New Office of Inter-Institutional Collaboration to benefit
universities, region

BGSU, the Medical College of Ohio and the University of Toledo have recently introduced a joint venture designed to foster research and educational collaboration among the three schools.
The three have come together, pooling resources and faculty expertise, to create the Office of Inter-Institutional Collaboration.

The creation of this office further crystallizes a long-standing tradition of collaboration and cooperation, which has already sparked some two dozen specific endeavors. These efforts were recently presented to Gov. Bob Taft’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy, in a memorandum outlining the work thus far. The document outlines the collective institutions’ goal of creating “significant new efficiencies while continuing to provide high-quality education for those attending our universities.”

"Thirty years ago Bowling Green, MCO and the University of Toledo launched a collaborative degree program in nursing. Since then, we have jointly pursued a variety of avenues for enhancing research, educational offerings and operational efficiencies,” said BGSU President Sidney Ribeau. “This new office is not only a formal recognition of collaborative efforts by our faculties but also a signal that these efforts will both continue and grow.”

Charlene Czerniak, UT professor of curriculum and instruction, has been asked to oversee the newly created office. Czerniak brings to the position a strong track record of collaboration, having been involved in the development of an Ohio Board of Regents-funded Center of Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education: Opportunities for Success (COSMOS), a collaborative effort with BGSU.

Additionally, Czerniak leads the Toledo Area Partnership in Education: Support Teachers as Resources to Improve Elementary Science (TAPESTRIES), another collaboration with BGSU that is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation. The TAPESTRIES program was recently honored with the prestigious Christa McAuliffe Award for its innovative approach to science education.

Czerniak is currently working with leadership from each institution to develop an action plan for the office.

“The Office of Inter-Institutional Collaboration is a major step forward in bringing together the great minds of northwest Ohio for the benefit of the region, the state and beyond,” said UT President Dan Johnson.

“Continued collaboration is not only the right thing to do, it is what we need to do. If we want our corner of the state to become an acknowledged leader in education and technology we have to collectively take advantage of the broad range of talent available to us today. In doing so we will be able to attract leading-edge companies and even more talent to the area in the future,” remarked MCO President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs.