BGSU hosts one of the largest teacher job fairs in the nation, drawing more than 100 school districts to campus

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – As the largest producer of teachers at a single site in Ohio, Bowling Green State University held on March 25 its annual Educator Career Fair – one of the nation’s biggest – for students pursuing education careers, drawing more than 100 school districts to campus.

As part of the career event, hundreds of BGSU students networked directly with employers, with some participating in same-day interviews.

“Since our very founding, BGSU has been a leader in teacher preparation for our state, and today, the nation,” said Dawn Shinew, dean of the BGSU College of Education and Human Development. “Our faculty and staff are extremely dedicated to our students’ success in leading great careers and great lives, and we work closely with school districts to build professional connections for our students. Our alumni create incredible impact in school districts across the country, and we are so proud that generations of teachers have gotten their start at Bowling Green.”

Founded in 1910 as a teacher-training institution, BGSU today ranks 16th nationally for the number of graduates from a teacher education program. BGSU graduated more than 480 new teachers in 2025 alone and alumni teach in nearly every K-12 school district in Ohio, underscoring the program’s reach and impact.

More than 2,000 students are enrolled in the University’s undergraduate teaching programs, with enrollment expected to increase across nearly all education majors.

The career fair is just one example of how BGSU prepares students for professional success, contributing to the University’s No.1 ranking in Ohio for career preparation.

Teacher candidates at BGSU log more than 500 hours of classroom experience before student teaching, far exceeding the state’s minimum requirement of 100 hours. 

That level of experience is highly valued by educators in the classroom.

“I only take BGSU student teachers,” said Jaimee McNamara ’07, ’12, who teaches at Highland Elementary in Sylvania outside Toledo. "The main reason for that is because when they come into my classroom and they’re interacting with kids, I know it’s not the first time they have had that experience. They’ve gotten to go to other field placements and learn how to interact with kids before they come in here and then they can really work on the teaching skills once they get here.”

As an innovative leader in teacher education preparation, BGSU launched Ohio’s first dual-licensure program in general and special education and has built on that success by developing additional dual-licensure programs.

BGSU also launched the state’s first fully online alternative route to licensure, providing a pathway for career changers and helping address ongoing teacher shortages.