| Mazey reveals record grant in BGSU State of University speech |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by By HAROLD BROWN/Sentinel City Editor | |||
| Wednesday, 19 September 2012 17:24 | |||
“We were very excited to learn this week that the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education at BGSU has been awarded more than $7 million from the National Science Foundation,” Mazey revealed during her 30-minute speech in Donnell Theatre of Wolfe Center for the Arts. STEM stands for science, technology engineering and math, fields which national leaders say the United States must excel if it is to remain competitive in the world. Mazey singled out Dr. Robert Midden, an associate professor of chemistry and director of the center, for his leadership on the grant. The university will receive the money over a period of five years. The grant is one of five awarded nationally. After the address, Midden said the center will work with Sandusky Perkins and Sandusky City Schools, building on an existing program at Perkins that Sandusky schools have begun collaborating with and emulating because of its success. The program is based in the lower grades to encourage students to build their interest and skills in the STEM classes. Midden said the university was a good candidate for the funds because of its previous work with National Science Foundation grants. “We have had a good indication that we were going to get the grant since June. Experience has taught us that if they call and start asking questions it is a good sign. They called asking questions.” About 30 faculty are directly involved and many others involved in various partnerships. Mazey said the grant is an example of how the university plans to double its outside grants and funding to $30 million a year, Dr. Michael Ogawa, vice president for research and economic development, said the goal will be a challenge because BGSU does not have a medical or engineering component, which tend to receive larger grants. More than a year into contract negotiations with the Bowling Green Faculty Union Association, Mazey said she is “as eager as the association and its leadership to finalize and implement this contract. We are committed to market salaries for our faculty just as we have market salaries for classified and administrative staff.”
With combined enrollment at the main campus and at Firelands just under 20,000, Mazey said university officials have decided to increase the enrollment to 25,000 by 2020. That figure will include online enrollment. “Recruitment of new students and retention of existing students must be the highest priority for all of us.” Plans call for the incoming class of 2020 to have an average ACT score of 24, up from 22 today, and an average grade point average of 3.4, up from 3.27 this fall. Mazey said reaching the goal will require changes in recruiting, realigning scholarships and strengthening relationships with community colleges to increase the number of transfer students. Mazey also: • Set a goal of 80 percent retention of freshman students. Retention was 70 percent this fall, down from 72 percent a year ago. • Implement a new BG Experience that will include an innovative general education program with majors that include experiential learning and capstone experiences. • Strengthen existing partnerships with international universities and explore new ones. • Further develop BGSU’s five Centers of Excellence. • Noted the recent launch by students of a Legacy Campaign, designed to raise $250,000 to create a new gateway to the campus. The fund has reached $10,000, led by three gifts from students totalling $5,000 and a matching gift from an alum. • Said she has developed three new ways for faculty, staff and students to communicate with her via monthly forums, special open office hours and a monthly email update. • Noted accomplishments of student athletes. “They are scholar athletes in the truest sense of the term. They have the second highest grade point average in the Mid American Conference.” She noted that the women athletes have won the MAC’s Faculty Athletics Representative Achievement Award three of the last four years. • Expects the new student health center, to be built and operated by Wood County Hospital, will be ready to open in the fall of 2013. • Said the next phase of the campus master plan will concentrate on revitalizing academic buildings. Recommendations on long-discussed new fraternity and sorority housing on campus are expected by the end of the year. |
|||
| Last Updated on Thursday, 20 September 2012 09:03 |
Front Page Stories
| Local cities see growth 05/23/2013 | JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN Sentinel County Editor  While many other cities in the region are watching their populations shrink, Wood Coun [ ... ] |
Perrysburg at odds on member for council 05/23/2013 | PETER KUEBECK Sentinel Staff Writer  PERRYSBURG - A tie vote derailed an expected appointment to an empty council seat Tues [ ... ] | Other Front Page Articles
| ||
Comments
RSS feed for comments to this post.