BGSU earns national grant to expand work-integrated learning opportunities

Bowling Green State University is one of 12 colleges and universities nationwide awarded a grant to support efforts to bring more industry-based projects into the classroom, further solidifying the University’s position as a national leader in work-integrated learning and career preparation.

Through the Expanding Quality Work-Integrated Learning grant from the Business-Higher Education Forum, BGSU will spend the next two years designing and piloting shorter-duration, high-impact work-integrated learning models for small and midsize employers.

“Work-based learning is traditionally thought of as internships and co-ops,” said Gabe Dunbar, Ph.D., senior director in the Michael and Sara Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections. “With a national shortage of those opportunities, BGSU is stepping up to design additional applied experiences that help our students be more competitive in a challenging job market. Our work-integrated learning strategy strives to provide a variety of opportunities for students to prototype their future career."

Over the past few years, BGSU has expanded its efforts to connect students with meaningful career experiences, becoming a national leader in partnerships and strengthening its standing as the No. 2 public university in the nation for career preparation.

Bowling Green partnered with The Work+ Collective Institute in 2024 to rethink student employment and was among only eight universities nationwide selected to join the National Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator in 2025.

The Expanding Quality Work-Integrated Learning grant will help BGSU faculty members partner with small and midsize employers to bring more industry-based projects into the classroom. This expands on previous work-integrated learning efforts, which focused primarily on larger organizations.

“Small and midsize employers need early-career talent as much as any organization, but most work-integrated learning models were built around the hiring cycles and staffing capacity of large organizations,” said Kristen D. Fox, CEO of Business-Higher Education Forum. “These 12 institutions are testing what it takes to right-size high-quality work-integrated learning in ways that deliver real value for industry and learners. This design is critical so that more employers can participate and more learners, especially those balancing work and family, can gain the experience employers are looking for.”

BGSU plans to expand the grant’s pilot programming across campus, including bringing new work-integrated learning opportunities to the College of Arts and Sciences.

“We want to leverage this grant to highlight academic programs that industry often overlooks in their talent pipeline strategy, yet are developing important in-demand skills such as critical thinking and creative problem solving," said Dunbar. “We want to provide them with additional opportunities through industry-based, work-integrated learning projects.”

This marks the third grant BGSU has earned to drive its growing efforts around developing a work-integrated learning infrastructure across campus.

The National Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator, launched by Arizona State University, connects students with industry partners through real-world projects and simulations, allowing students to apply their skills in practical, impactful ways while bridging the gap between education and workforce readiness.

Supported by JPMorganChase and Strada Education Foundation, the accelerator brings higher education institutions, employers, and education-technology startups together to co-design and pilot innovative work-integrated learning models.

The Work+ Collective Institute partnership helps working learners incorporate design thinking principles and work-integrated learning into their campus jobs. As a result, students work with supervisors and the team in the Kuhlin Career Hub to prototype employment opportunities that align with their strengths and interests.

The Expanding Quality Work-Integrated Learning grant aligns with the University's comprehensive Career and Life Design program, which seeks to empower all students to be curious, reframe challenges and take action with confidence and intention. This work-integrated learning commitment is also complemented by Bowling Green's recently developed Office of Industry Partnerships, which aims to support Ohio's key industries.

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