Opening Day Address
“ORGANIZING FOR ENGAGEMENT”
DR. SIDNEY A. RIBEAU
AUGUST 20, 2004

President’s Welcome and Address
Thank you, Professor David Okerlund, for the inspiring performance of the National Anthem. Professor Okerlund is a faculty member in the College of Musical Arts – and we are grateful that he so graciously agreed to perform for us this morning.

I also want to thank the students who performed for us this morning during our social time – including two current students in our College of Musical Arts – Ms. Maristella Feustle, a graduate student; and Matt Schieferstein, an undergraduate student on our campus. Our thanks also to Jason Gahler, the third member of the Jazz Trio, who graduated this past year and is now one of our newest alumni. Thank you for the delightful performance, and for helping set an upbeat tone for the campus as we begin the new academic year.

And now, let me say again - Good morning! And welcome to the 2004-2005 academic year at Bowling Green State University! It’s great to see the campus come alive again with faculty, staff, and students. I’d also like to extend a hearty welcome to our colleagues and friends at Firelands College who are joining us by way of satellite this morning. It’s great to have you with us!

Before I begin my address this morning, I would like to introduce the University’s constituent group leaders for the 2004-05 academic year. As I call your name, would you please stand? I am pleased to introduce this year’s chair of Faculty Senate, Dr. Radhika Gajjala. Dr. Gajjala is a faculty member in the Department of Interpersonal Communications, my own home department and academic discipline. I am also pleased to introduce Ms. Kathy McBride, chair of Classified Staff Council. And, last, but not least, I am pleased to introduce Mr. Joe Luthman, chair of Administrative Staff Council. Thank you for your willingness to serve the University in these leadership roles over the coming year. I look forward to working with each of you during the weeks and months ahead.

We also look forward to working with our student leadership this year – with Mr. Alex Wright, President of Undergraduate Student Government – and Ms. Jacquelyn Walters, President of Graduate Student Senate.

I would also like to welcome and acknowledge our distinguished guests who are here this morning – including members of our Board of Trustees, visiting alumni, and members of the Board of Advocates of the College of Arts and Sciences. Would you please stand? Thank you for joining us this morning, and for your ongoing support of BGSU - and to higher education throughout our state and region.

I would also like to extend a special welcome to our new faculty, staff and students – who are joining us for the first time this fall semester. Would you please stand? Let’s give a round of applause to these new members of our campus community. It’s great to have you with us, and I look forward to working with you and getting to know you in the weeks and months ahead.

This year I begin my tenth year as President of Bowling Green State University, and I want to take the opportunity this morning to reflect on what we have accomplished together during this period - and examine where we need to go over the next three-to-five years.

In my first Opening Day speech to the campus community in August of 1995, I commented that Bowling Green State University was one of the best kept secrets in the state of Ohio, and, indeed, one of the best kept secrets in the nation. I knew that I was fortunate to be taking over the reins of a solid University – solid in the quality of its academic programs, solid in the quality of its faculty, solid in the quality of its staff, and solid in the quality of the students it attracted – both undergraduate and graduate.

But I also knew that the higher education landscape was changing, and that if Bowling Green State University was going to continue to survive as a strong academic community – and if it was going to move to the next level and actually thrive - then we would need to work together to make the kinds of changes that would take us to new levels of excellence.

This, I believe, we have achieved – and achieved admirably.

Throughout the state, and across the nation, BGSU has become known as a key player on the higher education scene. We are known, and recognized, across the state – and nationally - as a model for successful student learning communities. In addition, our first year programs, our emphasis on engaging the whole student in the learning process, and our emphasis on active learning are areas that our sister universities throughout Ohio admire and seek to emulate. Our values initiative, our emphasis on leadership, and our commitment to diversity are also key areas that distinguish the BGSU learning community both here in Ohio and across the nation. In these, and many other areas, we are no longer Ohio’s – nor the nation’s – best kept secret.

All of these programs have succeeded because of the dedication and commitment of the faculty, staff and administrators who have worked together to build them. This fall, for example, approximately 1,600 new students will participate in the BGeXperience program – a pilot program that is designed to introduce critical thinking about values into the academic curriculum. Through hard work and perseverance, our faculty, staff and administrators have continued to commit to new programs and initiatives.

