A man in a black suit walked on campus last week. He is the symbol of continued change at the University. Budgets are tight; a large group of service staff were laid off. This round of cuts is not surprising as they come on the heels of other puzzling decisions, but they are troubling for a proud alumnus. As I contemplate my decision to become a U.S. Army officer on the cusp of my first deployment to Iraq, I am struck by how much BGSU influenced my decision. The University helped shape my values. The surrounding community is another example of why the American way of life must be protected because of its openness and its idyllic pace. But I am apprehensive about the possibility that future students will be as lucky as I was. The first administrative decision I found troubling was to kill the BGeX program. BGeX was designed to get incoming freshmen thinking about their values and place in society. For my senior year of high school, I read ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini for BGeX and attended a freshman history class in which I helped the professor lead discussions about the book and time periods we covered. My values were furthered by the lively discussions I participated in during my time at the University. I disagreed with many of my professors politically, but they continually challenged me to think about our government and my place in society. BGeX was a program designed to make self-reflection easier for young students. It was one of the only times students and faculty collectively discussed issues and concerns beyond the curriculum. It is possible to produce students of strong character without BGeX. But why abandon a promising program that rewarded professors with a little extra money, got students thinking about themselves and society and created some sense of a collegiate community? If these reasons weren’t enough to earn the administration’s continued support, BGeX was also marketable as hell. If it could have reached maturity as a successful program, OSU would drop its nose long enough to notice the universe outside of High Street. BGSU was moving past its humble origins to become the preeminent undergraduate university in Ohio. It was not going to lose state funding battles without a fight. Instead, Dean Donald Nieman, the founder and champion of BGeX, left the University. The BGeX program seemed to die of the bureaucratic scourge that infects newly installed administrators. It is known as the ‘ain’t my baby’ syndrome, whereby innovations of the previous leadership are left to wilt because if they worked well, the question becomes ‘Why did we get rid of the previous people in the first place?’ Just as a shark dies if it stops swimming, the University must keep a forward momentum of change as it swims in increasingly shallow budgetary waters. If parents realize services have been slashed, that BGSU has nothing to offer besides state college cookie-cutterism, why will they send their kids to our school? Beyond layoffs to cut budgets, what are we doing academically to prove our worth, to generate funding and revenue over the long term? The laid-off workers, their families and the students who pay the bills deserve a better BGSU. I have talked to other alumni about the situation. We are apprehensive about the future of the school – enrollment is down by an alarming percentage. Beyond brightly colored billboards, what is being done to move BGSU past ‘me too’ status in the state college system? Our University may not be as glamorous as Miami University claims to be, or centered in a big town like Cincinnati or Columbus. But we do have a proud tradition. Our disadvantages melt away if we use our situation as a marketable tool. We are a place where professors are accessible. The town is small but lively. Social organizations abound. And beyond a good student life, we have a long history of producing successful professionals. Where are their faces in our marketing material? Why don’t we innovate with programs like BGeX, instead of going stagnant on a status quo? When I arrived in 2002, it seemed like BGSU was a university on the rise. What happened to our momentum in the last seven years? The University must create a plan for sustainable growth. Cutting services and raising tuition is not the answer. Students and parents notice shrinking services. Community colleges are taking potential students because they are cheaper and because we have priced our services as an institution too high, without showing value. The decisions facing the administration are difficult. But the days of internecine wars among administrators must end. A marketing program has to be installed where we highlight our strengths academically and socially. Finally, we must innovate and be better than our rivals by being different. My hometown of Salem has a proud tradition of supporting BGSU. I know the alumni office will keep sending me pleas for support. Circumstances permitting, I will do what I can financially for the school and town I love. But I hope that in the future, they give me a reason why I should. – Jon Halverstadt, University alumnus. Jon graduated in 2006 and is an officer in the U.S. Army.