Building on Tradition, BelievinG in Opportunity
February 28, 2002

Sidney A. Ribeau, President
Bowling Green State University
Thursday, February 28, 2002
Olscamp Hall 101
9:30 a.m. Coffee and Fellowship
10:00 a.m. President’s Remarks

Segment Order:
1. Building on Tradition
2. A "New Home" for Student Life
3. Grounded in Success
4. Believing in Opportunity
5. A New Ideal for Public Universities

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S OPENING REMARKS

First of all, let me say thank you all for being here this morning. I was thinking about this presentation the other night; the State of the University Address. This is not to be confused with the State of the State Address. We’ve done this several times. This is the seventh time we’d had a State of the University Address, and I’m amazed that people still attend. I’m really gratified. If I look at the cumulative audience throughout the seven years, it’s probably more people than one could ever expect to talk to in one’s life. It’s a compliment to the University that people care enough about what we are doing here to come out and to hear from me about my perceptions on the University. I am not naïve enough to think you come out because I’m such a wonderful speaker. That’s not why. I think it’s a comment on the commitment, and the belief, and the desire to know more about the institution. No matter if you agree or disagree with what anyone in the University community has to say. That’s not really the major issue. The major issue is whether or not you are collectively engaged for the betterment of the institution; not collectively engaged for your own self-interest, or what’s in this for me – as representing any particular collective or group, or your own perspective, what can I get more for myself, a better room, a better class, more status. The issue is whether you are engaged collectively in a discussion about what’s important to make this institution a better institution. Because if you approach it that way, everybody wins. It’s a win-win. The quality of Bowling Green State University, its reputation, really adds value to all of our lives; if you’re a student, if you’re a staff member, if you’re a faculty member, if you’re an administrator. The stronger the institution is, the more marketable you are and, hopefully, because of what you’ve experienced here at Bowling Green, the more enlightened, the more intellectually-enriched, the more dedicated, the more effective person you will be. And that is what all of this is about.

I’m now completing my seventh year. On Good Friday, it will be seven years since I was originally appointed to the Presidency of Bowling Green State University, which is a long time. We’ve had a lot of successes, a lot of challenges. We had some failures. I’m made some mistakes. I have accomplished some things, but I’ve always tried to put the interest of the University on the forefront of the agenda. I think that, whoever the president is, or the vice presidents, or the deans, or the senior faculty, or the junior faculty or the students, as long as we keep that in the forefront of our thinking, then the traditions and the future of the institution are in good hands. As I go into my seventh year, what I thought we would do today is look for a few moments at what we have accomplished as an institution. It’s very easy to get caught up in the dynamics or the crises of the moment. The seven years I’ve been here, we really haven’t had good budgetary times in the state of Ohio. We’ve had some decent years, but not great years. By that, I mean we haven’t had double-digit increases in our budgets, as I experienced when I was in California, when we had 10, and 12, and 14 percent increases in our budgets. As I was walking across campus yesterday, I saw Allan Emery as he was walking by and, the gentleman and scholar that he always is, he asked how things are going. I said, "You know, I was just thinking Alan, it would be really nice to come to campus and say, I wonder what I can do for program A or program B. I wonder what I can do for student initiative A or B, because we have resources. Not, how can we try to do more with less on a continual basis."

That’s what we’ve struggled with my entire seven years here at Bowling Green State University…how to do more with less. In spite of that, we’ve done a heck of a lot. We have amazing achievements in every area imaginable; everything from construction, fundraising, new academic programs, and, yes, even in the area of salary. We haven’t gotten where we want to, but the last three years in particular have been years where we’ve been number one in the raises we have given to our faculty and at par with our staff with any institution in the state. We just received data this past week that gives you a documented case of where we stand compared to our other Ohio institutions in the past three years. Is it where we want to be? No. But is it moving in the right direction? Yes. And you don’t run a marathon 26 miles at time. You run it step by step, yard by yard, mile by mile. You don’t build a house from the top down. You build it from the foundation up. And thus you have a strong support system for that which you are building. So, we are not where we want to be in capital projects, or fundraising, or new programs, or compensation, or anything else. But we are pointed in the right direction, and if we stay pointed in that direction, and if you understand the importance of your effort in moving in that direction, the institution will be successful. Again, it doesn’t matter who’s leading the institution, for this to happen. My challenge to you is you need to own it. It’s not mine, it is yours. This is your institution, and the direction, and the path, and the things we’re seeking to achieve, need to continue on no matter who is working in this position as president of this institution. I think today what you will see in this presentation are things that you can take collective pride in, because they are things you’ve made happen, and hopefully will continue to make happen as we move forward.