And these efforts continue to move us forward as together we seek to realize our vision of becoming the premier learning community in Ohio, and one of the best in the nation.

In addition to these new programs and initiatives, we have also made a considerable leap forward in our technology infrastructure, in our endowment, in our ability to attract private gifts, in new academic programs, and in the renovation and expansion of our new student union – a major capital construction project. This year we will enroll our largest freshman class in our history. And the demographics of our entering class show stronger SAT and GPA scores, with a better spread of academic preparation, as well as a more diverse group of students according to ethnicity and gender.

As a result of these initiatives – and because of the hard work, commitment, dedication and sacrifices of the faculty, staff and administrators at BGSU, we are extraordinarily well-positioned to take the next steps that are now required of us – if we are to meet the challenges of higher education as they confront us today.

And the next steps we need to take are significant. Although we have achieved much over the last ten years, with new programs and initiatives that have distinguished our University – there is still more that remains to be done.

In today’s economic environment – and with the state budget as it is – we cannot afford to stand still. To stand still in today’s economic environment would be tantamount to going backwards. It’s not a risk we can afford to take.

And just what are the challenges of higher education that confront us today?

All of you are aware that over the last four years, state support of higher education has decreased significantly. There have been tremendous cuts to public higher education since 2001. State funding per FTES student has been reduced while mandatory costs on university campuses have increased significantly. At the same time, full funding for enrollment growth has not been forthcoming from the state, and all this at a time when enrollment continues to rise, and access to higher education is in high demand.

For our campus, as well as others throughout Ohio and across the nation, in order to continue to provide access and quality academic programs, our Board of Trustees have had no choice but to increase student tuition – this year by 9 percent.

As educators, we are living in a time when never before have the demands on public higher education in our state, and throughout the nation, been so great. We are also living in a time when, coupled with these demands, state support for public higher education is at an all-time low.

Many of you are familiar with the Governor’s “Commission on Higher Education and the Economy” that was appointed last year. This Commission was established in order to examine the role of higher education in relation to the state’s economic development and recovery. On April 29, 2004, the Commission completed its report and made a number of recommendations to the Governor. This report has become known as the “CHEE” report, and I want to talk to you this morning about the recommendations of the Commission.

Economic recovery continues to be a critical issue for our state - and for most states throughout the nation. The economic recovery in our state, however, has challenges that are unique to Ohio. Economic development experts tell us that Ohio needs to “retool,” so to speak - to diversify our economy – that we need to move from a dependence on manufacturing and agriculture and seek to attract and grow new businesses that are based on the knowledge economy - in order to create new jobs, particularly well-paying jobs that will enhance the quality of life in our state and region.

It is clear that the Commission sees higher education as playing a key role in this economic transformation. The ability to attract and grow new businesses that will create knowledge economy wages and jobs is dependent on the state having a well-educated workforce. The jobs that raised the standard of living in Ohio twenty years ago – in Ohio’s plants, factories, steel mills and coal mines – did not require a college or university degree. In the new knowledge economy however, this is no longer the case – a college or university degree is necessary.

The Commission’s report calls upon all of Ohio’s colleges and universities to work together with business and community leaders throughout the state to fuel economic development and recovery in each of our communities and regions.

The Commission recognizes that higher education can play a major role in transforming their regions by employing their intellectual and human resources to solve societal problems and improve the lives and livelihoods of residents in their communities.

Increasingly, state legislatures across the nation, and the federal government, are calling upon higher education institutions in every state of the union to establish partnerships and alliances to improve the quality of life in their communities. Creating collaborations and connections is critical if we are going to enhance the quality of life for all residents of our state and region.

As I noted earlier, as educators, we are living in a time when never before have the demands on public higher education been so great – and the financial support so diminished.

That is our challenge, and our opportunity.

It is our challenge, because we are being called upon to provide increased access at a time when enrollment funding is being reduced.

