By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The State of the University address Wednesday was a combination victory lap for successes and pep talk for hardships ahead.
Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers pointed out a long list of reasons to celebrate. The record freshmen enrollment, the increase in students returning for their second year, the record number of students earning their bachelor’s degrees in four years and master’s in six.
But even while the numbers look bright for BGSU, the spreading disdain for higher education in the U.S. weighs heavy on all institutions.
“Without a doubt, there is heightened skepticism in higher education,” Rogers said. “There is a decline in public trust in higher education.”
Across the nation, universities are being criticized as places of indoctrination of students, of being too expensive, and of no longer being necessary.
“We can absolutely make improvements,” Rogers acknowledged.
But he fought back at the notion that universities are irrelevant institutions focused on indoctrinating the young.
“There are few professions as noble” as education, he said. “In this country, higher education has opened the door to the next generation of leaders.”
Universities remain the places where research is conducted, breakthroughs are discovered, and students are encouraged to be bold and explore.
But the distrust being stirred has gone past public opinion and into politics. Across the nation, universities are being threatened with loss of funding.
BGSU has long embraced intellectual diversity, Rogers said, with its founding statement spelling out its commitment to providing freedom to teach and learn, to express different opinions and pursue the truth. Those original words have now been replaced by a government sanctioned statement of commitment.
“Let us accept the criticism,” he said, and strive to be better. “We will continue to pursue truth.”
Challenges to higher education are being erected at the national and state levels. In Ohio, the state switched up its funding formula to colleges based on the incomes of graduates. That change has resulted in more money for STEAM based schools and less for schools like BGSU that have strong programs producing teachers, nurses and mental health professionals.
Rogers said it’s imperative that BGSU explains to legislators that the “caring professions” are important too – not just those pulling down big paychecks.
“We absolutely need highly qualified graduates in all programs,” he said.
Higher education has become the highest regulated institution in the land, Rogers said.
“It sounds like the cards are stacked against us,” he said. “But you know, I like our odds.”
BGSU must not be distracted by public sentiment. It must be more efficient, effective and relevant – and remain focused on preparing students for their futures, he said.
“Higher education is much greater than a degree.” Its benefits continue throughout lifetimes, he said.
“Our impact is real,” Rogers said.
Rogers began his State of the University speech by sharing the big screens in the ballroom with the most in-demand personality currently on campus.
“I know everybody loves Pudge,” he said of the sizable orange cat that has become a presence in the BGSU football team lockerroom. “I think Pudge may have even eclipsed Eddie George,” the new head football coach.
Rogers said he is still adjusting to the fact that in the rivalry between cats and dogs, BGSU has apparently sided with cats. That does not sit well with one member of Roger’s household – his dog, Fiona.
Rogers credited those in the packed ballroom at BGSU for contributing to the success of the university.
“This is not my story. This is our story,” he said. “It is every one of us working together, collectively.”
He thanked the unrelenting faculty, dedicated staff, and inquisitive students. “You give us purpose,” he said to students in the room.
BGSU is an innovative, hard-working university supporting public good. “It’s not just a place, but I think it’s a promise.”
“This university is strong because of you,” he said. “Let us carry this momentum forward. Let us not pause.”
Rogers also applauded BGSU’s partnership with the City of Bowling Green. Despite the fact that Mayor Mike Aspacher bested him in the pair’s annual zipline race during Rally BG on Main, Rogers said the relationship between city and university is strong.
BGSU brings more than 400 arts programs and 250 athletic events to the city – and the city provides the safest college town in Ohio and one of the safest in the nation.
“We are stronger as we work together,” Rogers said.
It’s likely that partnership has helped BGSU to be the number one university that students would choose to attend again. Those students are staffing hospitals, running businesses, teaching children, and public servants.
“They are everywhere,” he said of the truest measure of BGSU providing for the public good. “That is the ripple effect of your efforts.”
