Inquire, engage
and achieve 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.
Inquire:
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.
Engage:
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.
Achieve:
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.
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