On the other hand, it is an opportunity for us to give back to the public that has supported higher education in better economic times – and to apply the vast intellectual and human resources that we have to help solve the problems of our local and state communities.

This is also an opportunity to move ahead with our own University Academic Plan that was finalized in January of 2003 – entitled: “Inquiry, Engagement, and Achievement at BGSU.” In the spring of 2002, I appointed an Academic Planning Team to assess the University’s internal and external challenges, and the final report of the planning team was presented to me, and to the campus community, on January 30 of 2003.
Along with an emphasis on the cultivation of undergraduate inquiry, another key area of emphasis was on external collaborations – and the importance of engagement with the external community. In the area of community engagement, the Academic Plan emphasizes that we need to become a more effective partner with external organizations – and more engaged with the issues, challenges, and opportunities presented by our region, state, nation, and world. In addition, the Academic Plan notes that as the university expands its partnerships with the community-at-large, new research opportunities for faculty will emerge, along with innovative active learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. The Academic Plan emphasizes that the exchange of talent and expertise of our faculty, staff and students has the potential to influence significantly our diverse external constituents and communities in many critical ways that serve our region.

This is an excellent opportunity for our University to step up to the plate, to show that we are willing to do our part to work with all sectors of society to improve the quality of life for all Ohioans.

And now let me talk about how I propose that we move ahead to meet this challenge, so that - for us - it becomes an opportunity.

I propose that instead of waiting for others - on the outside - to impose this mandate on us, that instead - we take action proactively, and put ourselves on the fast track this year, beginning this semester, to organize for engagement -- to work together to build a strong and vital Ohio.

The good news is - that we don’t need to start from scratch. Bowling Green State University is no stranger to engagement with the external community. Our University has a long history and tradition of establishing partnerships, alliances and collaborations with government, business and industry, nonprofit organizations, civic groups, K-12, community colleges, and other four-year universities, both within Ohio and across the nation. We also have significant international partnerships and collaborations.

What we have not done in the past, however, is make engagement with external partners a key priority for the university. We have not made engagement with external partners a University-wide priority.

Over the years we have established a number of quality academic centers and institutes that provide both basic and applied research for our state and region – and many of our faculty and staff are engaged in partnerships and collaborations across numerous sectors of our community. However many times these projects of engagement remain at the periphery of what we do on campus, rather than at the center – and this is an excellent opportunity to take what has often been at the margin – and move it into the mainstream.

But I am aware that in order to achieve this, we will need to revisit the faculty reward system on our campus. Over the last few years, we have had many occasions to discuss the “faculty scholar model” that was introduced by the late Ernest Boyer as he reflected on the roles of the professoriate. For Boyer, who served for many years as the president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, the roles of the faculty scholar included the scholarship of teaching, the scholarship of integration, the scholarship of discovery, and the scholarship of engagement – what we commonly refer to as teaching, research and service. For Boyer, and for others who have followed in his footsteps, the scholarship of engagement has been the least recognized and rewarded area of faculty scholarship.

At the end of his career, Boyer made it his goal to elevate the scholarship of engagement to its rightful place among the other faculty roles of teaching and basic research. Boyer believed that the scholarship of engagement, which we might also refer to as applied research, was a critical component of faculty scholarship. He also believed that increasingly, more and more, the public at large would be calling upon higher education to invest more time and effort in this area.

Boyer’s assessment was, indeed, correct. As higher education continues to be confronted with an accountability crisis from its various publics, the scholarship of engagement is taking on greater and greater significance. Increasingly government and other sectors of society are calling upon higher education institutions to apply their resources to solve societal problems and enhance the quality of life in their communities and regions.

Over the last ten years, there has emerged a significant groundswell of university faculty and administrators across the country who have worked together to define, document, measure, and evaluate the scholarship of engagement. There are now a number of universities throughout the country that have institutionalized the scholarship of engagement in some significant way. Some universities have integrated the scholarship of engagement not only into their Retention, Tenure, and Promotion process, but also in the recruitment and hiring of new faculty and in post-tenure review. Not all universities that have institutionalized the scholarship of engagement have gone this far, but all universities that take the scholarship of engagement seriously have found ways to align the recognition and reward structure in support of this important faculty role.

