Study Partners coordinator Tamara Bowden has lived a life dedicated to leading students. From her days as a director of student affairs at a small college in Jacksonville to her current role with Auburn University, Bowden remains passionate about making education easier for college students.
Bowden has served as the Study Partners coordinator since 2005, and in that time, she's expanded the program's 19 student tutors to 136 student employees, including two dozen with leadership roles.
Bowden, who prefers to go by “Miss Tamara” or “Tam,” was born in married-student housing in Gainesville, Florida, while her father was getting his doctorate from the University of Florida. Her family then moved to Athens, Georgia, and lived in on-campus housing while their house was being finished.
Bowden has spent a large portion of her life making a university campus her home.
On a Friday afternoon, long after everyone else had left the library, Bowden was in her office sifting through paperwork and trying to make sure all of the Study Partner employees were properly paid.
“The caliber of students that we have come work for us puts me in awe,” she said. “There’s something special about people that want to teach and learn at the same time.”
Bowden earned her undergraduate degree in recreational management from West Georgia College, now called the University of West Georgia. Bowden fell into working with student
Bowden began working at Auburn in 2005.
For about four decades, Study Partners has grown under Bowden into a cornerstone of the Auburn Office of Academic Support. She has coordinated with other programs, including the Interfraternity Council and Cross-Cultural Center and developed specialized tutoring programs both inside and outside of Ralph B. Draughon Library.
“Our mission is core classes,” Bowden said. “It’s tailored to first and second-year students because it’s such a transition from high school to college.”
Bowden also stressed that she enjoys Study Partners because she knows it helps Auburn students in need.
“When I worked for Student Activities, that was the ‘fun stuff,’” Bowden said. “Here, you get to do the fun stuff, but you connect to the reason students are here in the first place. It’s very fulfilling.”
Beloved by students and staff alike, Bowden is known for her bright smile and happy encouragement of all her employees. When a student misses a training session, the reprimand usually comes in the form of a gentle email from Bowden that reminds the student that they’re missing an hour of pay.
While Bowden is known to be an embodiment of the Auburn spirit and creed, she’s also a diehard Georgia fan. Before the game on Saturday, however, Bowden demonstrated just how deeply in love she’s fallen with Auburn — she wore orange and
“My rule for the Auburn-Georgia game is that whoever can go the furthest ought to win in overtime so that nobody’s embarrassed,” Bowden said. “But you can’t be here for 17 years and not become an Auburn fan."
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