State of Our University 2026
“This Moment. Our Moment.”

Thank you, Chair Shore, and thank you to all our board members for your leadership and guidance. I also want to thank each of you in attendance, including those joining us on the livestream, for taking the time to be here today.

Acknowledge:

• Trustees: Chair Amy Shore; Mark Remeis; Paul Hooker; Lia McMillan; Luke Woolard
• State Representative Haraz Ghanbari
• City of Bowling Green Mayor Mike Aspacher

I especially want to acknowledge a person who has been by my side for more than 40 years, and cares so deeply for Bowling Green – my wife and University Advocate, Sandy Earle!

It has been an incredible honor to deliver the state of our university remarks over the past several years.

But I have to be honest. Every year, I get worried that no one will attend. Seriously. It surprises me every time this room is full. Usually, at the last minute, I think of what we can do to get more people here. This year… I asked if maybe we should just invite the Falcon Marching Band. That idea didn’t get far because they said if the band was here, everyone would just want to listen to Star Wars and call it a day. Which isn’t a terrible idea… right? That is an option… should we?!  

Honestly, thank you for being here. I am very grateful. But, I am most grateful for how engaged you are in shaping what’s ahead… your commitment to our University is absolutely one of our greatest strengths. This past spring, our university community participated in strategic planning sessions where you shared your thoughts on the challenges we face and the opportunities we have.

You said we need to do more to ensure our students are truly prepared for career… with intentional, integrated strategy not just for some students… but for all. 

You also said we need to do more to serve all learners – not just the traditional 18- to 22-year-olds.

And… you said we need to do more to address the rapidly evolving technologies reshaping our classrooms… workplaces… and communities.

These are not small challenges.

But you know… I know this is the university to face these challenges.

Why?

Because… quite frankly… we are a university that has long punched above its weight.

The enrollment cliff? When our peers, critics, even some supporters, said, maybe you should get smaller… you know, safeguard a bit? We rolled up our sleeves and figured it out.

Today: Record enrollment for the fourth consecutive year.

This fall, for the second year in a row, we welcomed a first-year class of more than 4,000 new students, marking the first time in university history of back-to-back classes of that size. This year’s first-year students are also the most academically prepared in University history... with an average GPA of 3.77 and an average ACT of 25.

And... total undergraduate enrollment up more than 4% compared to the year before. 

Get smaller? No, we were determined to prove it was possible.

What about the argument student debt is out of control… and students aren’t graduating? What’s the value of a college degree? Again, we took the challenge head-on.

Today: We continue to make history… at-or-above record student retention and success for three years in a row.

We’ve reduced average loan debt among graduating seniors by 13.4% in five years…  

And more students are graduating in four years or less… up 14%.

We were determined to prove it was possible.

What about the ones who said Bowling Green is a teacher-training school? You’re not really a research university.

First, you’re right. We started as a teacher-training school, and we’re proud of it. Today, we are a national leader in this area. But we’re also a comprehensive university that is conducting research that matters to the very people who invest in us.

Safer water? Crime investigation? Glass industry? The economy? Agriculture? Our family systems? We do that... and we teach. We were determined to prove it’s possible to be both a research university and a teaching university.

Or… or… maybe it was those who said a school like Bowling Green, sure you can help the students who are there… but you don’t have the name… or the donors to make a huge difference. Leave that to some bigger schools… richer schools.

We didn’t buy it.

Instead… we proved this educational experience is worth investing in. And guess what? Our supporters agreed.

Today… Bowling Green is home to the largest non-endowed scholarship program of its kind in the nation… which will open the door of opportunity to 6,500 students from middle-income families… right here… at Bowling Green.

Record BGSU One Day… over and over again.

New facilities and programs are made possible because of private philanthropy.

We were determined. And we did.

I am so proud of our fight – not to prove them wrong – but to prove *this* right.

Certainly… I’m speaking to a room of people who see, firsthand, the power of public higher education. It was the work of the people in this room, along with and our colleagues and supporters, who have made this possible. Not one of us... but all of us... working together to achieve these successes. I thank each of you for this work.

I hope you agree that public higher education is an easy mission to get behind when you see it up close, every day.

But not everyone has that opportunity… and some are challenging the very work we do. That’s okay. But proving what is possible, and improving what we do, is hard work. And honestly, not everyone is willing to do it.

But you are. We are. This University is determined to provide an incredible educational experience for each student – not just some, or the most connected, or the standout student – but each and every learner who is willing to come to Bowling Green and put in the work.

