Life Design at BGSU: First-year students demonstrate knowledge of design thinking through public good proposals

Nearly 200 projects presented during second annual project showcase

More than 900 Bowling Green State University students enrolled in the University’s first-year seminar for Life Design and CRJU 3950, a criminal justice workshop, proposed ways to improve campus and the community as part of the second annual BGSU 1910 Project Showcase.

The showcase, held Nov. 19 at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, provided students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the design thinking process, a critical focus of Life Design at BGSU.

Life Design provides students with extra support in addition to traditional advising and academic resources and introduces them to design thinking skills to maximize their college experience and enhance career readiness. The initiative aims to have students graduate in four years or less, minimize student debt and create a well-established career network.

The nearly 200 projects in the showcase, presented as posters, slideshow presentations and trifold display boards, focused on 11 themes, including belonging, mental health, community building, campus planning, academics and more. Along with demonstrating their knowledge of the design thinking process, the showcase served as a way for students to share their ideas for creating public good with their peers and the community.

"Our annual showcase represents a culmination of the hard work our students put in throughout the semester in developing the critical design thinking skills we hope they’ll carry with them as they navigate the rest of their college career at BGSU,” said Adrienne Ausdenmoore, executive director of the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. “The students’ ideas for creating public good were creative and thoughtful, and left me incredibly inspired.”

Students of all backgrounds, ability levels and majors can enter Life Design at any point during their college experience. Life Design coaches help students make connections, jump-start their careers and promote the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate problems and discover workable solutions in college and beyond.

Beyond academics, Life Design also emphasizes students prioritizing mental, physical and financial well-being for themselves and others.

The University received a transformative $13.5 million in gifts this year to support Life Design from alumni philanthropists Geoff Radbill ‘68 and Mike Kuhlin ‘68. The unprecedented gift will allow the University to expand its initiative, changing the higher education paradigm and making BGSU the first university in the country to offer Life Design on such a broad scale.