Over the past several weeks, there have been questions across our learning community about the impact, or potential impact, on Bowling Green State University regarding new federal and state policies and legislation, as well as proposed legislation.
While change and new policies are common during administrative transitions, I recognize there is currently uncertainty about what the future holds for Bowling Green. As president, I want you to hear directly from me in this video message about what we know and what we are doing as a University.
We are working to gather information and are actively engaged in conversations with our elected representatives and constituent groups, as well as national organizations and associations that represent public higher education. At this point, it is simply too early to know what changes we may need to make.
What we do know is we are absolutely committed to providing learning experiences and opportunities for every one of our students, conducting relevant research that benefits the public and has impact, and serving as an anchor institution that benefits our communities. This is the intended result of public higher education – public good.
We will continue to do this important work in alignment with all laws, making adjustments as needed. This is not new for our University, which was established in 1910. As one of the original public universities in Ohio, Bowling Green State University is required and will be, in full compliance with all laws – just as we have throughout our long history.
Certainly, change can be unsettling. As humans, we can all get caught up in emotion, but we must be willing to ask questions, be willing to listen, and be willing to learn. We are a learning community, after all, and we have long learned our way forward. We must hold fast to the very ideals we teach in our classrooms – approaching big issues with curiosity, reframing, collaboration, action and embracing the process.
Thank you for your continued commitment to public higher education and our University – a public university for the public good.
Rodney Rogers
President, Bowling Green State University