With that in mind, we will begin the presentation, but first I want to ask a question. How many of you can quote some of the statements that were up on the screen, the quotations from all these profound individuals? Let’s see…can you remember one? [Audience member suggests: "We need to be the change that we want to see take place."] Somebody else? [Audience member: "Seeing the opportunities before they are obvious."] Somebody else, a final one? [Audience member: "I can touch the future, I teach."] I think all of those statements capture some of what we do at any college or university. I’d say to you before we start the formal presentation, and I will conclude with this: a college or a university is a very special place. There aren’t many organizations in our society where people come together to learn, to grow, to engage in rational discourse, to agree, to disagree, to agree to disagree, all under the guise of the development of human potential, the human intellect, and the discovery of things only imaginable. That’s what we do in our research and our teaching. It’s a very, very special place and we are privileged to be in this place. I am privileged as President, and you as faculty members and staff members. We often take so much for granted, that we often ignore that which is most important and that which is most precious to us.

I was sitting in my study this morning looking out the window. There were beautiful trees and snow on the ground, and I wanted to just freeze that for a moment; the visual appeal of that, the peace that it suggested to me. I thought, I wonder how you can internalize that and share it in a way that others really understand the importance of that moment. It’s very difficult to do that, and often you can’t. I use that as an analogy to say that trying to explain to state legislators and other officials in the executive branch why it’s so important to adequately fund higher education is a real challenge, because they don’t live here. They don’t see the spark in the eye of a student who has discovered a new idea. They don’t see the passion of a faculty member who has had a breakthrough in his or her research that really has the potential to make a difference for their discipline, and perhaps for the world. They don’t see the sense of satisfaction that a staff member has when they’ve done something to help someone; to help a student get a class, to help someone find where they are going, or to make this place a more beautiful campus, a more hospitable campus. When we are lobbying and we are trying to say to Senator X or Representative Y, "Since we only make up 12% of the budget, we shouldn’t be getting 54% of the cuts, because of the special place we are and because of what we do for the fabric of life in Ohio." They look at me and say, "Sure, who’s next?" You can’t capture that, and someday before I retire from my professional life, I hope that I can find the language to capture some of the things that are more unique and special about Bowling Green State University.

I’d like to say welcome to our colleagues at Firelands. I see you. Wave. Dean Smith, do you see me? Hey, they all waved in unison! You are doing well out there and I’m glad that you are here. I can’t hear them, but they can surely see me.

With that in mind, I think I will start the presentation. And then at various points I will stop and make comments on different things. I will conclude by sharing some information with you that we didn’t have time to include in the presentation, because it was emerging information; information about our negotiations with the Governor’s office about fee caps and the rest of those things that have just concluded in the last few days.

Segment One Narrative: Building on tradition

Higher education is an enterprise steeped in rich traditions. On the campus of Bowling Green State University, the physical manifestation of these traditions is represented by the words etched in the stone that frames McFall Center, challenging those who walk by to "Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, but to weigh and consider."

While this proclamation of educational purpose was institutionalized in the bricks and mortar of the institution over ninety years ago, the University’s focus on sustaining a rich intellectual environment in which students learn to think critically, to weigh and consider, is a tradition that transcends conventional measures of time. It is this focus which serves as the contemporary, yet historic, foundation of BGSU’s vision to become the premier learning community in Ohio and one of the best in the nation.

At Bowling Green State University, we have invested both time and resources into building upon the successes found in our traditions, while remaining forward thinking and attentive, prepared to not only embrace new opportunities, but create them as well.

Since our founding in 1910, we have remained true to the two-fold purpose of higher education: graduating students to be technically prepared with specific disciplinary expertise, and educating principled citizens who can think critically and be leaders in their professions, and in their communities. It is the thread of these dual purposes of higher education that have been operationalized at BGSU to present a decided emphasis on creating an environment where students can and will succeed.