Because that’s who we are. That’s who we have been. Measure us by the success of all we include. Public higher education should belong to each of us... to all of us. 

That mindset has driven an innovative spirit. And the results are absolutely worth celebrating today:

Objective one of our strategic plan is redefining student success. And we are.

Like we mentioned… back-to-back-to-back-to-back enrollment growth. Record student retention and success.

We have put a stake in the ground with in-demand academic programs, growing in healthcare and STEM but not forgetting the disciplines that help us understand the human experience.

BGSU Firelands was named an “Opportunity College and University” by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education for exceeding benchmarks in advancing educational access and graduate earnings outcomes.

Just last week… Bowling Green was named a finalist – one of just three schools nationwide – and the only one in the Midwest - for the 2026 Excellence in Student Success Award by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

And yesterday… we were ranked by U.S. News and World Report for the first-year student experience. The only public in Ohio… top 3 in the Midwest.

And for the sixth year in a row... our students are among the most satisfied with their university – our university – in the country... ranking us the No. 1 public university in Ohio – and top 5 in the nation, they say they’d choose again.

A testament to our commitment to each student at this university.

We will absolutely continue to invest in maximizing our students’ time here, through programs like Career and Life Design. 

Just this summer… Bowling Green held the nation’s first-ever Life Design convening, welcoming representatives from nearly 30 universities across the nation… big, land-grant universities… small private schools and Ivy League schools – coming to Bowling Green to see how we’ve done it… and bring it back to their campuses. 

A national leader in student success, indeed. 

Object two: Creating public good through research, creative activities, partnerships and engagement. We are absolutely doing this.

Our faculty are the heart of our academic mission: leading research centers – including the Center for Photochemical Sciences; the National Center for Family and Marriage Research; the Center for the Future of Forensic Sciences; the Center for the Great Lakes and Watershed Studies; the Democracy and Public Policy Network.

Faculty, researchers, still teaching and engaged in the classroom. That drives quality academic programs and provides an incredible academic experience and foundation for our students to connect with leading researchers, asking questions – leading with curiosity - and developing critical thinking skills.

Our research is meaningful and relevant: 

For example, when chemists at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) encountered a dangerous drug they had not seen before, they turned to Bowling Green for help. We discovered a powerful synthetic opioid that can be anywhere from 10 to 40 times more potent than fentanyl. Our faculty, along with BCI and Mercy Health, authored one of the first reports on the drug to help the medical community understand how to treat patients. 

Another example… our researchers are using the power of light to make solar panels more durable to the elements, a problem that costs the glass industry millions of dollars every year... the very industry that is anchored in our region, driving our collective economic vitality.

Or... researchers who used satellite and drone imagery to make our water safer. They conducted a geospatial analysis of nutrients levels in farm fields, giving farmers a pinpoint reading of exactly where their fields need fertilizer, directly addressing nutrient runoff and reducing a major expense for the agricultural industry.

There is tremendous value in work for our region, state, nation and beyond: our research is meaningful and relevant to the very communities that invest in us.

There is also tremendous value for our students, who learn along each of you.   That is a harder path – balancing research and teaching – yet we prove it is possible. Thank you.

We continue to engage with our alumni, supporters and industry at historic levels.

New scholarship programs… professorships… research and creative activities… programs for students… and more.

We anticipate thousands of alumni from around the world will be back in Bowling Green this weekend for Homecoming.

We are engaging our region’s and state’s industry leaders through partnerships that have allowed us to provide career opportunities for our students, and opportunities for us to grow, as a university.

This year… we were selected as one of only eight universities nationwide and the only one in the Midwest to join the first-ever National Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator, connecting students with industry partners.

Just one of the many reasons why Bowling Green is the number one public university in Ohio for career preparation… and a leader in this space, as well.

We continue to engage with the community, as well. We are so fortunate to be located in one of America’s best college towns. We absolutely enrich our community both economically and socially, hosting Arts and athletic events; community conversations focused on our democracy and civic engagement, and service. And this community supports the university.

Just this weekend, Sandy and I received a note from a local elementary school principal who shared that one of their students would have to miss a significant amount of school due to serious illness. He reached out to a faculty member to ask whether any of our students would be willing to tutor. Almost immediately... not one... not two... but 16 Bowling Green students immediately volunteered to help. 

A public university for the public good, indeed.

Object three: Investing in our people and community. We are doing this, as well:

While other universities have reduced employees… Bowling Green continues to invest in ours… growing… strategically in areas of highest demand.

We will look to continue to expand wellness initiatives and drive engagement across our learning community.

