By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The BGSU Board of Trustees Friday approved some academic tune ups and heard reports indicating that the university is headed in the right direction.
The board approved an online program to allow students to complete a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. In order to enroll a student must have an associate degree and completed an introduction to criminal justice course, Provost Joe Whitehead said.
As with the other university academic initiatives, this one is aimed at filling a need in the work force.
There is a growing need for law officers, he said. The degree could be useful to those in youth services and related fields. The degree provides students with a broad context of the field, including dealing with issues of diversity.
The program is aimed at law officers already working who wish to further their education. It is also opened to students with associate degrees in other fields, who wish to go into criminal justice.
Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin, who is on the board, said the program is needed.
Vice President for Enrollment Management Cecilia Castellano reported that one month out from the start of the spring semester undergraduate enrollment is expected to be up by 2 percent, over a year ago.
Applications for fall, 2024 are up 11 percent. The number of applications from Ohio is up 19 percent, and out of state applications are up 24 percent. Reciprocal arrangements with counties in Indiana and Michigan are pushing dramatic increases with applications from Indiana up 98 percent and applications from Monroe and Lenawee counties are up by 84 percent.
While applications from states other than Michigan, Indiana and Illinois are up only 7 percent, those appear to be driven by the programs in in-demand fields, such as aviation, nursing, and engineering, that the university has been developing.
The College of Technology, Architecture, and Applied Engineering has seen an 85 percent increase in application.
But all six colleges are all experiencing increases in applications, she said.
“Everybody is going to be up,” Castellano said.
The only segment that’s down, by 14 percent, is undecided students, but she expects that to level off.
The board also approved changing the Leadership Studies Degree from an EdD to a PhD. Over the 27 years that the program has been in place, the amount of research required has increased, Whitehead said. That better aligns with a PhD.
Alumni have stated, according to supporting documents, that having the EdD “is becoming a barrier.”
This also extends the program’s reach beyond education, he added. “It broadens the pool.
The board also approved name changes for three programs to reflect shifts in the academic programs.
The name change from Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program to Engineering Technology makes it a better fit within the newly created School of Engineering.
In the case of the Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies all that’s changed is replacing “studies” with “science.” This better reflects the discipline, Whitehead said.
The name change from Associate of Applied Business in Computer Science Technology to Associate of Applied Business in Computer Networking and Cybersecurity reflects a modernization of that program which is offered at the Firelands campus.