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S REMARKS AFTER SEGMENT ONE

When we talk about traditions of higher education and Bowling Green State University in particular, I’d like to add to that list a couple things that I think are critically important. I was talking with the executive leadership of the Faculty Senate yesterday and we were discussing the University, and some issues that are important to them, and some issues that are important to me. I suggested to them, Dr. Evans in particular, something that I would like to throw out to the entire group. No matter how we get distracted by what I call the "business" of higher education – that is, all the things that have to do with budgets, and accountability, and justification to external agencies, and accreditation, and on and on and on – no matter how much of that we have to negotiate, it’s very important to remember what our primary business really is. It’s not just going to meetings, not just managing the business of education. It is using the human intellect and spirit to explore and create new possibilities. It’s the creation and generation of knowledge and creative endeavors, and it’s the transmission of that and the teaching of how to seek and achieve that for our students. That is the heart and soul of what we do. Albeit intense, we cannot allow pressure to pull us away from that which is most important.

Make it a little more specific here, Sidney. What I’m saying is, in spite of budget problems, we need to create new academic programs, we need to create new support systems, we need to create new curricula. We can’t stop just because the train slows down and say, "I want off." Bowling Green State University has been around since 1910 and universities have been around much longer than that. There have been much worse economic times and the train has to roll on…the train of achievement, of exploration, of research, and of innovation. There was a time when university presidents weren’t major players in universities. It was a group, a collective of scholars, who didn’t get paid anything, but they explored, and they taught, and they shared that knowledge with students. We can’t forget that part of the educational experience.

The only thing that’s essential that is not mentioned in the first segment, but I think is implied in our traditions is: we need to create a place where civility, rationality, tolerance, and acceptance of all different kinds of individuals – no matter what their beliefs, their ethnic background, their economic status – a place where that is accepted.

As I said earlier, agreement is not what drives a university. It’s the safe environment where dialogue and exchange can take place that is what distinguishes us from other kinds of institutions. When we think about our tradition and we think about what we are going through and the difficulties that we face, we should think I don’t need to be right, and I don’t need to be wrong. I need to make sure we do what’s right. And that comes from dialogue, exchange of ideas and information. That is, in fact, how we should be measured as an institution. I’m next going to transition into something that is exciting for our University because it’s a visible manifestation of the will of students to make this a different kind of place.

Segment Two Narrative: A "New Home" for Student Life

They say that seeing is believing, and it was easy to believe in Bowling Green State University’s focus on enhancing the quality of student life when, just after midnight on January 13, the doors to the new Bowen-Thompson Student Union were opened for the first time. The excitement over the building’s reopening, visible on the faces of the some 3,000 students, faculty, staff ,and community members eagerly awaiting entrance into the facility, was perhaps only matched by the variety of offerings in the new, state of the art building.

Interview with Dr. Wanda Overland, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

The Union has really enhanced features from the previous Union, certainly with the Bookstore and the Peregrine Shop being part of the Union. Certainly, the food court is a wonderful expansion of the retail space and the dining opportunities for, not only students, but also faculty, staff and the community. I know one of the things we are most excited about is the technology in the building. Certainly the theater; people love the theater and the surround sound, the 24-hour computer labs, the enhancement of the flat screens, and also team rooms where people can practice their presentations. People have responded very positively to that. It’s really fun to see people using the lounges, not only to gather and talk to people formally and informally, but studying and working with their laptops. The wireless capabilities in the lounges have really enabled us to use the lounges in other ways; certainly as performance venues, but also a place for quiet time, a place to chat and talk. One of the neat things about the new Union is that many of the areas are 24-hour accessible. Students have places to gather regardless of the time or day.

Interview with BGSU Student, Joel Freimark

The most amazing building I’ve seen in years…something for everyone, places to go sit if you want to. And it’s a place where you can come together, meet with your friends. You can’t come up with the words for how amazing a building this is and how great a feeling it is to be back in the Student Union. The student body has a heart now. The Student Union is the heart of the student body, the heart of campus, and now we have a place to go again to say, "This is our building." This is the students’ building. This is where we can come together as a people and hang out and do what we want. It’s our building and we’ve got the best building on campus.

Segment Two Narrative continued

With the estimated average usage of the new facility expected to be over 500,000 users per month, the Bowen-Thompson Student Union will be a facility that serves as the heart of student life at BGSU and provides opportunities to the surrounding communities.

