Prior to Applying

A candidate interested in applying to the Sidney A. Ribeau President's Leadership Academy (PLA) must complete and submit an application for admission to Bowling Green State University (BGSU). We recommend submitting the BGSU Admission Application to the Office of Admissions no later than November 10 . This will allow enough time to ensure appropriate processing of Admission status for our deadline on December 1. You must be accepted to BGSU before the December 1st deadline.

Applying to the PLA

A candidate interested in applying to the PLA must complete and electronically submit the PLA application  by December 1, 2011. 

When applying, we recommend the following:

1) Take into consideration and allow an appropriate amount of time to complete your application. The application will take about an hour to complete (if essays are written beforehand).  Applications must be received by 5 PM on December 1, 2011 in order to be considered. Applications not received by this time will not be considered. 

2) The application requires the completion of two essays and a comprehensive list of all of your involvement. We recommend you review the sample application prior to completing the electronic application. You may find a copy of the application here: PDF copy of application. This copy is not an official application and will not be accepted. The ONLY application we will accept is the electronic application found here.  We recommend that you can complete the two essays in a separate word processing program and copy the text into the application. 

3) Before submitting your completed application, we recommend you print one copy for your records in case the application does not submit correctly. Once you submit your application, you will immediately receive a verification email noting that we have successfully received your application. We also recommend you save this email. Once you begin the application, you may NOT save your work and return later. The application must be completed in one sitting. 

 Application Evaluation Process

A Selection Committee comprised of University and community representatives will evaluate your application in various categories that focus on previous experiences and future leadership potential. Based on the quality of applications submitted and assessment of criteria within the application, offers will be extended to candidates for a campus interview. All candidates will be contacted by the PLA in early February to inform them whether or not they have received an invitation for an on-campus interview.

President's Day Open House

A candidate who receives an invitation to interview for the PLA will be expected to attend the BGSU President's Day Open House, during which time the PLA interviews will be conducted. The candidate's interview provides us an opportunity to learn (more) about the candidate and, if selected, what he or she would contribute to the PLA, the BGSU campus, and the Bowling Green local community during his or her participation in the program.

 Selection Recommendations and References

Final recommendations from the Selection Committee will be determined during the month of March. Those recommendations will be compared with reference support provided in the candidate's application.

Final Offers Made

All interview candidates will receive their final status in late March. The offers to participate in the PLA will be extended at this time. It is important to note, once a candidate receives his or her offer in the mail, it is imperative to return a signed copy of the contract to the PLA in a timely manner. Failure to return the contract within the time allotted will result in a withdrawal of the offer.

If you have questions or inquiries regarding the process, please contact the PLA at (419) 372-9623.