IMPACT began several years ago with the observation that University students who are interested in reading books, sharing ideas, and discussing the content of their classes had only limited opportunities to fulfill these desires.  In the fall of 2001, a dedicated group of students and faculty provided a solution with the creation of the IMPACT Learning Community—a place where students of all majors could join together to share the thrill of life-long learning.  IMPACT is a home for those who wondered whether there is an accepting, nurturing environment on campus for those who want to improve mentally at a much faster clip than is encouraged in typical college classrooms.

Here in IMPACT, we are committed to Integrating Moral Principles and Critical Thinking into our academic and everyday lives.  Toward that end, we encourage one another to develop intellectual abilities, to share information and ideas that they have learned, to construct arguments, and to provide constructive criticism of these activities.  This encouragement occurs not only in the three thought provoking and intellectually rewarding classes that all IMPACT students take--Introduction to Critical Thinking, Great Ideas, and Moral Principles--but also on the 10th floor of Offenhauer West where the learning community resides.

The IMPACT floor’s residents include two-thirds or more of the members of IMPACT as well as other students who enjoy living in an atmosphere conducive to learning.  The floor itself is usually quiet, and it boasts a very nice lounge complete with a library of books, comfy couches, and a large table perfect for working on homework, group projects, etc.  Students living on the floor can be found in the lounge discussing newspaper articles, books they are reading, or issues they have encountered in class, as well as just relaxing and enjoying a place to spend some time that is different than, but not far from, their dorm rooms.

Though most IMPACT members are connected through a common living space, all members are connected to each other and to other intellectuals (IMPACT faculty, some past members, and various professors, deans, and provosts at BGSU) through the use of a listproc—a way by which individuals can send emails to everyone in the group.  Using a listproc, IMPACT fosters written discussions on a variety of topics from disciplines such as Economics, Philosophy, and Psychology—just to name a few!  Everyone in the group can benefit from the exchange of ideas that occurs on the listproc, even if only a segment of IMPACT is actively discussing a particular topic or issue at one time.  Also, the ability to interact with numerous college faculty is a rare, but valuable, opportunity that often occurs via the listproc.

Taking IMPACT classes and participating in discussions (via the listproc or on the floor), along with all the other activities IMPACT members take part in, results in members developing an increased ability to evaluate and discuss arguments.  An additional advantage is the effect these activities and skills have in preparing IMPACT members to obtain admission at top-level schools after they leave BGSU and to qualify for highly competitive jobs.