The BGSU Board of Trustees held a regular meeting yesterday in the Bowen Thompson Student Union.
Among other things, the board voted on changes to financing, spending money on renovations to Saddlemire Student Services Building and Kohl Hall, the promotion and tenure of 18 faculty members, and renovations to President Sydney Ribeau’s Hillcrest home.
The renovations, which will cost $750 thousand, have been the subject of debate in the BG community, but were defended as necessary by board member Michael Marsh, who read the resolution presented to the board members.
Marsh read that the President’s home was over 40 years old, and had not undergone any major renovations since the 1970s. The statement also said that the home had electrical and mechanical problems that needed to be fixed. It said that the home was an important place to hold university functions.
In addition, the money to renovate the residence came from a gift provided by the BGSU Foundation.
Marsh thanked the BGSU Foundation for the gift, and also thanked Dr. Ribeau.
“The trustees want to thank Dr. Ribeau for putting up with what will be a major inconvenience of a project that probably, he would turn away,” Marsh said. “But I think it will benefit the University.” During the meeting Linda Dobb, Executive Vice President of the University, gave a presentation on collaboration between universities.
In her presentation, Dobb explained how collaborating with other universities will share resources and save money, among other advantages, while maintaining BG’s own mission.
“It’s something that we should do if it benefits our institution, does not take away from our essential vision, and really does bring us some extra resources,” Dobb said.
Examples of collaboration already in place are libraries, health care, and joint academic calendars with schools like the University of Toledo and Owens Community College.
“If in Northwest Ohio, if we can get a collaboration between the three universities that are here, and we can look as powerful as Cincinnati by itself or Ohio State by itself, then we need to do it,” Dobb said.”
A second resolution that passed during the meeting is the widening of Wooster Street, a project that will begin this summer.