Interview with BG Mayor John Quinn

The community is extremely excited to have the Union Ballroom back to begin with. We began as the first tenant of the Union Ballroom with the Chamber of Commerce Dinner Dance last week. I think for the future, the excitement is the meeting rooms. There are so many things that Bowling Green corporations and organizations can use, and we are very hopeful that over the years we’ll be able to utilize those things to a great degree.

Segment Two Narrative continued

An idea seven years in the making, the $35 million renovated and expanded Bowen-Thompson Student Union, more than doubles the size of the previous facility, and reflects the work of many university community members in what was a long, deliberate process, taking into account student input at all junctures.

Interview with Greg DeCrane, Former Dean of Students

This is something that goes back to September of 1994 when the idea originally came up. A group of students started a petition indicating that they felt that we needed a new student union. From that point on, with the encouragement of Dr. Whipple, and then President Ribeau, when he came on in 1995, things really got started. And here we are 7 1/2 years later and it’s fantastic.

Segment Two Narrative continued

The opening of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union is a physical manifestation of the University’s commitment to the holistic development of students. It is also a reminder that a good idea, mindful of students’ needs and the mission of higher education, has the ability to transform the heart of the campus, and the soul of the out-of-class learning environment.

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S REMARKS AFTER SEGMENT TWO

I can’t help when I look at this clip to reflect on the expression on the face of Dr. Wanda Overland. She looks a lot more relaxed there than she did. The year prior to the opening of the Union, she was one stressed person. It was a lot of work getting this facility open. Then you flash from that to Joel and his excitement and energy. What I would say about this clip is something very, very simple. You all, next year, will probably be having your Opening Day address there and all of your other activities in the new Student Union. This is the last time this event will be held over here in Olscamp Hall. That is the best example I can think of, in my entire career, of a dream breathing life into possibilities. As Greg DeCrane, who I think is here today, said, this was an idea that came from the students with no remote possibility of happening in any real sense. There was no money. There was no plan. The capital process is a long and tedious one. But the students really had a dream.

I’d suggest to you that whatever your dreams are, be it students, faculty or staff, those give life and sustenance to your soul. Keep your dreams and always make those a part of who you are. When you have your meetings over in the Union, and next year, Opening Day, when you are in there, look around and say, "This happened because of a dream." This happened to be a student dream, but everyone has them – faculty members, staff members, and parents. Those are intangibles of life that really define part of your humanity. We must nurture a place for dreams at Bowling Green State University.

I want to move to this next section. When I started out, I said we’ve accomplished a phenomenal amount in almost every area as a University, and you all need to know that. I know it because everything sooner or later – be it an academic program, a political issue or policy – has to come through my office. Many of you just get a perspective. It’s the old story about from what angle do you see the elephant. We wanted to just take a moment to lay out some of the things that have transpired that you made happen – and students who aren’t here anymore, students who have graduated, and in addition, faculty members who have retired and staff members who have retired, but all have contributed significantly to all of these achievements.

Segment Three Narrative: Grounded in Success

Time-honored is our mission, as indicated by the words written in the BGSU Academic Charter, articulating the University’s ageless mission of "providing quality academic programs in a learning environment that promotes academic and personal excellence in students, as well as appreciation of intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic values. Wisdom, sound judgment, tolerance and respect for other persons, cultures and ideas are hallmarks of an educated person and the characteristics that the University hopes to develop in students." With these timeless words in mind, the University has focused its efforts on reaching certain levels of excellence and establishing itself as an institution built on rich traditions, but well positioned to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Our commitment to improving the quality of student life extends beyond programmatic enhancements. These include the addition of 23 new academic programs since 1998, major capital projects, both "clicks" and mortar improvements designed to enhance the learning environment for students, the teaching and research environment for faculty, and the work environment for staff. Since 1997, the institution has committed $160 million toward capital projects including: significant residence hall renovations, a comprehensive union renovation and expansion, the Cedar Point Center at BGSU Firelands, and the technology infrastructure project.

