Rogers Report

To celebrate 50 years of hockey at BGSU, we took the Rogers Report to the Slater Family Ice Arena! This historic program is home to a national championship, previous Hobey Baker awardees, Olympic medalists, countless NHL players and coaches, and one of the loudest fan bases in college hockey. In fact, just this week, the NCAA named BGSU one of the best student sections in the nation. There is a lot that goes into making this program a success, and we are looking forward to what the next 50 years bring!

In December, 1,047 students graduated and officially became alumni of Bowling Green State University! Our commencement speakers, Sheryl Maxfield '81 and Laurie Stevenson '88, shared valuable life lessons about being curious and the importance of working hard to make a difference. Longtime public servants, Director Maxfield leads the Ohio Department of Commerce and Director Stevenson leads the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Among the graduates is the next generation of leaders, and I am confident that they will find success in their careers and "do well" in their communities.

Our alumni remember the feeling when they were accepted to Bowling Green State University. As a selective admission university, we believe our accepted applicants can and will succeed here. BGSU students come from every corner of our nation and across the globe for an education that prepares them to live meaningful and productive lives. Whether they are first-generation college students or fourth-generation Falcons, our learning community is home to future teachers, business leaders, artists, scientists, nurses, pilots and the list goes on. The class of 2024 is no different. Conner Marschall, Olivia Fraser and Briyanna Moore have already committed to BGSU, officially becoming Falcons.

BGSU Cheer are back-to-back University World Cup champions, amongst premier small coed teams! These student-athletes repeated their success in 2019, and continue to build upon the strong tradition of cheer at BGSU. Beyond their competition schedule, our cheer and spirit programs enrich our vibrant student life and engage our alumni friends from athletics events to Homecoming and Welcome Week. Along with BGSU Dance, I am struck by how these students manage their commitment to the program with their academic responsibilities, and their hard work is representative of the grit BGSU students have. Congratulations, BGSU Cheer and Dance! Ay Ziggy Zoomba!

As we closed 2019, we took some time to reflect on a memorable year. Our learning community welcomed new students, graduated and recognized new alumni, created new academic programs, broke ground on new and renovated facilities and developed new partnerships. For me, it is so much more. Our commitment to creating public good is realized in the research efforts of our faculty, in the grit of our students to make a difference and in the responsibility we have to the communities we serve. I am proud of how we came together to focus on the future of our University. Every day, we are preparing our students to be life-ready. Our Year In Review shows just how we are achieving that mission. We continue to advance our strategic plan, and you'll see that we remain grounded in our strategic objectives. In 2019, we witnessed the impact our University had on Ohio, the nation and world. We are a public university for the public good, and I am already looking forward to what we can accomplish together next.