The BGSU Portfolio is designed to serve much the same purpose at an institutional level as do individual student or faculty/staff portfolios: to provide a means for critical self-analysis, planning, and external accountability. The Portfolio is maintained by BGSU's Office of Institutional Research; it represents our current best idea for demonstrating the progress the University is making towards accomplishing the Strategic Directions and Annual Imperatives developed through the institutional planning process.

The Portfolio’s home page contains a link to a description of BGSU’s planning process, this description, details about each of the University’s Strategic Directions and Annual Imperatives and progress made towards achieving them, and a summary University Scorecard.  Ideas about the format and content of the BGSU Portfolio were borrowed from the Urban Universities Portfolio Project , a three-year (1998-2001) national collaboration that included six large urban public universities and the American Association for Higher Education and that was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts ; several resulting university portfolios, such as those at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Georgia State University ; and several university scorecards, such as those at Ohio State University and the University of Louisville .

The adage that “everything that counts can’t be measured and everything that is measured doesn’t necessarily count” is likely true for the BGSU Portfolio.  Staff of the Office of Institutional Research, members of the University Planning Council and the Academic Plan Implementation Team, and others are working toward developing information that can be included in the BGSU Portfolio that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely, and all members of the University community are welcome and encouraged to contribute ideas.  Questions and comments about the BGSU Portfolio may be directed to William E. Knight, Director of Planning and Institutional Research, (419) 372-7816 or wknight@bgnet.bgsu.edu