BGSU trustees establish innovative student-focused partnerships, honor faculty at March meeting

First meeting of 2022 highlights the University's continued support of student success and faculty research

Bowling Green State University continues to provide comprehensive opportunities for students and support faculty research activities while remaining an affordable option for learners.

At its first meeting of the year, the BGSU Board of Trustees recognized numerous faculty members for their distinguished contributions to teaching, research and service, acknowledged generous donors for their support of student learning, and took action to ensure the University remains an outstanding value.

Honoring distinguished faculty

During the March 4 meeting, board members honored four BGSU faculty members for their distinct, individual contributions to academic research and student success initiatives.

Dr. Dwayne Gremler and Dr. Annette Mahoney were recognized as distinguished research professors, while Dr. Carrie Hamady was honored as distinguished teaching professor. The board also honored Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru as a distinguished university professor.

Each professor has multiple years of research and classroom experience that has culminated in countless student success stories. Additionally, the BGSU researchers have individually written and contributed to numerous academic papers and earned countless awards for academic achievements in their field of study.

Supporting student learning

The BGSU School of the Built Environment, the only one of its kind in the state of Ohio, will be housed in a facility named to reflect a similarly unique and lasting partnership with one of the state’s top employers.

The University is undertaking a 22,900-square-foot expansion of the Park Avenue building, which will now be called Kokosing Hall in recognition of a transformative gift from Kokosing Inc.

Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, Kokosing is one of the largest family-owned construction companies in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.

The gift will support a new learning environment that converges construction management with architecture programing and provides design-build space that promotes greater insight into industry trends, academic programing and engagement leading to co-op internship opportunities, all in a premier facility.

Kokosing has been a longtime supporter of experiential learning opportunities for BGSU students, hosting students in co-op roles for 25-plus years. In addition, Kokosing currently employs nearly three dozen BGSU alumni, including President and co-CEO Wm. Brett Burgett ’01.

“We are incredibly grateful for Kokosing’s longtime support of Bowling Green State University,” said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. “Kokosing Hall, a state-of-the-art-facility, will forever represent their generosity and our shared vision to educate and prepare our graduates of the School of the Built Environment. As a public university for the public good, this transformational gift also represents our commitment to partnering with industry leaders to create and enhance in-demand academic programs to meet Ohio’s workforce needs.”

Upon its completion, Kokosing Hall will include a 6,500-square-foot innovation lab, a materials and soils lab, collaborative spaces and two digital labs to serve students in both the construction management and architecture and environmental design programs, which together make up the School of the Built Environment.

The board also recognized the generosity of alumna Christine (Hanson) Seidman with the naming of the Hanson Seidman Nook, a student study space, in the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center.

Seidman graduated from BGSU in 1961 with an education degree and is a retired education consultant. Her husband, David, is an emeritus advisory board member for the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. The couple has supported BGSU through various gifts to the College of Education and Human Development and the Popular Culture Library.

Establishing innovative partnerships

Committed to fostering innovative partnerships, trustees celebrated the University's selection as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon employees access to life-changing, comprehensive educational opportunities.

The program empowers Amazon's hourly employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. It also includes full college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas and GEDs.

“As a public university for the public good, Bowling Green State University is so pleased to partner with Amazon and their Career Choice program,” BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers said. “This public-corporate partnership increases accessibility to an education of value. Amazon employs thousands of Ohioans, and the University’s innovative and nationally ranked academic programs prepare our graduates for meaningful and productive careers.”

Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements and overall offering education that leads to career success.

"BGSU is proud to join with Amazon on this innovative partnership that supports students and the region," said Sue Houston, BGSU vice president for partnerships and chief of staff. "Together, BGSU and Amazon will drive workforce needs while also providing valuable, life-changing educations for students. The Career Choice Program highlights the public good that can come from public-private partnerships."

Keeping education affordable

As BGSU prepares to welcome its fifth cohort of students under the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, the board of trustees set room and meal plan rates for the 2022-23 academic year, ensuring the University remains an outstanding value.

For the incoming fall class, trustees approved an average 2.3% increase in room rates for its three-tiered system ranging from basic to deluxe rooms. The standard basic double room will cost an additional $95 per semester. Meanwhile, meal plans will increase by 4.6%, or $5.15 per week, for the Bronze Plan, which is used by the state for comparison purposes.

Trustees also approved various pass-through fee changes for students enrolled in specialized courses that require special materials, supplies or equipment.

Under the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, incoming students are guaranteed the same room and board rates for all four years of their undergraduate years.

With fee changes, BGSU still remains in the lower half of Ohio's 13 public universities for room and board rates and has a lower total cost of attendance than its four neighboring schools.