Interview with Dr. Bruce Petryshak, Chief Information Officer

There have been many advances at Bowling Green State University, and several in the area of information technology. Most recently, there was a major communications infrastructure project completed. That project enables advanced applications in voice, video and data across the entire campus and beyond. More recently, we are a member of the Internet II Research Community. This is a community of over 190 members worldwide that study the next-generation internet. Also, there have been many advances in the area of desktop support. There are over 7200 devices that are centrally supported and this helps better enable our students, faculty, and staff. Over 2200 devices are actually allocated to specialty purpose labs and general-purpose labs. The specialty purpose labs, for example, are like the lab in the College of Music that has music synthesizers attached to the computers, or in the School of Art that has specialty software for the art students, and the VCT lab that is in the College of Technology. Not to mention there are over 5000 units that the students bring with them to use in the residence halls. Now, investments in technology, hardware, and software aren’t the only areas that are important though. So are investments in services, support, and people. There is a small group, a cross-functional team actually, that band together to bring to life the MyBGSU web portal. The MyBGSU web portal is an advanced web application that allows simpler access to administrative data. This increases the service to our students. Also, there are twelve individuals that roam the campus bringing instant desktop support to the individuals that they work for. They are called TSS’s or Technical Support Specialists and they’ve been amazingly successful. And it’s those types of services that actually turn the investments we make in hardware and software into enabling technologies.

Segment Three Narrative continued

As a result of programmatic and capital improvements, BGSU student enrollment has grown significantly. The student/faculty ration has also improved with 820 full-time faculty members on the main and Firelands campuses, the largest number in institutional history.

Since it was re-established in 1996, the Office of Institutional Research has carried out at least 75 major studies that have provided vital decision support information to the University community, including specific areas such as enrollment management, assessment, instructional cost and productivity, and human resources management.

Engaged in a constant process of self-reflection, the University’s assessment efforts have included the development of common learning outcomes and program review efforts that have involved the reexamination of 57 academic and non-degree granting units since 1997.

Our focus on student success is evident in the nearly 50% of students who participate in some type of enhanced learning experience and the half-dozen new residential learning communities that approach education holistically and encourage critical exploration of values and character development.

And, with BGSU students donating more than 77,000 hours of their time annually, service learning opportunities have expanded dramatically, encouraging students to channel their academic knowledge into community service.
These initiatives, coupled with existing academic and co-curricular programs have contributed to a first to second year retention rate of 78%.

BGSU By the Numbers

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S REMARKS AFTER SEGMENT THREE

I’d like to briefly read again, before we look at some of these charts that are mostly self-explanatory, the statement from the charter: "providing quality academic programs in a learning environment that promotes academic and personal excellence in students, as well as appreciation of intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic values. Wisdom, sound judgment, tolerance and respect for other persons, cultures and ideas are hallmarks of an educated person and the characteristics that the University hopes to develop in students." I think that is what drives or undergirds all that we do. I am very proud of all the accomplishments that we have achieved and am proud to have been President during this period of time when we made these things happen. It wasn’t easy. We did it at a time when budgets were thin, but the will and commitment was thick. People were committed and that’s why these things happened.

If you look at, first of all, enrollment, you can see a headcount from 1997 to 2001. We could have grown faster, we could have grown in different ways; but it was intentional, it was planned, and we are just where we want to be as an institution with no intention of growing any larger.

Faculty: Full-time faculty on the main and Firelands campuses. 1998-99, 682 faculty and 820 in 2001-2002. These are not all tenure-track faculty members, but these are all full-time positions as compared to part-time. Our goal is to increase the size of our full-time faculty. This is what we said at the time of the elimination of the ERIP program: reduce the student-faculty ratio so that we have smaller classes and more faculty to do the advising, to do the work that needs to be done to make sure we have an excellent institution.

New academic programs since 1998: 232 new majors, minors, specializations, and licensures.

Enhanced learning experiences: These included programs at BG, and you know the list, from the residential colleges, to Chapman, BG Effect, Health and Sciences Residential Community, Honors Program, IMPACT, Literacy, Serve and Learn, Multicultural and Academic Initiatives, Partners in Context and Community, President’s Leadership Academy, Springboard, UNIV 100, UNIV 131, and UPAS. If you look at those numbers, in 97 we had 36% of our students involved in one of those programs. In 2001, we have 49%. These programs contribute to and support what we do in other aspects of our academic programs. They lead to continuation, student satisfaction, and student success.
And the final point here, community service. If you look at 77,000 service hours actually logged in annually by BGSU students, that is something we all can be very proud of. Our students taking advantage of opportunities to help other individuals.