I don’t know which model will be best for faculty at Bowling Green State University to adopt. I do know, however, that if something isn’t recognized and rewarded, it doesn’t get done.

Therefore this semester, as part of the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative on our campus, I will appoint a Task Force on the Scholarship of Engagement. By October 1st of this year, I will charge this Task Force with the development of recommendations on how Bowling Green State University should move forward with the recognition and reward of the scholarship of engagement.

By the end of the fall semester, I would like members of the Task Force to propose several possible models, and then, following my review, I will ask for feedback from the entire University community during the spring 2005 semester.

As I noted, my goal is to appoint the members of the Task Force by October 1st and I will be soliciting nominations from the Academic Senate, the colleges and schools, and from among other units of the campus community. Members of this Task Force will be asked to complete their work by January 15th, 2005, so that we can then invite discussion and dialogue by the entire campus community during the spring 2005 semester. I would like to take a recommendation to the Board of Trustees during their April meeting, and implement a centralized University policy that all the colleges and schools will implement beginning in the fall of 2005.

I am aware that faculty time is a valuable resource, and that much is being asked of faculty in this day and age, as higher education continues to go through many changes and faces many external challenges. I am also aware that this is an ambitious time-line. But we have much to accomplish in the scholarship of engagement in the year – and years – ahead, with no time to lose. This is a critical time for higher education and for all residents of the state of Ohio. As a higher education institution, we have much to contribute, and there is much to be done.

In talking to academic colleagues about the scholarship of engagement, one concern that is often raised is that the university is already operating with a reduction in fiscal resources, so won’t the implementation of this new university-wide priority be a burden on already limited resources?

This is an important consideration, and one that we will have to address. It will be important that the partnerships and alliances in which we engage are adequately funded by our external partners. Many of our external partners will be able to fund projects from which they will benefit. Other external partners will be in a position only to contribute their fair share. In certain instances, the greater good of the public will require us to dig deeper into our pockets to provide our resources for critical initiatives that we feel we need to offer. In many instances we will be able to leverage additional resources from federal, industry, foundation, or private sources.

With the reduction in state funding that we have experienced over the last few years, external funding has been critical for the University in order to develop many new programs and innovative initiatives. Engagement in external partnerships is one avenue the University can pursue to secure funding for key academic initiatives that benefit the University and the communities we serve.

As I noted earlier, the University has seen a significant increase in its ability to attract private support – for example the private contributions that were made to renovate and expand this building that we are in today – the new Bowen-Thompson Student Union. We received $6 million in gifts and donations from alumni/ae, corporate sponsors and friends – as well as a major gift of $3 million from BGSU alumni Robert and Ellen Bowen Thompson. Last year we received a $2 million gift from BGSU alumnus, George L. Mylander and the Mylander Foundation for student scholarships and the creation of an endowed visiting professorship in education. This past spring we received a $3 million gift to establish a Center for Entrepreneurship from Scott Hamilton and William Dallas. At the present time our University is in the quiet phase of our comprehensive campaign, and over the next six years leading up to our centennial celebration we will continue to seek private gifts and funding to support endowed professorships in each of our colleges and schools, student scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students, and funds to support the various projects and initiatives we identified in our academic plan.

We also need to increase the external funding that the University brings in through external grants and contracts. In difficult budget times, such as these, it is often the external funding that a University brings in that enables the institution to develop and maintain its margin of excellence.

Our faculty are to be commended for the significant research initiatives for which they have secured funding over the last few years. In areas of both basic and applied research, it is clear that our faculty have been highly successful in securing grants from prestigious and competitive sources - including the federal government and federal agencies, the state of Ohio and its agencies, foundations, business and industry, and with civic and local government groups.

But we need to do more in this area. External grants and contracts are another significant source of external funding that will allow us to engage in innovative research that serves our state and region – research that is both applied and basic. Basic and applied research initiatives are critical to the economic development of Ohio – as well as to the social well-being of communities throughout the state.

