September 3, 2007

As I walked to the door of McFall Center my first day on campus, I looked up and read “religion, morality and knowledge – being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind – schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged.”  Regardless of the many that have entered the doors of BGSU, we have remained committed to values, knowledge, democracy, the welfare of humankind – to education.

As a first generation college graduate, I have a deep commitment to the role of higher education in personal/professional development.  I believe education to be the most significant factor in developing citizen engagement in our society as well as sustaining competitiveness in a global society. 

This is a significant moment in the life span of higher education in the United States and the world.  The Bologna Process aims to create a European Higher Education Area by 2010, in which students can choose from a wide and transparent range of high quality courses and benefit from smooth recognition procedures. The process has put in motion a series of reforms needed to make European Higher Education more compatible and comparable, more competitive and more attractive for Europeans and for students and scholars from other continents.1

In the United States, A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education, (the Spellings Commission)2 has focused the attention of all of us in Higher Education on the relevant and strategic questions that are imperative to the future of higher education.  What does it mean today to be a scholar? What is the scholar’s responsibility to society in a world that is more and more complex?  How are universities to define and to prioritize all of the various functions and activities that traditionally fall under the scholarly rubric, including the teaching of undergraduates; the education of future scholars; inquiry that advances knowledge; applied research that supports innovation and problem resolution in many spheres; citizenship activities that support professional development, scholarly or disciplinary advancement, and university governance; and social and political engagement in the life of the community? 

The Questions have become a local reality with the established University System of Higher Education in Ohio in August 2007.3 And so, this is a significant time in the life span of Bowling Green State University.  In the next few years, we will shape the next century of this great university as we prepare to celebrate our centennial!

I chose to join you at Bowling Green State University because of your proud history and our bright future.  I am excited to share that with you.

Shirley L. Baugher
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

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1 http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.html

2 http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/
hiedfuture/index.html

3 http://universitysystem.ohio.gov/