We have worked to elevate recognition programs, introduced new professional development opportunities... and we continue to explore how we can do more for our employees’ well-being.

We are so grateful...

Object four: Embracing efficient and effective processes, structures and technologies. We are doing this, too.

We continue to find ways to enhance our learning facilities – like the Engineering and Innovation Center… with technologies even leading employers don’t yet have in their own workplaces. This absolutely gives our students opportunities to create – and do.

Our campus and facilities demonstrate our pride in Bowling Green… and how much we value this University.

Let us pause to celebrate! Truly… thank you!

We should be so proud. I am.

So… we’ve done what a lot that universities haven’t been able to: we have grown, despite the odds. We have reached new levels of student success, conducted meaningful and relevant research, recorded record giving, opened new facilities, and launched new programs. We are competing with universities that we have never competed with before.

And you know, during our sessions this past spring…… I love that you said… we are not done yet. In fact,… we’re going to lead.

You told us that this spring… we need to do more to ensure our students are truly prepared for the 21^st century… for career or graduate school.

My question to you is this: What does truly developing talent look like in this AI-enabled world? If we do not address this issue, I believe it will become an existential threat to the future of higher education.

The exchange of knowledge from faculty to students, the ability to memorize content in order to successfully earn a degree… can no longer be the sole value proposition. 

Access to knowledge is virtually unlimited… and just a few keystrokes away. 

Now… we could discuss the validity of that information… of that process… of the cost of it, to our communities, to ourselves… of what will happen… should happen in the future…. but the reality is, the technology is here today… and isn’t going away. In fact, it is only going to continue to get smarter, faster, and likely, better. That is what technology does… and already… it is fundamentally changing our workplaces, our communities, our classrooms. 

If we are honest with ourselves, we would need to acknowledge that, at times, content delivery dominated our approach to teaching. We talked about critical thinking and other skills, and hoped that, though teaching content, our students would develop the skills that they need for successful careers and lives. Are you a successful accountant if you can memorize accounting theory, or does that make you a successful student?

AI and other emerging technologies require us to move beyond content and truly develop skills that we all know are durable and necessary for success in life. This will not be easy. Teaching skills, and mentoring and coaching the development of these skills in our students, is difficult. If it were easy, higher education would have been intentionally doing this all along.

What if... beyond the content... higher education was actually intentional about those primary skills.... intentional in developing talent first, and memorizing facts second?

We will need to push ourselves to face this challenge, head-on… just as we have so many others.

The success of our students will be measured not by their knowledge, but their judgment... and our work… and focus… cannot be on how will we transfer information to our students better, but rather how will we develop a human being's capacity to think, create, and do?

It’s not A-I, it is H-I: Human Intelligence. The things A-I cannot do for a student, no matter how good it gets: be curious, make connections, think critically about a new perspective or challenge, effectively communicate, lead a team of people who don't all agree, take real action.

Those are not soft skills. Those are *the* skills. You build it in a classroom, yes — absolutely — but you also build it in a lab, on the stage and the field, in the conversations in a residence hall or dining facility, in an internship, in a student organization meeting.

The academic experience and the student experience, together, create the educational experience. And the educational experience — the whole of it — is the real value. It is not simply the degree by itself, but rather the experience of earning it.

We must be more intentional in delivering this educational experience and find new ways to elevate this experience, even further. We know, based on research, when it comes to a student’s long-term career success and satisfaction in life… it isn’t so much where they go to college, but how they go to college that has the greatest impact. 

All universities know this. We leaned in… because this is a university that believes in the power of public education and that every student should have a chance and opportunities.

What does that look like at Bowling Green? 

A Marching Band that today is the largest in the nation – with 600 members. Students from all majors who love to play… want to be part of something…. And willing to work hard and develop skills of working in a team, the importance of focus and discipline to achieve excellence Just four years ago? 90 members. Today? 600. We get asked often, how do we do it? 

There are a lot of ways to answer that question, but most simply: we said yes.

We said yes to Club Sports too… finding ways to invest in these athletic programs, as well. Today… participation has more than doubled from just four years ago. 

We’ve launched a similar program, but for the Arts, with Arts for All. Finding a way for students to have university support and resources to continue their love of the arts in college. 

We put the student in student-athlete… this fall… we were the first university in MAC history to complete the academic Triple Crown: taking the MAC Women’s FAR award, Men’s FAR award, and the Institutional Academic Achievement Award… presented annually to the MAC institution that achieves the highest overall GPA and academic progress rate for student-athletes. 

