Bowen then went on to pursue his postdoctoral study at the University of Cambridge, England, and the London School of Economics from 1937 to 1938.
In 1950, Bowen had to resign from the University of Illinois because senior professionals did not like his curriculum on the social responsibility of businessmen and, as an example of McCarthyism,[2] accused him of being anti-business.
Howard Bowen loved higher education so much that, despite his problems at the University of Illinois, he decided to teach economics at Williams College in Massachusetts.
While serving as Grinnell president, he increased enrollment, quality of students and faculty, and endowment to national stature.
The last job Howard Bowen ever took was as the R. Stanton Avery Professor of Economics and Education at Claremont Graduate University.
During his tenure from 1974 to 1984 Bowen published three important writings: Investment in Learning, Costs of Higher Education, and American Professors: A National Resource Imperiled.
There are annual Howard Bowen Lectures at the Tippie College of Business and Claremont Graduate University.