BGSU :: Institutional Research :: 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 graduate students of color has increased slightly but steadily over the past five years. The percentage of Firelands students of color has remained largely constant. The overall university percentage of students of color has increased slightly but steadily over the past five years.

The percentage of main campus undergraduate international students has increased and graduate international students has remained largely steady over the last five years.

The percentage of main campus undergraduate students age 25 and older has increased over the past two years, while it has declined at Firelands College since 2003.

The percentage of main campus “first generation” students (defined as neither parent having a bachelor’s degree or higher) has varied from year to year.

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) amplifies percentage changes.

The percentage of females among full-time faculty has remained basically unchanged for the last three years.

The percentages of persons of color among full-time faculty , administrative staff , and classified staff has remained largely unchanged over the last five years.

The number of enrollments in foreign language courses increased quite a bit last year.

The number of main campus undergraduates participating in the University’s education abroad program has increased steadily each year over the last five 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 remained steady for BGSU freshmen, has fluctuated from year to year for BGSU seniors, and remains lower than for freshmen and seniors at peer universities.

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 fluctuated over time and remains slightly lower than that of students at peer universities.

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 increased in 2005. At both BGSU and the peer universities, the percentage of seniors who agree that their universities encourage such contact is considerably smaller than the percentage of freshmen.

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.

An Enrollment Management Plan has been developed that includes specific strategies for increasing diversity of the student body. For example, the Office of Admissions is

The increased enrollment of undergraduate students of color has been facilitated by new recruitment programs such as “the Texas Connection” and “Hispanic Awareness Day,” through a variety of scholarship and mentor programs (such as AIMS and PLA) and by involving students of color in a dmissions activities.

More than twenty classes are available to allow students to satisfy the general education requirement for cultural diversity in the United States and their academic year combined enrollments have exceeded 4,000 each year since 1994-95.

Approximately 50 classes are available that allow students to satisfy the international perspectives requirement of the general education program.

The BGSU Women's Center serves as a gathering place, a resource center, and a meeting space, provides volunteer and internship opportunities, and keeps the community informed and educated regarding women’s issues. The Transformation Project, which provides specialized and comprehensive support and educational services related to sexual assault, domestic/intimate partner violence, and stalking, is funded through the US Department of Justice, and housed at the Women’s Center.

The BGSU Career Center has established a Multicultural Career Institute. The Institute is a two-day employment skills development conference targeted to sophomore and junior students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. MCI has received the National Association of Colleges and Employers Award of Excellence in Educational Programming.

The Academic Investment in Math and Science program, a pre-college experience, provides mentoring and scholarships for women and students of color who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in mathematics, computer science, or the natural sciences

The undergraduate International Studies Program was completely revised, as an outcome of program review. A revised curriculum will prepare students for graduate or professional work in the international arena.

At the graduate level, students can obtain a Master of Music in Ethnomusicology or a Ph.D. through American Culture Studies in a track named Ethnicity, Gender, and Social Identity; M.A. degrees in French, German, and Spanish each require a full year of study abroad.

The Center for International Programs provides support to academic programs to help them recruit and admit highly qualified international students .

BGSU provides education abroad opportunities to students through structured programs with the following institutions/areas: Southern Cross University in Lismore Australia, the University of Graz in Austria, the University of Salzburg in Austria, Cotonou in the Republic of Benin, Shandong University in the People's Republic of China, Xi'an Foreign Languages University in the People's Republic of China, Nantes Atlantique School of Management in France, Tours in France, Ouagadougou in Burkina-Faso, several German universities in cooperation with the Federation of German American Clubs, the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Center in Kopeyia Ghana, Bali in Indonesia, the Studio Art Centers International in Florence Italy, Kamatsu Japan in cooperation with Tokai Rubber Industries Inc., Nanzan University in Japan, Saitama University in Japan, Yonsei University in South Korea, Autonomous University in Guadalajara Mexico, St. Petersburg University in Russia, Alcalá de Henares in Spain, University of Brighton in England, University of East Anglia in Norwich England, Keele University in Staffordshire England and Hanoi University of Education in Vietnam .