

Commencement is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

In affable, upbeat and well-traveled Jerry Gowen, professors and fellow students saw what might be called the perfect MBA candidate at Washington State University Vancouver.

Here was a mid-30s professional with history in a small high-tech firm and a huge Fortune 500 corporation, a solid grasp of organizational dynamics and an eagerness to share his experience during evening courses at the Salmon Creek campus.

All for the love of gaining and sharing more knowledge, rather than with a dramatic career leap or big-time promotion in mind.

“It’s very rare when a student immediately sees what you’re talking about and then takes it lot farther” in the classroom, said WSUV business professor Joe Cote. “Whenever he spoke, you knew it was going to be something that provided some insight into something.”

It was rare enough that Cote and business school colleagues Jerry Goodstein and Tom Tripp nominated Gowen, 38, for this year’s Chancellor’s Award for Student Achievement. He will receive the honor during Saturday’s commencement ceremony, held at the Sleep Country Amphitheater.

The trio lauded Gowen’s stellar, 3.93 grade point average — but more importantly, his standout assistance to other students in several ways during his four year, one-course-at-a-time journey.

But, there’s more to the story.

By winter 2007, the glow had dimmed. Gowen was not quite right; a bit subdued, not as outspoken. Only later — much later — did others learn that he’d suffered a mild stroke.

Waking up in his Felida home one morning, he’d lost all feeling in his left arm and hand. It felt like his arm had “fallen asleep,” but clearly the situation was much more serious. It took days to diagnose, months to rehab through physical therapy. Typing and other chores were a struggle. His memory and ability to juggle tasks suffered.

“It just came out of nowhere,” Gowen said, who pays more attention to diet and exercise these days.

Achieving near-complete recovery after about a year, he soldiered on without a peep to his instructors or classmates.

He continued with his work, as a public relations manager for software security giant Symantec, mostly working online from home but also making regular business trips. There was also the birth of a third child (a fourth would follow, in 2010), his volunteer work with youth soccer and the Boy Scouts of America and service to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I really didn’t want to draw attention to it,” Gowen said ofhis stroke. He didn’t want to be treated any differently, or be offered any excuse. “It’s not the type of thing you bring up. I guess it’s a pride thing,” he said.

He definitely surprised the WSUV community.

“We didn’t even pick it up,” Cote said, apologetically. With 50-60 MBA students total, and classes capped at about 25 persons, “you get to know all those students really well,” Cote said. He noticed something, “a little less energy there, and behind it, a little less urgency,” but never probed Gowen.

Cote didn’t hesitate to help document how the star pupil enriched class discussions, slicing through academic content to paint real-life workplace pictures. Gowen would help classmates to make those connections, conduct his own research to draw further examples, and lead prep sessions for students.

He helped one student overcome language barriers to finally grasp business statistics course work. Gowen proved so adept that he’s been asked to staff the school’s statistics lab, for three semesters and counting, including late nights and weekends, though it’s far from his favorite subject.

Gowen also has been a volunteer mentor for the school’s Emerging Business Initiative, coaching students on professionalism and helping steer them through local business consulting projects.

“All of this has been done with a great deal of gratitude, humility, and enthusiasm,” the professors wrote.

Gowen has let the tribute for what he calls “leveraging your learning” sink in.

“It’s a pretty big honor,” he said. Having aced his final MBA board oral presentation in November and knocked off his last papers and exams is “like a huge burden is off my back,” he said.

It’s been a great ride for a native son who’s made full use of WSUV, partly on purpose, partly by circumstance.

A Vancouver school product and 1991 Columbia River High School graduate, the Eagle scout would earn a communications bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University. He met his wife, Kristina, 35, there, and completed an LDS church mission in the Basque region of northern Spain. In that deeply Catholic area, Gowen said he focused more on community service than faith outreach.

Gowen enjoyed time with a Utah software company while he and Kristina raised their first child, Brett, now age 8. But her pregnancy with Kyle, now 6, had serious complications that rendered her bedridden. Spooked by the ordeal, they moved to Vancouver, where he had deep family support.

It didn’t hurt that WSUV offered an MBA program, something Gowen had long coveted. At BYU, he’d also shined as a student mentor. “I loved that, working with students. I figured I’d need to go to school again to be able to do that,” he said.

At WSUV, he found just what he’d hoped for. He appreciates the business school’s “stakeholder” approach that recognizes how all parts of a company play a critical role and must team together.

“The program goes so much with my philosophy: There’s a lot I can learn from you, and maybe you can learn something from me,” Gowen said. “My approach is, we’re all working together.”

End result, he’s confident he’s become a more well-rounded employee. He’s already put some lessons to work with Symantec, and has wholly enjoyed grad school. And he plans on staying involved at WSUV.

“I actually love where I’m at,” Gowen said.

Howard Buck: 360-735-4515 or howard.buck@columbian.com.