Better Toledo Series
About the series
ICS collaborates with the Better Toledo series to provide one speaker each year. Each event is designed to enhance personal and professional development in our community. This partnership aims to serve the community and to generate curiosity and knowledge for the public good. You can learn more on the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s website.
The Better Toledo series is sponsored by Welcome Toledo Lucas County and the City of Toledo Human Relations Commission.
Call for Proposals: Better Toledo Series
The Institute for the Study of Culture & Society (ICS) at Bowling Green State University invites you to submit a proposal for a public presentation for the Better Toledo Series—a personal and professional development program designed to ensure you will do better in Toledo.
ICS collaborates with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library to provide one speaker each year for this ongoing series. Each event is designed to enhance personal and professional development in our community, serving the public good through curiosity, dialogue, and lifelong learning. The Better Toledo Series is sponsored by Welcome Toledo-Lucas County and the City of Toledo Human Relations Commission.
We are seeking an engaged and enthusiastic graduate student and/or faculty member at BGSU to deliver an interactive talk or workshop on a topic of their choice related to one of the following themes for the Spring 2026 series:
Black History Month | February
Women’s History Month | March
Arab American Heritage | April
Jewish American Heritage | April
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month | May
Immigrant Heritage | June
Disability Pride | July
Presentations should connect meaningfully to one of these monthly themes and foster dialogue, reflection, and community learning in the spirit of the Better Toledo Series.
Your proposal should include:
A title for your proposed presentation
A brief description (200–300 words) explaining the talk or workshop topic, how it connects to one of the above themes, and how it serves the public good through interdisciplinary humanities, arts, or social sciences research
A short 2-page résumé or CV
Past Events
Welcoming in Antiquity and Now
Philip Peek
September 5th, 2024
At this workshop, Dr. Peek discussed the concept of ‘xenia’, or guest friendship, as it was practiced in the Homeric epics and how it is used to foster a welcoming environment today. Launched in 2012, Welcoming Week provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as belonging for all. This celebration is put on globally by Welcoming America. This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. In 2022, the City of Toledo and Lucas County were the first city and county to be certified Welcoming.
Updated: 11/03/2025 11:29AM