Office of the Assistant Vice President for Academic and Student Support Services

Mr. Blaze Bowers joined LMU in September 2021. As Assistant Vice President for Academic and Student Support Services, Mr. Bowers oversees the Student Services, Academic Support, Mental Health Counseling, Title IX, and Institutional Compliance divisions. Through Student Services and Academic Support, Mr. Bowers oversees the following offices: the Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Students, Orientation and Transition Programs, Career Services, Leadership and Outreach, Student Diversity and Belonging, Student Activities and Engagement, Accessible Education Services, Residential Housing, the Cornerstone Program, and the Student Support Services program. Mr. Bowers also serves as an Instructor of Criminal Justice and Political Science in Lincoln Memorial's School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Mr. Bowers came to LMU from Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP of Tampa, Florida, and Stetson University College of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree as a Raphael Steinhardt Awardee. Mr. Bowers earned his B.S. in Secondary Social Studies Education and History from Grace College of Winona Lake, Indiana, in 2018. At Stetson, Mr. Bowers served as the Teaching Fellow for the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy, serving as a teaching assistant for Tort Law and Higher Education Law & Policy under Professor Peter Lake. Mr. Bowers also represented veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs as an Advanced Certified Legal Intern at the Veterans Law Institute and served as Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant to Professor Luz Nagle, focusing on the areas of International Law and Human Rights. Mr. Bowers now focuses his research on the disciplines of higher education law and policy, student affairs, administrative law, and constitutional law—publishing with the Florida Bar's Education Law Committee, speaking at the Annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education, and being quoted by national publications on issues of Title IX and religious exemption law. Mr. Bowers now serves as Chair of the Alumni Advisory Committee for the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.

Mr. Bowers was born in West Virginia and grew up in the Ohio Valley—spending his entire pre-collegiate life in North Central and North Appalachia. His deep roots and personal ties to the Appalachian region have made Tennessee a natural second home. Mr. Bowers is the proud uncle of his twin nieces, Ariel and Tori, and is closely connected to his loving and supportive family in Florida. Mr. Bowers enjoys running, writing, and exploring the Knoxville area.