As I noted earlier, BGSU is no stranger to engagement and to participating in partnerships that serve the well-being of our state and region. This past year alone, faculty from colleges and schools across the University received federal, state, foundation, business and industry, and other external grants to conduct research that serves our state and region. Examples of these grants include:

• In the chemistry department, a NW Ohio Partnership grant on alternative energy systems

• Funding for Computer Science Internships with Cooper Engineering Products

• History Links: A Partnership to teach American History with the Fremont City Schools

• A partnership with the University of Toledo to develop distance learning programs for online math and science education courses

• COSMOS: a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Board of Regents for the Center for Science and Math Education: Opportunities for Success

• In the sociology department, a foundation grant to fund Generation at Risk – research on the children of female offenders

• Grants and contracts were also secured from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in astronomy - and also in the psychology department, in partnership with Community Hospitals of Williams County

• Grants and contracts were received from other federal agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Education

• Faculty also received grants from the National Institutes of Health in both the sociology and psychology departments

• Grants were received from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Women’s Center on campus, to fund the Transformation Project

• A grant from NASA was received for the Hybrid Diesel Vehicle Project

• Faculty from our campus have formed key partnerships with Behavioral Connections of Wood County

• And our College of Education and Human Development partners with the Ohio Department of Education, and with various school districts to improve K-12 academic preparation, also to prepare teachers - and with the Ohio Board of Regents for programs in the area of science teaching reform

• We have faculty who partner with Owens Community College to improve math achievement among rural students

• We have faculty who develop and implement after school reading programs

• And we have a literacy program with Lucas County

• Another example is faculty who have received grants from the Ohio Arts Council, for Building Community through the Arts

• We also have faculty and staff working on a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop a University Economic Development Center

• And our BGSU Firelands campus is working in partnership with the Ohio Humanities Council, the Huron Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations to host the prestigious “Ohio Chautauqua 2005,” a major event that will make history come alive for all residents of the region.

• In addition, our centers and institutes are also active in partnerships and collaborations that serve our region, -- including the Center for Policy Analysis and Public Service, with a grant to study industry clusters in Metropolitan Toledo, in partnership with the University of Toledo

• This past year, faculty from BGSU also received a Research Challenge Grant for approximately $250,000 from the Ohio Board of Regents

These are just some examples of the many grants and contracts awarded to our faculty and staff during the last year, excellent examples of success in bringing in external funding to develop and implement innovative projects and partnerships that serve our local and statewide communities, and beyond.

Congratulations to the faculty and staff who have developed these projects and secured critical external research dollars to support them this past year.

This year, as we work together on the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative, I am requesting that the Provost and the Vice Provost for Research, along with the Director of Sponsored Programs and Research work closely with the Faculty Research Committee to develop a proposal to increase grants and contracts over the next two-to-three years.
As we mobilize for engagement on our campus this year, and as we develop and implement a reasonable recognition and reward structure for the scholarship of engagement, I believe it is feasible that we will be able to set goals to double the amount of external funding we receive from grants and contracts during the next two-to-three years – in the areas of both applied and basic research.

Many of you are aware that the Ohio Board of Regents has issued a research challenge to the state’s universities to increase external research funding to support Ohio’s industrial and community needs. This is an excellent source of leveraging our resources, along with others that we need to develop and sustain. The amount of funding each state university receives from the Regents, however, is based on the university’s success in generating external research support. And although our faculty are making excellent progress in this area – BGSU continues to rank among the lower third of the universities in the state in the amount of external research support we generate, and therefore we rank among the five universities in the state that receive the lowest amount of funding from the Regents for the “Research Challenge” initiative.

This is an area where I believe we can make considerable progress, and I look forward to working with faculty and administrators this semester to identify strategies to double our external grants and contracts over the next two-to-three years. We need to set goals and identify University structures, policies and procedures that will help us to achieve this ambitious, but, I believe, achievable goal.

I would also like to make a few comments this morning on the participation of staff, administrators, and students with regard to the “Organizing for Engagement” project that we will launch this semester on our campus. Engaged learning has been a key priority of our campus during the last ten years, through learning communities, first year success programs, SpringBoard, BGeXperience, internships, co-op, and community service and service-learning initiatives. Through the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative, we will seek to expand upon the opportunities for student involvement in partnerships and collaborations with our external communities.

