As the administration continues to make decisions about how to cut the university’s budget due to revenue losses brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, the BGSU-FA stresses the need to protect the educational mission of the university. In particular, it is crucial to reappoint the 60 Qualified Rank Faculty whose notification deadlines have been extended to May 15th. Our talented colleagues teach hundreds of sections of undergraduate and graduate courses. They provide thousands of service hours for their students, academic units, colleges, and the university. They conduct research and creative projects that advance knowledge in their respective fields. Losing them would severely diminish the university’s ability to deliver the internationally recognized, high-quality education for which BGSU has justifiably become known.
Please take a moment to read about just a few examples of the stellar professional expertise and academic accomplishments of our QRF colleagues:
- 15 years of experience teaching 3D animation and modeling and 20 years of video game industry and film experience.
- 12 years as a secondary educator; has redesigned and taught many courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels at BGSU, including education abroad.
- Published eighteen peer-reviewed papers since starting at BGSU, and taught Ethics, Environmental Ethics, Existentialism, Health Care Ethics, History & Philosophy of Science, Logic, Philosophy of Social Science, Robot Ethics, and Social Justice & Sustainability courses.
- 25 years in Marketing Management and Business Development in Healthcare; has taught Introduction to Marketing; Marketing for Non-Business Majors; Servicescape Design; Healthcare Marketing; Introduction to Business; and Applied Business Experience I, II, III at BGSU.
- Seven grants for research and teaching, two journal papers as the first author, and providing students the opportunity to participate in a lean building energy audit of Bowling Green High School, a project funded by the US Department of Energy.
- An Emmy award-winning technical director, two-time winner of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s Outstanding Advisor Award for College Television, and a Distinguished Broadcast Adviser by the College Media Association.
- Expertise in radio broadcasting, audio engineering and video production; presented at multiple national industry conferences, published creative works, had students recognized nationally for their coursework, and garnered student media awards as faculty adviser for student radio stations.
- A near 30-year professional career in the communication industry, both as in-house and agency/consultancy resource.
- Conducted a webinar for The Public Relations Society of America on employee communication in the age of Covid-19; currently teaching in multiple fields within their schools, including graduate and online courses.
- Nominated for Master Teacher Award; worked with 713 BGSU students over the course of three academic years; presented at four conferences, had one chapter accepted for an edited collection, and currently revising another manuscript for publication in a highly ranked journal.
- Years of experience as an artist, technician, and educator; earned a Certificate of Teaching and Learning through the BGSU Center for Faculty Excellence; creative work has been exhibited, or is scheduled to be exhibited, at 20 venues in 5 countries.
- Revived a dormant study abroad program while teaching hundreds of students within BGSU’s diverse student body.
- Taught upper-level stress theory/coping and trauma-informed practice courses in addition to the introductory BGP lifespan human development course.
- Worked with multiple colleges and departments in the university and beyond (including the College of Business and the College of Musical Arts), a national accreditation organization, and the Ohio Department of Education to build a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry degree at BGSU – the first of its kind in the country.
- Experience teaching at public, private, and community colleges; nominated for awards at 3 different schools.
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, certified in Functional Movement Screening, and teaches about 180 Exercise Science students each semester; created the Student Exercise Science Association (SESA), which now has 156 student members.
- More than 12 years of K-12 classroom experience; developed partnerships with local school districts through practicum placements and site visits; designed six separate courses across three separate programs (Intervention Specialist, American Sign Language, and Autism Spectrum Disorders).
- Work with pre-service teachers taking courses to fulfill degree requirements and in-service teachers pursuing graduate degrees; 6 years of experience teaching undergraduate students; taught 5 different classes, including 2 graduate seminars on topics that had not been previously offered to BGSU students.
While these achievements demonstrate the irreplaceable value of QRF contributions to teaching, research, creative activity, and service at BGSU, we must also consider the human factor. These talented colleagues committed themselves to BGSU’s educational mission, and in doing so some relocated across great distances, leaving family and friends behind, purchasing homes in the area, and becoming part of the local community. In addition, several of these colleagues’ work visas require full-time employment in order for them to remain in the U.S. legally. Academic careers often require sacrifices, but those sacrifices become even more challenging if they result in abrupt termination because of unexpected external factors – and through no fault of the faculty members.
If BGSU is to make it through this crisis as a robust university that continues to attract excellent students because of its internationally recognized high-quality education, the administration must reappoint our 60 QRF colleagues. Not doing so would allow this crisis to damage the value of BGSU’s contribution to the public good and its commitment to its far-reaching community.
Bowling Green State University Faculty Association
