Michael Heath Cowan, retired UCSC professor and administrator and long-time Santa Cruz resident, died at home May 29, 2025.
After growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, he received both his BA and PhD from Yale University in the then emerging field of American studies. After completing his doctorate he was residential dean of Yale’s Branford College and taught there before moving to Santa Cruz in 1969, just two years after UCSC’s founding, as a professor of Community Studies and Literature. He was initially a fellow of Merrill College and later affiliated with Kresge and Oaks colleges. He was a dedicated “servant of the profession,” holding many administrative roles, including Provost of Merrill College (1978-79), Dean of the Humanities Division (1983-89). He served multiple terms as chair of the Literature department and was founding chair of the American Studies department. He chaired UCSC’s Academic Senate twice (the only campus faculty member ever to do so) – and served as chair of the UC-wide Academic Council and Assembly and served as faculty representative to the Board of Regents. He managed the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) London Study Center from 2005-2008 and then served as Executive Director of state-wide UCEAP before his retirement in 2010.
Michael was a leader in American studies, serving as President of the American Studies Association (ASA) and was the recipient of the ASA Bode-Pearson Prize for outstanding contributions to the field. His UC awards include the 2006 Oliver Johnson Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Academic Senate, the 1999 Dean E. McHenry Award for distinguished Academic Senate Service, and the UCSC Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award in 1983. He was a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow in 1975.
He was a passionate advocate not only for American studies but for the campus that was his academic home for 40 years. He cared about both the campus’s future and its origins and early formative years, a period during which UCSC worked to define what kind of institution it sought to be. As a trained historian, Michael was a careful observer of that history-in-the-making and as a long time faculty member and administrator was in a unique position to reflect on the university’s birth and sometimes tumultuous growth. Upon retirement, he offered his services to UCSC Library special collections to provide context for the collection of administrative records they had amassed. He was also interviewed by staff at the Library as a part of the Regional History Project’s oral histories series focused on UCSC. He established a named library endowment in support of ongoing archival work on the campus’s institutional history.
Beyond his many professional accomplishments, Michael was a generous and loving father and husband. His children, David and Susanna, have a lifetime of memories of their father, including several memorable cross-country drives, with stops at virtually every historical marker and scenic overlook along the way (they have compared the flavor and size of pancakes across many states!). “Dad” was a talented photographer, and there were many delightful vacation slideshows. He loved bad (good!) puns and had a wry and understated (yet sharp) wit. He never stopped loving ice cream. He supported his children’s adventures and only asked that they share the stories and pass the generosity along.
Michael’s partner of 47 years and husband, Byron, was without doubt his great love. They shared adventures in many time zones, including a year in Boston, three years in London and shorter but delightful trips to many places including Spain and New Zealand. They never tired of learning things from and about the places they visited. They were fierce walkers and delighted in the urbanscapes of many countries. They hosted joyous gatherings of all sizes in their home for their extended family of friends and colleagues, who came to their table for great food, good wine, fantastic conversation, and shared laughter. They were a match of both mind and heart. They were each other’s best friends and completed each other in ways palpable to all who knew and loved them.
Michael is survived by Byron, his two children, David and Susanna, his son-in-law Andrew, and his daughter’s three children Elias and twins Anna and Myles, who knew and loved him as “Poppy.” He is also survived by his brother, Dennis and niece Sara.
Although there is no planned formal service, the family invites you to donate to a favorite local charity – or to volunteer your time to a local organization – in memory of Michael’s lifelong generosity and service.