Staff and administrators on our campus also have a long history and tradition of engaging in external collaborations to serve our community and region.

The success of the annual United Way Campaign on our campus is an excellent example of how our employees are committed to enhancing the quality of life in the NW Ohio community. In addition, many of our staff are engaged in other public service partnerships either as individuals or as representatives of the University, and this semester we will be undertaking a survey to document the many engagement projects that are currently underway, by all our faculty, staff, and administrators, including those that involve students – both undergraduate and graduate.

This semester I will also be appointing an Engaged University Council to work with my office to involve faculty, staff and students from across the University in the implementation of the engaged university initiative. I will be asking our constituent group leaders from the Faculty Senate, Classified Staff Council, Administrative Staff Council, USG, and GSS -- along with other members of the campus community to serve on the Council. I will announce these appointments over the next few weeks.

In addition to our own on-campus discussions of engagement, it is also important that we receive input and feedback from members of the external community in order to identify the critical areas of engagement that are needed in our region. In order to obtain this critical feedback, we will be conducting focus groups in the early spring 2005 semester with governmental, community, and business leaders from throughout the region to identify key areas of engagement from their point of view. This information will be provided to the entire campus community during the spring 2005 semester.

To summarize, the following action will be taken this semester to implement the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative on our campus:

• I will appoint a Task Force on the Scholarship of Engagement and charge the task force with developing recommendations for various ways of recognizing, rewarding, promoting and supporting the scholarship of engagement on our campus. This Task Force will begin its work on October 1, 2004 and present its recommendations to me on January 15, 2005. Following my review of the recommendations presented, I will then solicit feedback from all members of the campus community before making a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees in April of 2005. The goal is to have a recognition and reward structure in place for the Scholarship of Engagement by the time we begin the fall 2005 semester.

• I will also meet with the Deans’ Council early this semester to discuss the scholarship of engagement from their perspective and charge the deans with the task of working together across colleges and schools to address issues related to recognition and reward structures with regard to faculty engagement.

• During the fall semester I will work closely with the Provost, the Vice Provost for Research, Sponsored Programs and Research, and the Faculty Research Committee on establishing strategies, targets, and goals for increasing grants and research funding in both basic and applied research areas over the next two-to-three years.

• During the fall semester, we will conduct a survey in order to document all engagement initiatives currently underway by faculty, staff, administrators, and students at BGSU. An online survey will be developed and sent to members of the campus community during the fall semester.

• This semester we will begin planning to conduct focus groups that will be held during the early spring 2005 semester with business, governmental, and community leaders to identify key areas for engagement in the NW Ohio region. This feedback will be important as we seek to identify strategic engagement initiatives for the University-wide community.

• Finally, I will appoint the constituent group leaders from the Faculty Senate, USG, GSS, and Classified and Administrative Staff Councils to work with me - and other members of the campus community - on the Engaged University Council in order to implement this initiative across campus - with the participation of all constituent groups – including faculty, staff, students, Board members, alumni, parents, and other members of the campus community.

Also, in order to keep all members of the campus community up to date on developments of the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative throughout the fall semester, I will be sending out a biweekly online newsletter to all members of the campus community. Along with the first newsletter I will send out next week, I will be including a white paper that I have prepared on the importance of developing a reward structure on our campus that recognizes the value and importance of the scholarship of engagement. My first newsletter, along with this white paper, will be sent out to the University’s faculty, staff and administrator list-proc next week.

In addition, I invite all members of the campus community to send any comments or questions they may have on the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative to me by email at engagement@bgnet.bgsu.edu. I am extremely interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas.

Please note that any faculty member who is interested in serving on the Scholarship of Engagement Task Force may nominate him- or herself - or a colleague - to serve on this committee. Please use the engagement@bgnet.bgsu.edu email address to do so.

Before I conclude my remarks this morning, I’d like to say more about the biweekly newsletter that I will be sending out to all members of the campus community this year – starting next week.

