BGSU to try raising money

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The Bowling Green State University Board of Trustees has approved the launch a major fundraising
campaign.
The appeal with start July 1 and last about six years, said Shea McGrew, vice president for university
advancement. No goal has been set.
That will occur after the university officials have reached out to big donors, both individuals and
corporations, during a "quiet" phase of the campaign. That could last up to three years,
McGrew said. The goal will be announced when the public campaign is launched. At that point, he said,
the campaign should be at least halfway to its goal.
Given the change in the university’s funding, with less money coming from the state, raising funds from
other sources becomes more and more important.
The top beneficiary for the money raised, McGrew said, will be student scholarships, including support
for graduate student assistantships. This would help keep students here at BGSU, he said, which is
important because the state is rewarding colleges based on graduation rates.
The money would also be used to establish named professorships, where a specific position is funded by a
donor. Also, the money could be used to establish named programs. These could be any academic unit, from
a program to a college.
Fourth on the list would be to assist with funding buildings, including ongoing projects such as the
renovation of Moseley Hall. Money raised could help pay off the bonds BGSU is taking out to pay for its
share of the construction.
McGrew indicated the university’s fundraising efforts have room to grow.
"BGSU has not developed a strong culture of giving," he said.
It’s not because of lack of affection for BGSU. "I haven’t met anyone yet who has said anything
negative about this university," he said.
The university hasn’t kept up with "many alumni who have strong giving capability," he said.
"Some of the larger gifts could come from people we don’t know well."
McGrew said some of the merging of the BGSU Foundation’s finances and databases with the university’s,
which was recommended in the Accenture report, should help the efforts. That report calls for greater
sharing of alumni information from all departments.
The last major fundraising campaign, concluded in 2008, raised more than $140 million.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the creation of a Center for Forensic Science. The center would mark an expansion of forensic
science, including offerings in the departments of chemistry, biology and criminal justice. A new
master’s in forensic science is also being developed. These all complement the construction of the $11.9
million Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Information crime lab on campus.
• Elected Fran Voll, BGSU graduate and former women’s basketball coach, to chair the board.
• Increased a variety of fees, including for use of the counseling center, the legal fee and for living
in one of the university’s several learning communities.
• Approved tenure and promotion actions for 28 tenure-track faculty and promotion for 56 non-tenure track
faculty.
• Formally recognized Dr. Ronald Scherer, communication sciences and disorders, as a Distinguished
Research Professor.

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