Candice A. Bowen has been appointed to the position of director of the Office of Sexual Harassment Policy at the University of Colorado at Boulder, according to Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs.
The appointment has been approved by CU-Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny and is effective Nov. 1. Bowen replaces Andrea Goldblum, director of judicial affairs, who had held both positions for the past year and a half.
"Candice is an exceptional appointment for this position because of her prior experience and skills in this field, plus her ability to work well with a wide variety of people," Stump said. "She is building a high level of credibility for the office."
Bowen has held the position on an interim basis since June. Her prior experience includes serving as director of human resources for Marcus Evans, Inc., North America. There, Bowen conducted sexual harassment training for all employees, investigated allegations of sexual harassment, made disciplinary recommendations and managed all sexual harassment litigation.
She also has served as an administrative law judge for the Illinois State and Local Labor Relations Board and as a law clerk and human resources liaison for the Chicago Housing Authority. In those capacities she participated in federal litigation involving sexual harassment and gender and race discrimination in addition to investigating allegations of employment discrimination and sexual harassment.
Bowen earned her juris doctor from the DePaul University College of Law. She is the recipient of several awards and is active in a number of national professional organizations.
As director, Bowen's goals include informing the university community about sexual harassment policy and services through enhanced campus-wide training, including a new Web-based program that provides basic information about policies and procedures.
She also is working to decrease the investigation time of inappropriate behavior allegations and keep the campus community informed about disciplinary actions that have been taken.
With Bowen's appointment, the Office of Sexual Harassment Policy now has two investigators. Gretchen Long, a staff member with the office since 1996, now is serving as a part-time investigator.
"Action is being taken against acts of sexual harassment," Bowen said. "I encourage everyone to get the facts and learn what is and is not appropriate workplace behavior and to contact us if they have any questions."
The Office of Sexual Harassment Policy is the first of its kind in the CU system. Its purpose is to support the university's mission to provide an atmosphere free of sexual harassment by providing workshops and consultation for student employees, faculty and staff and investigating cases of alleged misconduct.
All university personnel, including temporary staff members, student employees and faculty, are required to attend sexual harassment training.
For more information on the Office of Sexual Harassment Policy, call (303) 492-2127 or visit the Web site at . The Web site contains copies of university policy on sexual harassment, policy on amorous relationships, statistical information and workshop schedules.