Bowling Green has an extensive history in teacher education, through which many alumni remain connected after graduation. Many graduates like Jaimee McNamara '07, '12, left, become mentor teachers for preservice teachers like Ellie Radabaugh '25. (BGSU photo / Craig Bell)
More than 300 individual students in the College of Education and Human Development will benefit from new milestone
The Bowling Green State University College of Education and Human Development surpassed a new milestone for the 2026-27 academic year by surpassing $1 million in scholarship awards. More than 300 EDHD students will receive scholarship assistance this academic year as a result.
Key Highlights
College: Education and Human Development
Founding: 1910
Milestone: $1 million in scholarship awards
Hitting the new mark
While $1 million in scholarship awards was a dream just a decade ago, scholarship giving to EDHD more than tripled during that time span to reach a new high-water mark in 2026.
Donors step up for students
Reaching seven figures in scholarship awards took the collective effort of 186 individual donors, whose generous contributions will provide funding to 314 students.
Recognizing a team effort
The new mark of $1 million in EDHD scholarships will be awarded at a ceremony on Sept. 20 that will bring donors and recipients together.
"Our donors give because they believe in Bowling Green State University; they believe in our college, and most importantly to our students, they believe in them, their futures and what they’re going to accomplish.”
DAWN SHINEW, PH.D.
DEAN, BGSU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
What began as a faraway goal is now a reality for the Bowling Green State University College of Education and Human Development.
On Sept. 20, the college will formally award more than $1 million in scholarships to its students, marking the first time in BGSU history that EDHD has reached this seven-figure milestone.
Scholarship aid in EDHD has more than tripled in the past decade, providing support that is often career-changing for BGSU students. Dean Dawn Shinew, Ph.D., previously vowed at the annual scholarship luncheon that EDHD, the University’s founding college, would one day surpass seven figures in scholarships – a goal realized in 2026.
“It was at one of the scholarship ceremonies where I said, ‘And one day, we’re going to get to a million!’” Shinew said. “We have a great advancement team, and as soon as I said it, they said, ‘Yes, we’re going to get to a million.’ We’ve worked really hard to get to this point.
“There’s something about having a goal where people bought into that. As we got closer and closer, everybody wanted to be the one who pushed us over $1 million.”
BGSU has a long history of producing excellent teachers dating to the University's founding in 1910, and Bowling Green remains the largest teacher education program at a single site of any university in Ohio but also offers degrees in a wide variety of programs.
Reaching seven figures in scholarships not only provides additional life-changing opportunities for students, but also solidifies lasting relationships between EDHD, its graduates, alumni and donors.
Unlike the scholarship programs that are supported by one individual or family, EDHD’s scholarship success was in the aggregate: $1 million in scholarships came from 186 individual donors, many of whom fund scholarships in honor of a loved one or a cherished mentor.
BGSU has a long history of producing excellent teachers dating to the University's founding in 1910, and Bowling Green remains the largest teacher education program at a single site of any university in Ohio, but also offers degrees in a wide variety of programs.
This academic year, 314 students in EDHD, with degrees in education, but also programs like sport management, pre-physical therapy, interior design, clinical mental health counseling, exercise science and human development and family science – will benefit from the support these donors have made possible.
EDHD records management supervisor Janet Hammersmith ’86 said thank-you notes from scholarship recipients to donors underscore how much the gesture of giving means to a student’s college career.
“Some of the thank-you notes that come back are just amazing,” Hammersmith said. “They’re very, very heartfelt, and about 80% of them say something to the effect of, ‘Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t be here.’”
Hammersmith, along with her three siblings and two children, donates to a scholarship fund named after her parents, Charles and Alta Codding, the former of whom was a BGSU employee for more than 50 years.
Oftentimes, she said, bringing everyone together for the scholarship ceremony creates lasting relationships, during which students and donors will stay in touch for decades after the student graduates.
“That connection solidifies everything for both the donor and the recipient,” Hammersmith said. “Last year, we had a potential donor who came to our luncheon and became a donor because of it – they saw the interaction and what these scholarships truly mean to our students. It’s a really meaningful process.”
Shinew said EDHD takes pride in the fact that nearly 200 individuals or groups chose to fund a scholarship, a sign that more alumni and supporters than ever continue to believe in the power of a BGSU degree.
By providing for a current student, she said, many donors see up close how giving can change someone’s life.
“They made a commitment and a sacrifice – they could have traveled more or bought a bigger house or bought a boat with that money, and instead they chose to sponsor a scholarship for a student in our college,” Shinew said. “They do that because they believe in Bowling Green State University. They believe in our college, and most importantly to our students, they believe in them, their futures and what they’re going to accomplish.
“Our donors see this as an investment in the future.”
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Updated: 09/17/2026 10:35PM