Who is Bowman Foster Ashe? 

At the beginning of a new century, Bowman Foster Ashe attended Mount Union College in Ohio for two years of preparatory school and a subsequent two years of college. In 1910, Ashe finished his Bachelor of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. After graduation, he took a job teaching English and history in public school. Ashe also worked as the educational/social director of Langeloth, a model town near Pittsburgh. Ashe’s work eventually led him back to the University of Pittsburgh where he became a faculty member and supervised the admission, transfer and academic progress of freshmen and sophomores.

Ashe was originally appointed as executive secretary at the University of Miami by the Board of Regents. On November 3, 1926, Ashe was officially elected as the first president of the University of Miami. Throughout his 26 years at UM, Ashe was considered the "architect and builder of the University of Miami in all its aspects."

He believed strongly in the concept of continuing education, which he derived from his teaching at recreational centers in Pittsburgh. Adult education, he believed, was the equivalent to intellectual recreation, and he sought to develop an adult education program at UM that would incorporate lectures and a concert bureau. Ashe also believed that UM should aim to develop a medical school, as there was none in the state.

Bowman Foster Ashe remained president of UM until his death on December 16, 1952.