Development and External Grants: Total giving to the University in 1998 was about $5 million, in 2001 it was $10.6 million. If you look at contracts, grants, and sponsored activity: from $8.5 million to $12 million. All of these areas are moving up and moving up in a very intentional and decisive way. Again, it’s not just dollars, although we did just double our giving to the University. Those are monies for scholarships, for new endowments to support initiatives that are very important to the lifeblood of the institution. Likewise, with our external contracts and grants, these monies support activities in the areas of research.

Capital projects: As mentioned in the text, you can see for yourself. We continue to invest in the campus, and we do it in an environment where money is tight; but we are making it happen anyway because of sound fiscal management. I have to say on this point that much credit is to be given to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has to approve all of our capital expenditures. In fact, they have ultimate responsibility for the budget of the University. They are committed to building the infrastructure of this campus so that we can have an effective university, not only in the year 2002, but also in the year 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2030. It’s remarkable what we’ve done in a short period of time.

Desktop Technology: Bruce Petryshak talked about this in the clip. When you look at the number of workstations…I remember in 1995 when we didn’t even have 1000 workstations of any kind on campus. If you look at labs, or what students brought, now we have over 12,000 units on-campus; 5000 that students bring on their own to connect to the network, another 7200 in labs and a variety of areas. It’s just phenomenal. We did this with no special allocation from the Board of Regents, or the State, for technology. We did this out of innovation, fundraising, and operating budgets. But this is unlike SchoolNet that exists for public schools, where the public schools were all wired and provided desktop computing to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Higher education received no allocation for networking, no allocation for desktop computing. We did it out of our operating budgets. It is incredible that we have been able to bring ourselves to the point we are today, with our own internal resources.
Learning Outcomes: This is in the area of assessment. As you know, we are accredited by the North Central Association. One of the things they said on their last visit was we needed to have in place a strategic planning initiative, as well as an assessment initiative. These were conditions, things that they highlighted as being weaknesses when they evaluated the University for its last ten-year evaluation. Since that time, under the direction of Mark Gromko, Milt Hakel and other faculty members, we have a committee looking at those areas, working in conjunction with academic departments, and assuring that in this next review – we are preparing for as I speak – we have addressed these areas.

Program Reviews: Since 1997, when we started program reviews, we’ve had 29 academic units reviewed and 28 non-degree granting units reviewed. This is an opportunity for academic and non-academic programs to look at themselves and assess what they are doing well, what they need to change, and what needs to be modified. It’s probably one of the most important self-reflective processes we can engage in as we continue to improve and aspire to be better.

Now we are going to move into a couple of concluding sections, and then I will make some comments. That will conclude our presentation.

Segment Four Narrative: Believing in opportunity

The University today is a stronger place than it was even a few short years ago. Yet, we strive to be stronger, capitalizing on new opportunities and firmly establishing ourselves among the best public universities in the nation. But if we are to remain relevant in the years ahead, we must seriously rethink our approaches to teaching and learning, research and discovery, and service and engagement. We must determine how we can build on our current successes and position ourselves as a University that is a serious contributor to the public trust. At BGSU, new opportunities are growing out of our current successes and moving the institution into the future with a renewed responsiveness to the economic development needs of the state, and a commitment to enhancing the educational experience of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

As articulated by the Governor, there is a real need for economic development within Ohio. With this focus comes a new opportunity.

Video Clip of Governor Taft’s State of the State address

Thousands of Ohioans are now exploring the next frontier – in science, medicine, technology, information, and communications. But we’re not moving fast enough to keep pace with our competitors or replace jobs lost to productivity. It’s time for bold, decisive action. So, I propose the ‘Third Frontier Project.’ We’ll invest $1.6 billion over the next ten years to build on our progress, provide better research facilities, and create new centers of innovation. When combined with federal and private support, the Third Frontier Project can generate over $6 billion to make Ohio a leader in new research and new high-paying jobs. This project will transform our economy and Ohio will be stronger for it!

As science and technology continue to transform our economy, our society, and our way of life, we must focus our efforts on crafting new innovations that will meet the emerging needs of the 21st century. It is these innovations that will lead to commercial and economic development for the state. Through a newly proposed Ohio Plan for Technology and Economic Development, colleges and universities join business and industry to identify and fund specific, research-based economic development opportunities. Focusing on nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and advanced materials, the new Ohio Plan is intended to attract and grow new industries and jobs in Ohio, making the state more competitive and enhancing the quality of life. And Bowling Green State University, like other colleges and universities, has a critical role to play, proving once again that intellectual discovery indeed leads to important societal transformations.

