With faculty, staff and student input, Dr. Sidney Ribeau, president of Bowling Green State University, has launched a campus-wide values initiative. The goal is to educate students to be principled citizens through values exploration and character development experiences that are an integral part of the academic and co-curricular involvement throughout their years at BGSU. During 2000-01 a committee considered how best to integrate values education, critical thinking, character development and civic responsibility into the student experience. Based on the committee’s report, a pilot program called BG Experience [What do you care about?] was developed by an implementation committee.

BG Experience offers an enriched academic/social opportunity within BGSU and aids in the successful transition from high school to college. It includes an exciting three-day orientation, expert faculty, extended co-curricular opportunities, values exploration and a small general education class that focuses on critical thinking about values. Future plans include service learning and co-curricular opportunities and a junior year experience.