October 2013

(Posted October 31, 2013 )

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Thanks to all of the alumni and friends who helped make October such a wonderful month at BGSU!

Hundreds of alumni braved rainy northwest Ohio weather to celebrate Homecoming 2013 with Falcon friends and family. I was especially touched by the classes of 1963 and 1973 who commemorated their 50th and 40th reunion years with class gifts of more than $600,000 in support of the Alumni Laureate Scholars program.

Another special part of Homecoming was the induction of the 2013 Academy of Distinguished Alumni, the highest honor bestowed by the University. Inducted, shown from left to right, were George McPhee '82, general manager of the Washington Capitals; Linda Forte '74, senior vice president of business affairs for Comerica Incorporated; Maryrose Sylvester '87, CEO of GE Lighting, a division of General Electric; and Dr. Paul W. Stiffler '65, '67, a board-certified microbiologist and entrepreneur. Congratulations!
 

Congratulations also to the Falcon Forensics Speech and Debate Team for a first place finish last weekend in Boston where they beat Harvard by more than 120 points! BGSU won half of the events at the competition and each member of the BGSU team placed in multiple final rounds to qualify for Nationals.

More than 300 BGSU alumni working at Marathon Petroleum took the classic BG vs. UT rivalry to a new level as they competed to see which group could raise the most money for the United Way to win the chance to fly their school's flag at Marathon's corporate office in Findlay, Ohio. BGSU led the gift total, but UT alumni matched the gift for a tie to make United Way the big winner!

The recipients of this year's Stuart R. Givens Memorial Fellowship are seniors Justin Grubb and Alex Goetz. The Givens Fellowship provides up to $6,000 to a BGSU undergraduate to support a self-designed, off-campus experience in a manner not otherwise possible through an academic program. Grubb, who is majoring in marine biology, and Goetz, who is studying film production, spent three weeks in the Central American country in May shooting scenes for a wildlife and conservation show called "Running Wild." As a result of their experience, both also now work at the Toledo Zoo producing wildlife videos.

Dr. Tom Mascaro, an associate professor in the Department of Telecommunications at Bowling Green State University, is the winner of the 2013 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Tankard Book Award, considered the highest honor for a book in journalism and mass communications.

BGSU faculty traveled the globe last semester to embrace the many languages of learning as Fulbright Scholars. Drs. Vern Bingman, Distinguished Research Professor of psychology; Salim Elwazani, architecture and environmental design, and Matthew Kutz, School of Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies, enriched their host students' knowledge base while gaining new insight into their own teaching strategies and fields of research.

I'd like to know about your news and accomplishments. Connect with me on Facebook or plan to attend one of our many upcomingNovember Alumni Association events. There are also many ways to connect on campus. I invite you to join us for upcoming productions of "Pirates of Penzance," a beloved Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, opening on Nov. 1 and "The Liar," a Shakespearean farce, opening Nov. 14. In Falcons athletics, Men's and Women's Basketball host their first games of the season in just two days, on Nov. 2, and Hockey season is already off to a winning season. Go Falcons!

Regards,

Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D.
President