Bowling Green State University has announced that Steve Krakoff, vice president for capital planning and campus operations, died on Monday, Oct. 16. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Steve Krakoff during renovation of University Hall
In his position, Krakoff oversaw the recent boom first on construction of new buildings, and more recently the renovation of some of the university’s oldest buildings, including University and Moseley halls, which reopened in August.
BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey released the following statement to the university community on Tuesday.
Dear Faculty and Staff:
I am deeply saddened to share with you that the University has lost a tremendous colleague and friend. Steve Krakoff, vice president for capital planning and campus operations, passed away October 16, after a recent diagnosis of cancer. He was 61.
Steve was truly a visionary. He was a driving force in the development and execution of our Campus Master Plan. Steve led the planning and implementation of more than $500 million in infrastructure improvements – the largest building and renovation program in BGSU history. This revitalization of our campuses has been a key driver in our enrollment growth and recent success.
Steve understood the importance of developing state-of-the-art learning and living environments at BGSU. He worked to ensure that all of our capital improvement projects – from classroom buildings to residence and dining halls to recreation and athletic facilities – were designed foremost to support our students.
He was particularly proud of his team’s work on our newest residence halls and dining halls – Centennial Hall and Falcon Heights, The Oaks and Carillon Place. The projects took only 18 months to complete from the initial planning to opening the doors to our students, an amazingly short timeline in the construction industry.
Steve embraced the eclectic mix of architectural styles that make our Bowling Green campus unique. He had a gift for seeing the possibilities. He saw potential in our oldest and more architecturally modest buildings. In South Hall, which many believed should have been demolished, Steve saw the solid bones of a building waiting to be reimagined as the new home of our School of Media and Communication. The revitalized Traditions Quad made up of the Michael & Sara Kuhlin Center (formerly South Hall), University Hall, Moseley Hall, and the planned Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center (Hanna Hall) is a testament to his vision. At BGSU Firelands he was instrumental in the design and construction of the new Allied Health and Sciences building.
Steve was a lifelong learner. He earned a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Business Administration from Ohio State University. He had completed the coursework for a doctorate of education in leadership studies at BGSU and was working on his dissertation.
Steve was also a devoted husband and father. He is survived by Diane, his wife of 27 years, and his daughters Kathryn and Sarah, both of whom are BGSU alumnae. He was so proud of his daughters’ accomplishments.
Steve joined the University in 2008 as associate vice president for capital planning and campus operations and was promoted to vice president in 2013. He was raised in Toledo, where his mother still lives, and was so pleased to return to northwest Ohio. His father passed away in August at the age of 92.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be shared in Campus Update when finalized. If you would like to express your condolences to his family, please send them to sympathy@bgsu.edu, and we will deliver them.
The University will be raising funds in his memory for the Steven P. Krakoff Scholarship to support our students. Contributions can be made through the BGSU Foundation.
As you walk our campuses in the coming days, I hope you will take a moment to admire some of our new and renovated facilities and think of Steve. His passion and leadership have left a lasting legacy on our campuses that will benefit our students, faculty and staff for generations to come.
Regards,
Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D.
President