Also vital to the future of our state and nation is the kind of students Bowling Green State University graduates as a result of their education at BGSU. Graduate education at BGSU must be an experience that purposefully prepares the next generation of faculty, scientists, innovators, health care professionals, business leaders, educators, and artists. Focusing on enhancing our graduate programs, the University strives to achieve excellence in the select number of masters, specialist and doctoral programs offered at BGSU.

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S REMARKS AFTER SEGMENT FOUR

This issue is a critically important one and the Governor’s State of the State Address talking about the Third Frontier has far-reaching implications for, not just Bowling Green State University, but also higher education in the state of Ohio. The short version is this: because of tight budgets, there isn’t going to be a lot of new money flowing into higher education. We don’t expect, in the next biennial cycle, to get any large increases. If we can avoid being cut, we’ll be in good shape. That’s how tight things are in general. However, there is going to be a bond initiative put on the ballot to support this Third Frontier the Governor is talking about. This is for research, which leads to economic development.

This is important, but it is a double-edged sword. Let me try to explain how the sword swings and the advantages and disadvantages that might avail themselves to Bowling Green State University. The advantage is that, for faculty members who are doing research in areas that are applicable to economic development, where you develop ideas and innovations and patents which can be commercialized and thus become profitable ventures, it makes a lot of sense. A case in point is our Center for Photochemical Sciences. They are doing exciting work. They have two start-up companies that have formed as a result of the research they’ve done. They are positioned well for these kinds of initiatives.

The other edge of the sword is this: if that is where the new money is and the only place where you find the new money…what does that say for our traditional research programs? We have to be very, very careful that the research agenda of our thirteen state universities isn’t driven by economics rather than the quality of the research and the ideas. Another way of saying that is: just because it’s marketable or fundable doesn’t mean it’s the only kind of research of value.

I think we are on top of this issue. But we have to be constantly vigilant about the balance between what is funded, where we are being nudged, and the kind of research that we think is essential to answer the pressing questions in our disciplines and our society. So, it’s a double-edged sword and a sword that we have to make sure swings in the direction that advances the mission of our institution. I think we are well prepared to do that, but it’s clearly a major initiative of the State, and, in the near future, if there is any new money coming into higher education, it will be through the Third Frontier. That has been made very, very clear.

Segment Five Narrative: A New Ideal for Public Universities

At Bowling Green State University, our focus on the future includes ensuring that we provide one of the best undergraduate experiences for students in the nation. In support of accomplishing this goal, we will build on current successes, but capitalize on new opportunities. We will increase opportunities for undergraduate research, expanding on those currently available. This kind of engagement will allow students to recognize the needs of others and draw upon their research to meet those needs, ultimately providing a significant contribution to improving society.

As we aspire to educate future leaders and promote the public good, we know we must prepare well informed, engaged, principled citizens who can think critically about the private and public choices they make, assess the ethical dimensions of those choices, and become active participants in their community, state, and nation. These are difficult objectives to achieve in a society that encourages immediate gratification, offers too few examples of principled leadership, and is saturated with cynicism.

With this in mind, making critical thinking about values the unifying theme of the undergraduate experience at BGSU will bring greater coherence to undergraduate education and ultimately prepare students who have the skills and dispositions necessary to become principled citizens.

Interview with Dr. Carney Strange, Professor of Higher Education

I believe the research on college students is quite clear in helping us understand that the college undergraduate experience, in particular, is a very important one for the identification and formation of values. And the quality of the undergraduate experience including interaction with faculty plays a significant role in that process.

Informed by the research of higher education scholars, this educational focus offers Bowling Green State University an opportunity to transform undergraduate education at a large public university. By seeking to realize these objectives, Bowling Green State University is venturing where few state universities have dared to go, transforming the lives of thousands of students, contributing to the ongoing reform of public higher education in America, and preparing the principled citizens our society so desperately needs.

When the history of our institution is written, our proudest pages will involve the efforts that risked the most to accomplish the most, impacting the most lives, in the most significant ways. From a history of rich traditions to a future of promising opportunities, Bowling Green State University will lead the way to a better future…for our students, our faculty and staff, and the citizens of Ohio and the world.

