Summer Professional Development
Grow with BGSU this summer
Invest in your professional growth with summer learning opportunities at BGSU. Explore workshops, skill paths and resources designed to help you build new skills and expand your impact on our learning community.
Skill path training
Each skill path features a curated series of courses focused on a specific competency or professional development area. Employees who complete five (5) required courses within a skill path earn a digital badge and certificate recognizing their achievement and commitment to professional growth.
Customized department training programs
Unlike one-size-fits-all training models, these programs are fully tailored and branded to create engaging, meaningful and highly relevant learning experiences. Examples include initiatives such as PLATE, FLIGHT, CulTRIOvate, ACE, AUXsome and others.
Contact Suzi Saunders-O'Herron at smsaund@bgsu.edu to learn more.
Supervisor Skills Series
This five-part series provides supervisors with practical tools and strategies to effectively lead, develop and support employees in today’s workplace. Through a progressive learning experience focused on communication, performance management, coaching and real-world application, participants build the confidence and skills needed to foster productive teams, navigate workplace challenges and support employee success.
On-demand courses
Whether just beginning professional development or readiness preparation for next steps, we offer a variety of opportunities through instructor led, computer-based, or blended training programs to support the mission and values of the university including a library of training topics.
Monthly live professional development sessions
Delivered in both in-person and virtual formats, these sessions encourage collaboration, discussion, reflection, and active participation. Designed to move beyond passive learning, these sessions emphasize real-world application, shared learning, and practical skill development. Each experience intentionally connects to the broader monthly learning framework, helping employees strengthen skills, explore new ideas and apply learning directly within their workplace environments.
BG BookBag Book Club
BG Bookbag is a monthly professional development book club that connects bestselling leadership, workplace and personal development books to the University’s monthly professional development themes, featured skill paths, and leadership focus areas. The program encourages reflection, collaboration, and continuous learning in an engaging and conversational format.
Monday Micro Trainings
Monday Micro-Trainings are brief, high-impact professional development sessions centered around the Five Exemplary Practices of Leadership from The Leadership Challenge framework. Each month highlights one leadership practice that is reinforced throughout the university’s broader professional development offerings.
These engaging sessions provide employees with practical leadership insights, reflection opportunities, and actionable strategies that support continuous growth and workplace impact—regardless of formal leadership role.
HR Coffee and Chat
Informal, open-forum conversations give employees the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions around workplace and HR-related topics. Each month features a focus area connected to a designated skill path, allowing employees to explore topics tied to professional growth, workplace success and employee development.
Leadership in Action
These monthly leadership sessions offer a reflection and development resource built around the Five Exemplary Practices of Leadership from The Leadership Challenge framework. Each month focuses on one leadership practice and encourages employees to reflect on how leadership is demonstrated through everyday actions, interactions, and decisions. Resources include reflection prompts, leadership challenges, motivational messaging, and practical activities designed to strengthen leadership presence, workplace culture, and ongoing professional growth.
Monthly Spotlight Training
The Monthly Spotlight Training series, offered through BGSU’s Employee Assistance Program partner AllOne Health, provides employees with additional opportunities for professional and personal development through expert-led sessions. Trainings often align with the monthly professional development theme and features Skill-Paths, reinforcing topics such as communication, leadership, resilience, wellbeing, and workplace effectiveness.
These sessions bring employees valuable outside perspectives, specialized expertise, and nationally available learning opportunities that support both personal wellbeing and professional growth.
Updated: 06/03/2026 10:43AM