I’ve received a fair amount of feedback from various faculty and staff over the last few months that indicates to me that I need to be communicating more regularly and directly with our campus constituents. I remember when I was a faculty member and how I felt when I would read in the newspaper about things that were happening on campus – long before I would hear about them directly from our campus president. Staff members on campus have told me that the same thing is true for them, they want to hear more about what is happening on campus directly from me. I would like to get out to campus as decisions are pondered or made – so that faculty and staff hear directly from me on key issues that affect the well-being and future of our University.

In summary on this issue, therefore, let me say that although the initial focus of my biweekly online newsletter will be on news related to the Engagement initiative – I will also be including other news and information so that the campus is updated on developments in a number of areas on campus. Expect to receive the first newsletter from me - by email - next week.

Now before I conclude my remarks this morning, I also want to say something about the Building Community project that continues to serve as the foundation of the many new initiatives we undertake on our campus.

Many of our faculty and staff who have joined the University community during the last few years may not be familiar with the Building Community project that we launched during the first year of my presidency at BGSU in the fall of 1995. I mention it this morning because through this project we established ways of working together on this campus that we will need to build upon and sustain as we embark on this engaged university initiative. The engaged university initiative is the first University-wide project that we have embarked upon since the Building Community project ten years ago today. To be successful, all members of the campus-wide community will be invited to participate and get involved.

During the Building Community project, approximately 2,000 faculty, staff and students joined together to create a campus culture that worked across disciplinary, constituent group, and unit and division boundaries. In addition, the contributions, ideas, and leadership of all members of the campus community were encouraged and celebrated. There was a synergy among faculty, staff, and students that led to the building of strong and innovative programs -- such as our learning communities, first year student success programs, interdisciplinary academic programs and initiatives, and other innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives and activities.

Through the Building Community project, we learned together to think out-of-the-box, we learned to work together across silos and fiefdoms, and we learned the importance of celebrating our successes along the way. Spirit Day, for example, was a special program held on the first Friday of every month on campus – and provided faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to come together for coffee and refreshments, wearing brown and orange, or some symbol of the university, showing school spirit and celebrating together across faculty-staff and student lines, and across other traditional institutional boundaries and divisions.

If we are going to be successful in implementing the University engagement project, we are going to need all faculty, staff, administrators and students to recreate the synergy of the Building Community project.

Once again we need to think out-of-the-box, work across disciplines, across units, and across the many and various boundaries that so often we become entrenched in at any university.

This is the time to begin, anew, to break down the boundaries and work together - to make a difference on campus with one another - and with our students. And for the greater good of all Ohioans. I urge all members of the campus community to join together in building community on-campus, as we work together to build a strong and vital Ohio off-campus.
I don’t know of any campus in this state or nation that has the experience that we do of working together to develop a culture of collaboration. For those of you who were here during the Building Community project in 1995-1996, I look to you for your leadership as we continue to strengthen and enhance the spirit of building community on our campus. For those of you who have joined the University more recently, I also look to your leadership, participation and contributions as together we work to build community on our campus.

It will take the entire campus community working together to accomplish our goals during the year ahead – and I look forward to the leadership of every person in this room to help move our university to the next level of excellence and engagement in our communities, state and nation.

It will be a busy year ahead of us, and I hope that each and every one of you will participate in the “Organizing for Engagement” initiative. If there are other ways you would like to contribute, besides the areas that I have outlined above, please let me know. I welcome any and all suggestions, and everyone’s contributions and ideas.

In closing, let me say that I believe this will be an exciting year with many achievements. I am proud of what we have accomplished together over the last ten years, and although we face many challenges on the horizon, our campus is well-positioned to move forward in positive ways during the years ahead. We have been successful because we have joined hands and worked together to make our University a better place.

When I attend statewide or national professional meetings, I am always proud to say that I am a member of the Bowling Green State University community.

Each and every one of you here today should also be proud of your accomplishments, you are part of a special University community that is making a difference in the lives of our students, and having a significant impact on our state and region.

Thank you, and may this semester be one of your best, ever!