Mowen has certainly ascended to unparalleled heights during his tenure at OSU.
Internationally renowned researcher, Regents professor, community activist, decorated scholar, psychologist, artist, mentor and friend – are a few titles Mowen’s colleagues and protégés have used to describe him.
But his passion to inspire and help students achieve their maximum potential is the motivating factor that drives this seasoned professor.
“Dr. Mowen is the epitome of a scholar in terms of how he approaches research, and the joy he receives in disseminating that information to others,” said Sterling Bone, ’06 doctoral graduate and current assistant professor at Brigham Young University’s nationally ranked business school. “It’s very contagious to work under him.”
Mowen graduated from William and Mary in 1969 with a degree in psychology. While in school, he juggled studies, working in the library, and military training in ROTC where he served as Cadet Commander his senior year.
A Ranger-qualified Regular Army officer, he served for four years and attained the rank of Captain. With the able assistance of his spouse, Maryanne, he applied to graduate schools in psychology from Vietnam. One of the last officers to leave the country in 1973, Mowen received a Bronze Star for his service there.
Because the desert sounded relatively pleasing after Vietnam, Mowen chose to enter the social psychology program at Arizona State. But his’s career path took an unexpected turn.
“When I completed my doctoral degree, there were 100 applications for each academic position in social psychology,” said Mowen. Through the encouragement of a friend who was working on a doctorate in marketing, Mowen considered marketing as a career.
Because psychology provides an important theory base for consumer marketing, Mowen set his sights on a new field, and began post-doctoral work in marketing at Arizona State. As Mowen described it, “The difference in the job market in business, as compared to psychology, was like night and day,” After completing his post-doctoral studies, Mowen accepted a tenure-track position at OSU in 1978. Since that time, his research and teaching focus has been on understanding the factors that influence consumer and managerial decision-making.
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“John is well-known as a leading researcher in the field of consumer behavior, and in particular, consumer psychology,” said Dr. Eric Harris, ’01 doctoral alum who studied under Mowen. “He has excelled in numerous areas and his contributions to the field are far-reaching.”
These contributions include over 60 articles published in prominent journals, a consumer behavior textbook, which is now in its seventh iteration, two trade books targeted to business professionals on high-stakes decision-making, a book on leadership and a book that presents a new theory of motivation and personality.
Considered a leading expert in the area of human motivation, Mowen is widely known for his development of the 3M Model of Motivation and Personality. The model seeks to account for how personality traits interact with the situations to influence consumer feelings and behaviors. |
As described by Harris, a professor of business at Pittsburgh State University, “John’s work ethic is outstanding, and he has been extremely productive throughout his professional career. One major contribution that he has made is his work on hierarchical personality models. The work has allowed consumer researchers to address a number of issues from a fresh, fully-integrated perspective,” said Harris.
In 2000, Mowen was appointed as holder of the Noble Foundation Chair in Marketing Strategy, which provided greater funding and time to further delve into his research.
“The Noble chair has allowed me the freedom to pursue scholarly activities that are more creative and interesting,” Mowen said. “If I had been at another big research university, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to publish books and develop a new theory, because of the demands to focus on incremental research, rather than higher risk efforts that involve taking new approaches to solving problems.”
Established by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in 1989, the chair was endowed to provide leadership among university faculty to assist Oklahoma businesses with the challenges of operating within a highly competitive business environment.
“Dr. Mowen has been able to conduct long-term research projects to benefit business and industry,” said Mary Kate Wilson, Program Officer in the Noble Foundation Granting Department and ‘97 Arts & Sciences alumna. “Lloyd Noble once said that the greatest title a person can hold is that of ‘great teacher,’ which embodies the qualities we appreciate in Dr. Mowen.”
In addition to his chair appointment, Mowen was bestowed the Eminent Faculty award in 2002. The award is given to one faculty member whose sustained contributions to scholarly-creative activity, teaching and service, bring honor and recognition to the university.
Despite his immense success and recognition within his field, Mowen acknowledges the high point in his career as the opportunity to interact with students.
“I view the professoriate as a helping profession. The joy of helping students advance intellectually, whether at the undergraduate or doctoral levels, is one of my most ardent passions,” said Mowen. In part because of these relationships, he has chaired or co-chaired 19 dissertations. His students are now professors at universities in the United States and abroad.
While Mowen is foremost a scholar, his personal life depicts a softer, creative side.
A professional digital artist, Mowen’s original creations are found in galleries in Arizona, Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. Forty of his works are part of the permanent collection at Omniplex Science & Air Space Musuem in Oklahoma City. He brings together his love of art and marketing to his students through his class on “Marketing of the Arts.”
One of his artistic goals is to donate his works to non-profit organizations, such as Judith Carmen Hospice in Stillwater. Indeed, Mowen is committed to serving his community. As past president of the Stillwater United Way and Chairman of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Mowen has a strong sense of duty to Stillwater and the state. The commitment extends to his profession, such as through his service to the Society for Consumer Psychology, of which he is a past president and Fellow.
Still, at the end of the day, the title Mowen is most proud to hold the title of husband and father.
“We are all each others biggest supporters.”
Mowen readily credits his wife, an associate professor in the School of Accounting, and his two daughters for contributing to his productivity. "Maryanne is my best critic and also my biggest supporter. Having children has provided a balance to my life that reminds me that just because my latest idea is rejected for publication, it's not the end of the world."
Mowen’s academic legacy will endure through his research and his students whose journey into academia is just beginning. Dr. Holmes would undoubtedly be pleased that the student he motivated to excel more than 30 years ago has come full circle to inspire future generations.
“Dr. Mowen genuinely cares about the well-being of his students. This care goes well beyond seeing students through their years at OSU. It extends into their career development stages and beyond. He has been extremely helpful to me, and I simply can't overstate how happy I am to have him as both friend and mentor,” said Harris.
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