Institutional Research

Cultural and cross-national competency is essential for students and faculty to function in a diverse and increasingly interdependent world. As noted in the BGSU Academic Plan, the challenge for BGSU is to enhance the ways in which our students and faculty experience and engage in domestic and international diversity issues and to enhance the opportunities to build mutually beneficial relationships with cultural others.

Indicators

The percentage of main campus undergraduate students of color and Firelands students of color has increased while the percentage of main campus graduate students of color has remained largely constant. The overall university percentage of students of color has increased since 1999.

The percentage of main campus undergraduate international students has increased throughout the years and peaked in Fall 2009 and graduate international students has decreased last Fall.

The percentage of undergraduate students age 25 and older at main campus and at Firelands College has increased over the past three years.

The percentage of main campus “first generation” students (defined as neither parent having a bachelor’s degree or higher) has decreased throughout the years.

The distribution of main campus undergraduate students by parents’ income level has fluctuated over the past five years.

Main campus one-year freshmen retention rates and six-year graduation rates have varied across years across racial and ethnic groups. The small size of some groups (e.g., American Indian students, international students) amplifies percentage changes.

The percentage of females among full-time faculty has increased over the last several years.

The percentages of persons of color among full-time faculty and classified staff has increased while the percentage of person of color among administrative staff has varied over the years.

The number of enrollments in foreign language courses has fluctuated over time.

The number of main campus undergraduates participating in the University’s education abroad program has decreased in the last two years; this number represents between 1% and 2% of main campus undergraduates.

The National Survey of Student Engagement results reveal that the percentage of main campus undergraduates who report having serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity than their own has generally increased for BGSU freshmen and seniors.

The NSSE results also indicate that the percentage of main campus freshmen and seniors who report having serious conversations with students who differ from them in terms of religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values has increased since 2005.

The NSSE asks respondents to indicate the extent to which they believe that BGSU emphasizes encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds . The percentage of BGSU students who agree that this is the case has decreased between 2007 and 2009 and is now lower than that of peer universities in 2009.

Although the majority of respondents to the UCLA HERI Faculty Survey agreed or strongly agreed that faculty of color are treated fairly at BGSU , there was a significant difference in the results between faculty of color and Caucasian faculty.

Although the majority of respondents to the UCLA HERI Faculty Survey disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “ there is a lot of racial conflict here ,” there was a significant difference in the results between faculty of color and Caucasian faculty.

Although the majority of respondents to the UCLA HERI Faculty Survey agreed or strongly agreed that women faculty are treated fairly at BGSU , there was a significant difference by gender in the results.

Achievements and Improvement Initiatives

The BGSU Diversity Plan and the Diversity Leadership Team have been established in order to assist the University in fostering an environment that reflects and celebrates diversity, promotes cultural compatibility, encourages inclusion, embraces healthy interdependence, and promises to all members a learning community free of discrimination and harassment.

The BGSU Office of Multicultural Affairs provides academic, personal, social and cultural support to culturally diverse students. Social and cultural programs are designed with the purpose of educating the campus at large about ethnic diversity issues, LGBT issues, and religious diversity. The office sponsors lectures, conferences, and a variety of cultural celebrations that address cultural diversity in a global society.

Bowling Green State University has joined a consortium of 15 Ohio universities and state agencies committed to increasing the number of minority students earning bachelor 's degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The University hosts the annual Latino Issues Conference.

BGSU serves as the site for the annual Native American Unity Council Speakers' Forum and Pow Wow.

The University has established numerous initiatives to facilitate the understanding of the Middle East.  A recent activity involved collaboration between BGSU Journalism and Interpersonal Communication faculty and their colleagues in Tunisia, utilizing a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State.