BGSU Zoom News

Monday, February 25, 2019

BGSU Board of Trustees meets | Distinguished Professor titles conferred

BGSU SETS STAGE FOR FALL WITH ROOM AND BOARD RATES, MAJOR BUILDING UPGRADE

As Bowling Green State University prepares to welcome its second cohort of students under its Falcon Tuition Guarantee plan, the board of trustees set room and meal plan rates for the upcoming academic year, ensuring the University remains an outstanding value.

The board also approved the next portion of funding for a major renovation of the College of Technology building, and the renaming of the student leadership center.

In other action at its Feb. 22 meeting, the trustees honored three of BGSU's most accomplished faculty members who are making important contributions in the realms of water quality, democratic citizenship and preparing the next generation of teachers. The title of Distinguished Research Professor was conferred upon Dr. George Bullerjahn, professor of research excellence in biological sciences, and Dr. Albert Dzur, professor of political science. Named Distinguished Teaching Professor was Dr. Rachel Vannatta, a professor in the School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy and co-director of the Center of Assessment and Evaluation Service. Each will be recognized again at the annual Faculty Excellence Awards April 16.

"Our faculty continue to stand out in their commitment to serving the public good in their respective fields," said President Rodney Rogers. "Their scholarship creates important new knowledge, and they are tremendous teachers and role models for our students."

For the incoming fall class of students, the trustees approved an average 2.5 percent increase in room rates for its three-tiered system ranging from basic to deluxe rooms. The standard basic double room cost will increase 2.8 percent, or $80 a semester, to $2,865.

Meals plans will increase by only 1.5 percent, or $1.67 per week for the Bronze Plan, which is used by the state for comparison purposes. Incoming students will be guaranteed those rates for all four of their undergraduate years.

With the changes, BGSU remains in the lower half of the 13 state public universities for room and board rates.

"We remain a terrific value," said Chief Financial Officer Sheri Stoll.

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GEORGE BULLERJAHN NAMED DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR

George Bullerjahn

Dr. George Bullerjahn, Bowling Green State University professor of research excellence in biological sciences, has been a pioneer in exploring the causes of toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and beyond. In recognition of his stature as a scientist and as a faculty member, the BGSU Board of Trustees awarded him the title of Distinguished Research Professor at the Feb. 22 meeting.

Bullerjahn, who midway through his 30-year career transitioned from microbial biology to aquatic biology, applies his considerable expertise and collaborative skills to addressing the international water quality crisis. He recently became the director of the new Lake Erie Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health, a $5.2 million project funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Working with colleagues from nine other universities, Bullerjahn is leading the effort to discover the causes of and methods for predicting and deterring dangerous cyanobacterial algae outbreaks.

He has advised various government agencies on how to lessen the effects of human-caused sources of that pollution, wrote Dr. Verner Bingman, Distinguished Research Professor of psychology, in his letter of support.

Bullerjahn is "not a cloistered scientist that sits secluded in his lab. He is a high-profile researcher who actively engages governments and communities in an active discussion on how to fix Lake Erie," Bingman said. "As an example, he and his colleague Dr. Robert M. McKay assisted Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) in drafting H.R. 212, The Drinking Water Protection Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2016."

OBITUARIES

Susan Norris Huss, an associate professor in the School of Counseling and Special Education, died Feb. 19. She joined the formerly named School of Education and Intervention Services in 1998 and retired in 2017. Memorial gifts to the scholarship she created for students in School Counseling may be made online.

DZUR, CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY, NAMED DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR

Albert Dzur

Through his writing and teaching, Dr. Albert Dzur, a professor of political science and philosophy at Bowling Green State University, has shared his vision for democracy. Internationally recognized as a thought leader for his focus on deliberative democracy, democratic professionalism and criminal justice reform, Dzur's contributions have had a global impact.

He has been honored for his work both nationally and internationally, and at its Feb. 22 meeting the BGSU Board of Trustees recognized his extraordinary record of achievement by bestowing on him the title of Distinguished Research Professor.

Dzur's publication record is striking, wrote supporter Dr. Neil Englehart, chair of the Department of Political Science. He has published in prestigious journals, and a university press book each year over the past three years, "an astonishing record in our field," Englehart said. His complete catalogue includes 29 substantive publications in leading journals, five books and numerous invited presentations. Among his books that have received critical praise are "Democratic Professionalism: Citizen Participation and the Reconstruction of Professional Ethics, Identity, and Practice" (2008), "Punishment, Participatory Democracy, and the Jury" (2012), and his co-edited, with Ian Loader and Richard Sparks, "Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration" (2016). Remarkably, said Dr. Raymond Craig, dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Dzur's publication pace has only increased since his promotion to full professor in 2012.

INNOVATION, COMMITMENT EARN VANNATTA DISTINGUISHED TEACHING PROFESSOR TITLE

Rachel Vannatta

Dr. Rachel Vannatta, a professor in the School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy (EFLP), is acknowledged by her Bowling Green State University colleagues and students as a natural leader in teaching and the use of educational technology to enhance learning. In recognition of her innovative approach to teaching and extraordinary dedication to her students, she was granted the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor by the BGSU Board of Trustees Feb. 22. She will be honored again at the 2019 Faculty Excellence Awards in April.

Vannatta joined the School of Educational Foundations and Inquiry (EDFI) in 1998, with a passion for the integration of technology in teaching at all levels of education. Now in EFLP, she teaches graduate courses in statistics, research and assessment — courses that can prove daunting to students, especially those who have not worked with those topics in some time. She teaches face-to-face, blended and online courses, bringing the same commitment to all, said her supporters.

"What is clear when you engage with her about teaching is that her top priority is for her students to engage with her content in a meaningful way, not an easy task when teaching research methods and statistics that easily intimidate some students," wrote nominator Dr. Chris Willis, program coordinator for the Leadership Studies doctoral program. But, he said, "she knows there is a doorway that each student can enter to access and engage with her content, and she is willing to try every way imaginable to help students find the door that works for them."