That… plus our academic experience… together delivers the educational experience for the 21^st century. My ask to you: Accept the challenge. Let’s lean in and elevate our success to an even higher level.

You also said we need to do more to serve all learners – not just the traditional 18-to 22-year-olds.

This will require innovation on our part, because we have been, largely, a traditional residential university. We will need to be willing to see opportunity in places we might not have previously looked.

Will we need to work even closer with leaders in our region and state to identify areas where we can serve their needs… and their employees. Where can we enhance skills… credentials… and learning… to allow these businesses, health care organizations, and industries to sustain their talent pipelines for the 21^st century?

We know there is a need to build this talent pipeline, across all learners… not just the traditional 18-to 22-year-old.

I ask, accept the challenge... 

And… you said we need to do more to address the rapidly evolving technologies reshaping our classrooms… workplaces… and communities.

Certainly… A-I is a disruptor. As a university, we have faced disruption in the past.

Economic downturns… Wars…. Social change… Shifting populations… Changing Job Markets… Technological advances…

In all of it… Bowling Green emerged… better… stronger. Poised for this very moment.

Why? Because this is a university that started as a teacher training institution… a group of people who wanted to make their communities better by helping teachers learn to teach. By helping students learn to learn. By people connecting with one another to make something better.  

Our work, this university’s work, is intrinsically human. Content was never the advantage… our focus on people was… and is. It is what has defined our work… and what will position us to lead in this new, AI-enabled space. But we must do this at an even higher level.

We have never forgotten our core mission: to be a great value to all who invest in us, our students, their families, our communities, and taxpayers.

We’ve had to out-work, out-innovate, and out-smart our competitors to create that value. In turn? It’s become our DNA. Innovation is our standard operating procedure. We have been laser-like in delivering in-demand academic programs; we have focused our research and creative activities on topics that matter; and we created a nationally recognized student experience that is intentional and meaningful. 

That experience – and our attention to it – is what higher education can deliver - and what AI cannot: true human-to-human connection built through real experience. And we do that experience better than anyone in Ohio… and aspire to be the best in the nation.

My ask to you: accept the challenge.

What does accepting this challenge look like?

If you’re in the academic space... you might be ask yourself how you’re engaging with students in the classroom? How are you playing a role in developing their skills and abilities... their human judgment? How are you using technology to elevate the development of your students’ talent? And, are we intentional about creating the right academic programs, in the right modality, to serve all learners, and support our region and state’s talent needs?

If you’re staff, you might be designing co-curricular activities... and I would ask, are we doing all we can to intentionally develop the programs that further elevate our educational experience for each student? Maybe you’re engaging with alumni and donors, industry leaders or community members, and you’re sharing the University’s story... are we doing so in a way that inspires action and support? Maybe you are ensuring that our campus is well-maintained. How do we ensure that your work and interactions with students can make this a better place to learn, belong,and grow?

If you’re an administrator, are you intentionally empowering people to fully leverage our current successes?

If you’re a student... push us to do more... to serve every student.

If you're the president... stop with this talk and get back to work...

In whatever role you have... we must ensure each student has these opportunities: we cannot leave this to chance.

Let's challenge each other to achieve even higher levels of success.

Here's what gives me so much hope: this is not a new mission for Bowling Green.

It is not a pivot. It is leaning into exactly who we have always been: A public university for the public good that has been open to change, without changing who we are. We are not behind in this moment. We are ahead of it. 

As we push ourselves to develop our students for the 21st century… to reach all learners, beyond the traditional 18-to-22-year-olds… to manage the changing landscape that is A-I… we are absolutely determined to leverage who we are, who we have always been, and to leverage our successes of today for our future. 

When we do this, our university succeeds… yes…. 

But this work… it is bigger than us… bigger than Bowling Green. 

Our success is our students’ success…. And their success is our communities’ success: 

You see… what our students learn here… the skills they gain… the experiences they have… their ability to think… to create... and to do… well, they take that and they bring it to their careers… to their communities… to their lives. That is the ripple impact of education that makes us know that the future is bright indeed.

This is absolutely our moment… and this work… well it is mighty. In the words of the Forward Falcons song…

“Hold up the fame of our mighty name”… each of us are the “mighty” We are individuals who believe working together creates a brighter future for not just ourselves but for others……our students, the research that we conduct, the creative works that are presented, the way in which we do our work that has a ripple impact throughout Ohio and the Midwest.

Thank you for the work you do, every day, to make that possible. Let us be determined to look into our future and be a role model for our nation of what a public university for the public good can achieve. This moment, our moment...

Ay Ziggy Zoomba.