BGSU Zoom News

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Vital Communities Initiative links BGSU, Sandusky | Falcon Forensics and Debate Team talks its way to the top

At the kickoff of the new Vital Communities partnership are (left to right) V Jane Rosser, director of BGSU’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement; Instructor Laney Fugett; student Chelsea Ann Ramey; President Mary Ellen Mazey; George Bullerjahn, biological sciences, and Eric Wobser, Sandusky city manager.

Vital Communities Initiative
BGSU, city of Sandusky create pilot partnership

BGSU and the city of Sandusky recently kicked off a pilot partnership, the Vital Communities Initiative (VCI), which aims to pair BGSU students and faculty members with Ohio communities to identify and address projects that serve the public good. VCI projects are also meant to engage students in high-impact learning, impact citizens of our region and catalyze community and University resources for sustainable, livable and vibrant communities.

“BGSU faculty members and students from a variety of majors and disciplines are prepared to bring time, creativity and expertise to address community-defined needs, issues and dreams,” said President Mary Ellen Mazey. “This is a great example of how our region benefits from a community-engaged, public university committed to working for the public good.”

This model links existing community-based learning courses and projects with issues and needs identified by the partner community. Once linked, faculty members design their courses around the community-identified projects, focusing students’ academic experiences to provide solutions and new ideas to address these real-world problems.

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The BGSU Falcon Forensics and Debate Team celebrates its success at the 2017 Novice National Championships.

Falcon Forensics and Debate Team talks its way to the top

The BGSU Falcon Forensics and Debate Team recently placed third in the nation and earned the national title in International Public Debate Association (IPDA) Debate at the 2017 Novice National Championships held on the campus of Western Florida University in Pensacola.

In addition to the IPDA Debate national speaker title won by Adam Wilson, team members earned a total of nine final-round honors in individual speaking and performance events. Jewel White placed among the top six speakers overall in the Pentathlon Competition for speaking and performance events. White also nabbed second place in Impromptu Speaking and Impromptu Sales Speaking. Cole Stirz placed third in two categories, Dramatic Interpretation and Public Narrative.

BGSU faced tough competition from the University of Alabama, Carson-Newman University, Texas A&M, the University of Florida, IUPUI, Butler University and 24 other peer schools, said Paul Wesley Alday, Forensics and Debate director.

Additionally, BGSU received the high honor of having its bid accepted to host the 2019 National Championship Tournament on campus, Alday said. This will mark the first time since 1959 that the University has hosted a national speech and debate competition, and will coincide with the 100th anniversary of its Forensics and Debate Team. To be held during BGSU’s spring break, the event will attract between 30-40 colleges and universities from around the nation and infuse the local economy with roughly $2 million in related revenue.

IN BRIEF

In commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of America’s entry into World War I, the 2017 Gary R. Hess Lecture in Policy History is “The Paradox of Wilsonianism: World War I and American Internationalism.” Presented by the Department of History, the lecture begins at 4 p.m. today (March 30) in 228 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

BGSU alumna Dr. Diane L. Williams ’99 will discuss how innovations in genetics and neuroimaging have made a difference in understanding autism as the speaker for the College of Health and Human Services Common Read Lecture. Williams’ talk will be held at 5:30 p.m. April 6 in 115 Olscamp Hall, during Autism Awareness Month.

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