The college experience is about so much more than earning a degree – there are big questions, decisions, transitions, opportunities to explore and networks to build.

At Bowling Green State University, students will have more support than ever before as they design their college and career experiences through Life Design, a new initiative that is changing undergraduate education.

Following a special Board of Trustees meeting on April 20, the University announced an unprecedented commitment to the initiative with $13.5 million in gifts to support Life Design from two alumni philanthropists, Geoff Radbill ’68 and Mike Kuhlin ‘68. The gifts will change the higher-education paradigm, expanding the initiative, naming facilities and making BGSU the first university in the United States to offer Life Design on such a broad scale.

"As president, and on behalf of Bowling Green State University, we offer our sincere gratitude to Trustee Geoff Radbill, Jan Kohn, former chair of the Foundation Board, Mike Kuhlin and his late wife, Sara," said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. "Their transformational commitment to student success enhances our ecosystem, which empowers our students to design their college experience, their career and their life. These gifts will help prepare our graduates to do well, but also do good."

Michael and Sara Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections

While Radbill's gift focuses on college and life design, fellow 1968 alumnus Mike Kuhlin was recognized for a $6 million commitment to career design and connections, supporting an innovative approach to career planning and student success that will be housed in the Michael and Sara Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections.

Focused on transforming the University’s ability to support students as they plan and prepare careers after graduation, the gift will provide resources for student internship and co-op experiences, workshops, professional development and executive speakers, employer and alumni engagement initiatives, technology and other emerging needs.

The Life Design experience

Leveraging best practices from the Life Design Lab at Stanford’s d.school, BGSU students in the Life Design program will learn to prioritize the well-being of themselves and others – which includes robust access to programs and resources that teach mental, physical and financial well-being – make connections that build an invaluable network while in college and jump-start their careers before graduation.

"We are focused on creating positive outcomes for students, which extends beyond the classroom," said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Joe B. Whitehead Jr. "Life Design is a true value-add for our students, who will receive a more holistic approach to their education as they define their own success, creating new opportunities and setting them up to live a life they want to lead.”

While each student journey is unique and students can enter the program at any time during their college experience, most students spend the first two years focused on college and life design, while years three and four are typically focused on career design and connections.

Students in the Life Design program will build their own “Flight Plan,” starting with enrolling in BGSU 1910: Life Design and connecting with a design coach during their freshman year.

In their second year, students will continue to receive one-on-one coaching as they begin to prototype opportunities for experiential learning and explore connections for their future careers. By year three, students will begin to expand their career plan along with a faculty mentor and complete experiential learning such as a co-op, internship or research opportunity.

In the final year of the program, students engage with the expansive BGSU alumni network, connect with additional professional development and officially launch their next move, whether it’s a career or graduate school.

Years in the making

Life Design has evolved over the past three years at BGSU, starting as a small pilot program and growing to the transformative experience it is today.

In 2019, President Rogers taught the first version of BGSU 1910, seeing up close how the first-year seminar course could jump-start the academic careers of students by helping them design a plan that aligns with their own values, personalities and life goals.

Over the next two years, BGSU expanded the program, creating an Office of Student Success and Life Design, and hired an initial cohort of coaches.

In 2021, BGSU paired more than 1,800 students with design coaches, hired an executive director for College and Life Design in Adrienne Ausdenmoore, defined its new organizational model and identified the physical spaces where Life Design will grow in the coming years.

"Life Design is an incredible opportunity to redefine student success and shape the future of higher education," said Ausdenmoore. "We are so grateful for these gifts that ensure our students have the opportunity to design their college experience, their careers, and by extension, their lives. This is an investment in the entire institution, and most importantly, an investment in the futures of our students."

Outcome-oriented

Life Design intends to achieve tangible benefits for students after they graduate from BGSU, not only socially and emotionally, but financially as well.

By helping students find and define exactly what they want out of their BGSU experience, the plan will help students graduate in four or fewer years, minimizing student debt.