Bowling Green State University mourns the loss of revered alumnus and devoted supporter Geoffrey H. Radbill ’68, whose deeply positive experience at the University inspired his commitment to championing student success.
Radbill, who passed away on Dec. 7, 2025, at age XX, played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of Bowling Green’s innovative Life Design program, driven by a desire to pay forward the support he received at BGSU to future generations.
"When I arrived at Bowling Green State University, I was an immature high school graduate in need of guidance," Radbill said earlier this year, reflecting on the five-year anniversary of Life Design. "The Life Design program didn't exist, but I was incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by faculty, administrators and fellow students who believed in me. Their support helped me succeed where others, even those more gifted, struggled.
"Jan and I wanted every student entering BGSU to have more than luck. We envisioned a future where support wasn't left to chance but built into the very fabric of the college experience."
With Radbill and his partner Jan Kohn’s support, Life Design has become an integral part of the undergraduate student experience at Bowling Green.
The program, which encompasses courses, one-on-one coaching, career readiness and integration across academic programs, has been introduced to more than 10,000 students since its launch in 2020, establishing Bowling Green as a national leader in Life Design.
In 2023, Bowling Green dedicated the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design, an inviting and collaborative space on the third floor of McLeod Hall, formerly the Mathematical Sciences Building, in honor of Radbill’s generous $7.5 million gift to the program.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Radbill shared proudly: “The Radbill Center is already fulfilling its purpose as a safe place for students to learn, collaborate, thrive and grow into their authentic selves, an opportunity for students to design their lives at BGSU and thereafter."
The Radbill Center centralizes Life Design resources and services, allowing for additional programming and engagement among students, faculty and staff. Throughout the academic year, the Radbill Center is filled with students meeting with their Life Design coaches, gathering between classes and attending various programs and events.
Radbill and Kohn took a personal interest in the lives of many Bowling Green students involved with Life Design, extending their support far beyond their financial commitment.
“I love to go in and talk to the students,” Radbill said earlier this year. “It’s fun to talk to the students and learn how Life Design is helping them.”
Radbill graduated from Bowling Green in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and built a 36-year career at AXA-Equitable, a global financial services company. He retired in 2004 as senior vice president and chief operating officer for the company’s domestic retail sales force.
His involvement and support of Bowling Green spanned many years. Radbill served on the BGSU Foundation Board from 2005 to 2011, was a member of the Finance Advisory Council beginning in 2013 and fulfilled a four-year term as a national member of the Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2021.
He was honored as a College of Business Administration Accomplished Graduate in 2006 and as one of the University’s 100 Most Prominent Alumni during Bowling Green’s Centennial Celebration in 2010.
In addition to supporting his alma mater, Radbill dedicated his time to numerous charitable organizations, including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Foundation and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
