BGSU trustees recognize faculty success, approve campus improvements at May meeting

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Committed to supporting teaching quality, research and creative activities, the Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees at its May meeting approved the promotion and tenure of multiple faculty members and appointed new deans to the Schmidthorst College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The board also approved renovations to the Mathematical Sciences Building and a fountain naming for the new campus gateway, which is currently under construction on the western edge of campus.

Recognizing faculty success

Trustees recognized the scholarly and creative achievements of 58 faculty members with the awarding of promotion and tenure. At the May meeting, 10 faculty were promoted to full professor while 19 others received tenure and were promoted to associate professor. Additional faculty were promoted to teaching professor, associate teaching professor, clinical professor and associate clinical professor, respectively.

“Our faculty members are the heart of Bowling Green State University’s academic mission,” said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. “As a public university for the public good, our goal remains to support our students inside and out of the classroom, ensuring they are successful at BGSU and beyond in their careers and lives. We are especially grateful for our faculty members who educate and engage our students in relevant and rigorous academic programs, create and share new knowledge, conduct research that addresses issues of significance and excel in creative activities that drive the vitality of our region.”

Welcoming new deans

After competitive national searches, the BGSU Board of Trustees appointed new deans to the Schmidthorst College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Jennifer Percival was appointed dean of the Schmidthorst College of Business and will start at BGSU on June 21. Trustees also awarded Percival tenure and full professorship in the Department of Management.

Currently associate dean in the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Percival’s responsibilities include implementing strategic initiatives, supporting advancement, faculty mentoring, program assessment, and developing internal and external partnerships. An advocate for students and their academic and career success, Percival led initiatives directed to support first-generation students, to increase engagement with student organizations in the college and to encourage undergraduate research.

Dr. Ellen Schendel was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and will also join the University on June 21. The board awarded Schendel tenure and full professorship in the Department of English.

Schendel currently serves as associate vice president for academic affairs at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where her responsibilities include coordination and approval of new program development, international education, and providing support and guidance for universitywide curricular innovations.

"We are looking forward to welcoming our new deans who will bring energy, incredible expertise and experience to BGSU,” said Joe B. Whitehead Jr., provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs. "With their leadership, along with students, faculty, staff and alumni, we will continue to redefine student success as a public university of the 21st century, committed to providing an education of value that ensures our students lead meaningful and productive lives.”

Continuing campus improvements

Trustees approved renovations for the third floor of the Mathematical Sciences Building, which will house the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. The center is named after alumnus and current trustee Geoffrey Radbill '68 after a $7.5-million, transformative gift that will provide student and programmatic support for the new Life Design program at BGSU.

Set for completion in spring 2023, renovations will include the addition of student-focused coaching and meeting spaces, office space for design coaches, improvements to the second and third floor corridors, renovations to the building’s exterior and a new entrance to the Life Design space.

In April, BGSU announced nearly $14 million in gifts to support Life Design from alumni Mike Kuhlin ‘68 and Radbill, making BGSU the first university in the United States to offer the program on such a broad scale. Through Life Design, BGSU students will have more support than ever before as they design their college and career experiences with the new initiative that is changing undergraduate education.

While Radbill's gift focuses on college and life design, Kuhlin was recognized for a $6 million commitment to career design and connections, supporting an innovative approach to career planning and student success that will be housed in the Michael and Sara Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections located on the second floor of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

Focused on transforming the University’s ability to support students as they plan and prepare for careers after graduation, the gift will provide resources for student internship and co-op experiences, workshops, professional development and executive speakers, employer and alumni engagement initiatives, technology and other emerging needs.

The board also recognized the leadership, generosity and contributions of alumni William and Peggy Schmeltz with the naming of the Schmeltz Family Fountain, a water feature that will be part of the new campus gateway on the western edge of campus. Currently under construction, the gateway is set to open in fall 2022.

Through the years, the Schmeltzes have supported more than a dozen different areas at BGSU, including the Dean William Schmeltz Scholarship, the William Schmeltz Teaching Professorship, the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center Building Fund and the Peggy L. Schmeltz Business Scholarship.

Action items of the board

As BGSU prepares to welcome its fifth cohort of students under the Falcon Tuition Guarantee plan, the board set tuition and general fee rates for the 2022-23 academic year, ensuring the University remains an outstanding value. With the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, tuition and fees, housing, meal plan and out-of-state costs are locked in for 12 consecutive semesters for undergraduate students.

For new incoming students covered by the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, trustees approved a 1.15% annual increase in tuition and fees, or $24.10 per credit hour, for students on the Bowling Green campus. Similarly, new students on the Huron campus covered by the Falcon Tuition Guarantee will also see a 1.15% annual increase in tuition and fees, or $10.80 per credit hour.

Despite inflation and the continued complexities of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the University worked diligently to propose a contained adjustment of cost. BGSU is currently offering its highest scholarship levels in our history, totaling $14.2 million for the next four years for incoming first-year students alone.

Additionally, the board approved a 2% tuition increase for continuing in-state students not covered by the Falcon Tuition Guarantee, including fifth- and sixth-year students, as well as part-time distance and extended campus undergraduate students enrolled at the Bowling Green and Firelands campuses. Trustees also approved a 5% increase for most graduate programs.

Trustees voted not to increase the out-of-state surcharge for undergraduate and graduate instruction fees.

The board also approved increases to administrative fees for students, faculty and staff, including parking rates and student legal fees. Starting in fall 2022, faculty and staff will see a $5 increase in annual, academic year and semester parking rates. Students will also experience a a similar increase for both annual and semester parking rates. Parking rates on the BGSU campus remain the lowest in the state of all large, four-year universities.

At the request of Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Senate, trustees voted to increase the student legal fee for the first time since 2014 to $13 per semester compared to the current rate of $9 per semester. The voluntary fee provides legal services to BGSU students through the independent, non-profit law office known as Student Legal Services.