PRESIDENT RIBEAU’S CONCLUDING REMARKS

In this section, I will refer to something that our Provost, John Folkins, has said often. I think it is very important. "The academy is replete with values." They don’t have to be stated we don’t have to go out and proclaim them. But there is value placed on rationality, on dialogue, on discovery, on discourse, on ideas. Those form the bedrock of the academy. If you recognize them or not, that is how the academy functions…the critical analysis of ideas and information, empirical observations that lead to insights that lead to new ideas. I remember being in a seminar at the University of Illinois, when I was very, very young, and more naïve than I am today. The professor in the class said, "A good theory has implicit in it, the seeds of its own destruction." I thought, "Wow that’s profound! I wonder what it means." That is, in fact, a value that undergirds what we do at colleges and universities. The academy is replete with values.

The initiative that has taken on the name of the Values Initiative is spearheaded by a number of our faculty members here on campus who are interested in critical thinking about values and ethical and moral judgment, as well as active teaching and learning. It is an attempt to help students have an opportunity to experience what each of us experienced if we are faculty members, in our graduate programs: an introduction to the values that are the hallmark of the academy: critical thinking, evaluation, self-reflection, investigation, the power of knowledge – compared to propaganda or proselytizing. The intellectual process that gives birth to that kind of perspective of the world is what critical thinking about values really is. I said to the Board of Trustees when we had our last meeting, to the Student and Academic Affairs Committee in particular, that my hope is that there will be so many new initiatives coming out of the academic side of the house, from each college and each school, and each dean’s area and each curriculum committee, that we have to go out and raise $10 million to support those initiatives. That will show the vibrancy and the vitality of intellectual life here at Bowling Green State University. Contrary to what some might believe, all knowledge worth teaching hasn’t been discovered. There are new horizons, there are new ideas, there are new methodologies. We must be about discovering those things.

How are we going to fund these trillion ideas? Doug Smith and University Advancement. We are going to foundations; we are going to private donors. What I would like to do is develop a pool of resources for new academic initiatives. And that will be seed money. So that when the Dean of the College of Business comes and says that he’s really interested in area A, B or C, he has faculty who want to do work in that area and they need some startup money, we can provide that startup money. We can take sophisticated and mature ideas to foundations and say, "We have piloted this, we have tested this." Because that is, in fact, what’s happening with the Values Initiative. There is a pilot course being taught this semester. There will be five pilots in the Fall. Professor Stu Keeley will be retained to develop an assessment measure for the program and we are going to evaluate it. We will shop it to foundations to see if they think this is of value, because our faculty do, if that’s what the data shows.

This last issue is a very important issue. It’s an issue about what a university is and should be doing. It’s where I started. Five years from now, if one was to visit Bowling Green State University, one of the indicators of our success is the vitality, the creativity, and the enthusiasm we have about what we do. We should do it if we are recognized and rewarded by the State. We should do it if we are not. We should do it because we are proud of who we are as members of this academic community and we deeply believe in what we do.

As I said to begin with, this is the belief that has to be your belief. I’ve done about as much as I can at Bowling Green State University, these past seven years, either to move forward on things I thought were important, to take the hits, and take the criticism that goes along with that. That is part of the territory. In this position, you become a public target for the good and the bad. From this point on, how it moves and where it moves is really up to you and the leadership teams of the future.

I thank you so much for your support here and for all the things that you’ve done for the University. Dave Bryan is here from the Board of Trustees. Do we have any other Board Members here? We appreciate all the support of the Board, and the way the Board has gone out on a limb. I can remember when we started seven years ago, we said we needed to do something in technology, in capital projects. We had three areas. Where is Chris Dalton? Chris, what was the third? [Dr. Dalton: the residence halls.] Yea, they were beating up on me because the residence halls were falling apart. We said we need about $100 million, and we didn’t have $100 million. We said we would plan for it and create the opportunities so the resources would come.

One of the final things we are working on now and we are going to work on in the next couple of months in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Budget Committee, and the Board of Trustees, is to move to the next phase of the Compensation Plan. We’ve been involved with the Compensation Plan of the University for three years now. We do have some results in what we’ve done. We are going to lay out the plan for the next three years for those stalwarts who will be working on it to completion, to make sure that we have – in addition to the best facilities, the best students, the best academic programs – we will make sure we have a reward structure for our staff and our faculty that really acknowledges their excellence. Thank you very much for your attendance. I hope the remainder of the semester is a good one and I wish you a wonderful summer.