At the center of BGSU’s newest leadership is a simple question: How do we create a university for all? That’s the question Dr. Ravi Krovi brings with him as he steps into his new role as provost and senior vice president.
Inspired by his grandfather and driven by a lifelong passion for equity, Krovi isn’t just thinking about classrooms — he’s thinking about connection, collaboration and a student experience that reaches far beyond the lecture hall.
“My motto has always been meeting students where they are,” said Krovi. “Students, especially a lot of our first-generation, low-income students, go through different aspects that are financial challenges, there are academic challenges, there are social challenges — so, how do we build a university for all?”
Krovi’s student success and student-centered mindset are ones he is known and recognized for, and BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers agreed.
“Provost Krovi is a longtime champion of student success and access to higher education, which is absolutely aligned with Bowling Green’s commitment to ensuring our students are prepared for great careers and great lives,” President Rogers said in an emailed statement to BG Falcon Media.
Before moving to Bowling Green, Krovi was provost at Weber State University in Utah and also held multiple roles at the University of Akron.
Krovi said he hasn’t lived in a university town before, so after moving to Bowling Green, he found the connection between the town and BGSU to be an interesting one.
“I think what’s really fascinating to me is the connection of the university to the community and the community with the university,” said Krovi. “There’s this sense of buzz — there’s a buzz, an excitement on campus, and I absolutely love the things that are happening in terms of the student experience.”
Another thing Krovi said he immediately noticed was the empathetic environment.
“I think one of the things that has excited me about Bowling Green is the fact that everybody cares about the success of our students. From the president to staff to faculty to the person who does the landscaping — everybody cares about students, which I think is really refreshing because that’s not always the case in every institution,” he said.
Although Krovi has had a career in higher education for several decades, he said that’s not where he envisioned himself.
“I did not grow up thinking I’ll be the provost of a major university — I just did not,” Krovi said. “What I started enjoying about that was the opportunity to make change, the opportunity to influence change.”
Change is something Krovi believes should be a collaboration between both staff and students.
“It’s important for me that our students come to Bowling Green and have the best possible experience, and for me, the experience has to be holistic because that is education, right? It is, of course, the academic experience, but it’s also the cocurricular experience. It’s the extracurricular experience. It’s the social experience,” said Krovi.
Similarly, Krovi said collaboration is one of his core principles he hopes to continue to bring to BGSU through his leadership style.
“I love to listen to students quite a bit. I love to hear their experiences. I think a big part of leadership is to recognize that not all students are the same,” he said. “Every student comes to education for different reasons, different aspirations, for different goals.”
He said one of his goals is to build a community between staff and students. To accomplish this goal, Krovi said he hopes to eventually implement a faculty-student collaboration process.
Krovi discussed a Gallup Study that researched successful alumni from various universities. There were two key factors led to a successful student.
The first is that the student had a unique mentoring experience with a faculty member. The second is that the student worked on an in-depth project with that same faculty member.
Krovi said having a similar opportunity at BGSU is one of his goals.
However, to accomplish his goals, Krovi said he sees three main challenges he has to overcome during his time as provost.
“I’m keenly aware of some of our challenges moving forward, but I really believe that we are poised very well to meet those challenges,” said Krovi.
The first, he said, is the feeling of value placed on higher education.
“There is certainly a sentiment, perhaps a narrative in the country — nationally, which is questioning the value proposition of higher education, be it an undergraduate degree, master’s or Ph.D.,” Krovi said.
Despite this, he said it’s important to showcase real-world examples.
“I think it’s important for folks, external stakeholders and even prospects, to come and see the magic that happens at Bowling Green,” he said. “I just have to point to our successful alumni and graduates, who, after BGSU, have been incredibly successful.”
The second challenge, Krovi said, is an enrollment shift.
“We’re seeing fewer high school graduates, but also not everybody recognizes the value of higher education,” he said.
In order to overcome the enrollment cliff, he said he believes the university should continue to build its brand, which is based on student experience.
In fact, The Wall Street Journal ranked BGSU as the No. 1 public university in Ohio for student experience.
“I think when students come here, we’re not just saying, ‘Go to class and you’re done.’ We’re saying we genuinely care about you. We want to understand who you are as a person, and we have personalized our student experience through Life Design, our academic programs, our cocurricular experience and even our social experiences,” said Krovi.
The third challenge Krovi said he sees not only BGSU encountering, but also society, is emerging technology.
“With the advent of generative AI, with the advent of Industry 4.0-type of technologies, I think you’re going to see an impact on society. These technologies are not mature yet from a technological perspective, but they will eventually become. I don’t think it’s necessarily a question if, but it’ll be when,” he said.
Likewise, a recommendation he has for BGSU is to create more partnerships.
“I think we do need to think a little bit more about — a lot more about — corporate partnerships, corporate engagement, and it’s not just corporate, I think it’s community engagement from a couple of perspectives,” said Krovi.
Krovi said a lot of his recommendations stem from previous experience at his former universities.
Much of his experience, he said, will follow him here to BGSU; however, he said he isn’t planning to follow a playbook of his former decisions.
President Rogers recognized him for his innovation and adaptation as education changes.
“As we continue to redefine student success for the 21st century and elevate student experiences and learning opportunities, we are excited to have Provost Krovi at Bowling Green as we continue to build upon our momentum in meeting the current and future needs of our students and society,” said President Rogers.
At Krovi’s former university, Weber State in Utah, there has been similar legislation to Ohio’s Senate Bill 1.
Krovi said BGSU recognizes that there will be significant change; however, he points back to having a collaborative effort.
“Working with students, staff and faculty was a really, really big element of how we approached the legislation,” said Krovi. “Fundamentally, it did not change from our value perspective that we still wanted to meet students where they are.”
Likewise, Krovi added that he and the university are all for students receiving their education.
“We still believe in addressing the needs of all students. We still believe in ensuring that every student has an opportunity — the same opportunity, which we provide in this larger scheme of the BGSU education. That will continue to happen no matter what. I really believe that is the mindset we all have in terms of SB1,” said Krovi.
Though Krovi has only been at BGSU for about three months and will begin his first academic year as provost this August, he said he’s excited for the ride.
“The fact that I’m now able to find my way on campus, that’s also really nice,” Krovi said with a laugh.
Krovi began his role as provost after succeeding interim provost Dr. Glenn Davis, who filled in after Dr. Joe Whitehead stepped down from the provost position to be a physics professor.
