Inquiry, engagement and achievement at BGSU

Bowling Green State University's aspiration to become the premier learning community in Ohio and one of the best in the nation requires that we create a common, sustainable vision—a vision that speaks to our aspirations as individuals and as an institution of higher education. In May 2002, President Sidney A. Ribeau appointed a team of faculty members, administrators and staff to chart an academic direction that will position the University to realize this vision. The challenge of the resulting Academic Plan is to prepare our students for society's continually evolving social, economic and political environments.

The president's academic planning team assessed the institution's internal strengths and weaknesses and examined major educational trends and barriers within national and international contexts. Team members drew on the many resources and scholars of the University and invited representatives from business and industry, regional school systems, social service agencies and health care agencies to contribute their input. The product of the team's efforts is a responsive planning document that will shape the preparation of students and expand the opportunities of our scholars and constituents into the coming decades.

Defining a Premier Learning Community
Creating pathways to public and private sectors that enrich the learning process, BGSU's inclusive environment speaks to our identity as a community of scholars learning from, engaging with and contributing to society. Defining the vision of our premier learning community gives meaning and purpose to the Academic Plan:

• Intellectual engagement and active participation: Learning extends beyond passive observation and knowledge to active inquiry and discovery.
• Clear expectations: Students, faculty and staff have clear expectations regarding the purposes of education and the level of performance necessary to be successful at the university and in contemporary society.
• Personal and professional transformation: A premier learning community encourages and nurtures personal and professional transformation among students, faculty and staff at all stages of their lives in the common endeavor of learning.
• Institutional transformation: A premier learning community recognizes that institutional transformation is necessary to respond to the ever-changing intellectual, social and cultural demands of our global society as we prepare our students to participate and lead.

The Character of BGSU
Transforming BGSU into a premier learning community calls for creating an environment in which the University participates in mutually beneficial exchanges of skills and talents among students, faculty and staff and their counterparts in schools, government, social service agencies and business. We will seek to do this by emphasizing inquiry, engagement and achievement, the dimensions that form the character of the Bowling Green State University learning community.

Inquiry: Genuine passion for inquiry informed by vibrant research and discovery is the signature of every great university and effective learning community. This passion is evident in faculty research, artistic productivity, student zeal for learning and everyone's curiosity. Inquiry is the backbone of academic disciplines; it is a powerful vehicle for learning at all levels, from research and creative activity to teaching and learning in the classroom; and it is a bridge between the University and society. Sustained commitment to a strong and adaptive research infrastructure will position the University to compete within the political and economic realities of higher education, now and in the coming decades. Commitment to involving undergraduate students in research is one manifestation of the role of inquiry in the BGSU learning community.

Engagement: The continuous flow of ideas between diverse campus populations invigorates the process of inquiry and heightens individual and institutional achievement. Engagement at the personal level enables each individual to cultivate confidence and self-esteem as a valued participant which, in turn, engenders a sense of understanding about and responsibility for other individuals and society. Engagement at the institutional level provides programmatic support for individual participation and creates pathways for regional, national and international University interactions.

Achievement: BGSU's vision statement calls for an educational environment that develops culturally literate, self-assured, technologically sophisticated, productive citizens who are prepared to lead, to inspire and to preserve the great traditions of our democracy. This statement speaks to the expectations and aspirations for achievement among our students, faculty, staff and external constituents with whom they engage in a premier learning community.

Themes for Transforming Our Learning Community
The character of BGSU, defined by the concepts of inquiry, engagement and achievement, creates an environment in which individuals are free to pursue their interests and excel in their personal and professional development. Within this environment, we've identified five themes that offer pathways for achieving our vision of becoming a premier learning community. Representative of the University's founding traditions, academic strengths and emerging opportunities, they focus on areas that enrich the University's current academic programming and connect all who pass through its doors to the complex reality of contemporary life. The themes offer the potential to transform our learning community within and across disciplines.

Leadership in Learning. The University's vision of becoming a premier learning community is directly invested in preparing our students, faculty and staff for continuous change and personal growth through our leadership in learning. BGSU's heritage as a teachers' college, our faculty members' corresponding responsibilities in all disciplines to teach and research, and our curricular and programmatic strengths throughout the University position us to assume this leadership role.

Critical Thinking About Values. Because values and decision making are embedded in our lives, BGSU educates students to exercise critical judgment and make intelligent choices in their work and civic responsibilities. Fostering intellectual engagement, the developing program in critical thinking about values prepares students to assess complex issues in a way that is intellectually grounded and socially responsive

Embracing the Arts. BGSU is proud to have several very strong and nationally known programs in the arts with the potential to evoke greater participation in and reflection upon the arts throughout the campus and the community. The over-arching goal is to develop citizens of the arts—individuals who will have a life-long love for the arts, are able to make informed aesthetic judgments and who contribute to the artistic climate of their own communities, either as professionals or interested individuals.

Understanding Cultures and Nations. Learning about diversity within and outside of one's own culture and nation enables students to consider their own values and practices in light of others' cultural beliefs and values. The challenge for BGSU is to enhance the ways in which our students and faculty experience and engage in domestic and international diversity issues and to enhance the opportunities to build mutually beneficial relationships with cultural others.

New Media and Emerging Technologies. BGSU is in a position to leverage the accomplishments of diverse clusters of faculty, staff and students in new media and emerging technologies for interdisciplinary investigation, learning and application. By providing focus to the current activity and a platform for investigation into emerging technologies, we can achieve national prominence in creative teaching, innovative research and industrial collaboration.

Achieving Distinction
The five major themes, drawn from the institution's strengths and opportunities, form the basis for University's transformation into a premier learning community. Within the context provided by our institutional vision and the character of the University, each represents a significant strand of interest and energy. Because they are not mutually exclusive, the synergies among them create a supportive environment in which talent in all disciplines can emerge and excel.