1800s–1920: Early history Background The movement for a public high learning institution in
northwestern Ohio began in the late 1800s as part of the growth in public institutions during the
Progressive Era to meet demands for training and professional development of teachers. During the period, people of northwestern Ohio campaigned for a school in their region to produce better quality education and educators. The commission examined population within a radius of each community, along with
railroad and transportation infrastructure, the
moral atmosphere, health and sanitary conditions and site suitability. nearby railroad and transportation infrastructure, its central location in the region, and Bowling Green's
dry status were major factors that the town was chosen by the commission.
Founding The school opened on September 15, 1914, as
Bowling Green State Normal School in two temporary locations at the Bowling Green
Armory and at a branch school in Toledo for the 1914–1915 academic year. The first honorary organization of the college, the
Book and Motor was conceived around this time. It initially enrolled 304 students from
Ohio,
Michigan, and
New York who were taught by 21 faculty members. On March 28, 1920, a
tornado, part of the
1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, damaged three of the school's buildings. The tornado touched down near Bowling Green and strengthened as it moved into
Ottawa County where it killed two people in
Genoa.
1920–1940 Early expansion Over the next decade the school expanded academic facilities, athletics and student life, as enrollment grew to over 900 students. On October 28, 1927, Ivan "Doc" Lake, a BGSU graduate and sports editor of the
Daily Sentinel-Tribune, established the nickname "Falcons". Lake thought the nickname fit with the school's colors. Prior to "Falcons," sports writers used various other names, including: "B.G. Normals", "Teachers", and the "B.G.
Pedagogues". At the same time, the college expanded its curriculum through the addition of the College of Liberal Arts, now known as the
College of Arts and Sciences.
Great Depression Enrollment levels held steady into the
Great Depression, However, in 1933, the
Ohio State Senate Welfare Commission proposed a plan to convert the school into a
mental health institution. Students, faculty and administrators organized with the Bowling Green community to counter the proposal. Within a year BGSU added master's degree programs in Education, English, History, Social Science and Mathematics. In 1939 the university began training pilots, led by instructor Mike Murphy at the
Findlay Airport. In 1939, the university established The Committee for Gifts, Endowments, and Memorials, its first private endowment fund.
1940–1960 World War II The 1940s, including
World War II and its aftermath, brought big changes to BGSU. The war caused a drastic decrease in male enrollment and by 1943, the university canceled dances and formals, citing the lack of male students. The university continued expanding facilities including its first student union, The Falcon's Nest, and new
cottage-style dorms for social groups and learning-living communities, and dedication of the
Wood County airport. Bowling Green was one of 240 colleges and universities to take part in the V-5 and
V-12 Navy College Training Programs to supplement the lower enrollment during the war. The programs offered students a path to a Navy commission, enrolling cadets in regular college courses as well as naval training. Student life adapted to the wartime era with efforts such as the War Relief Committee,
blood drives and
War Bonds initiatives. In July 1944 the university was selected by officials at
Camp Perry as a potential camp for temporary prisoners of war.
Post-war era expansion In the post-war era, BGSU constructed temporary structures to keep up with the increased housing demands for veterans and their families. BGSU added 40 trailers to house male and married students in 1945, known as "Falcon Heights". In 1946, the university added 15 steel buildings to house male students in an area near the football stadium that became known as "Tin Pan Alley". By the late 1940s, the student house shortage became so severe that the nearby
National Guard Armory and
ODOT garage were converted to house male students. The
Federal Housing Authority provided two wooden barracks, ten trailers, and more steel buildings. In 1948 the university hosted the world premiere of the last play by
Lennox Robinson,
The Lucky Finger. By 1950, enrollment grew to new record highs, with over 5,000 students. BGSU continued to add programs and in the early 1950s added a
Master of Education (M.Ed.) and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Education. The new
student center opened in 1958.
1960–1990 The College of Education experienced rapid growth and expansion during the 1960s when the university added various specialized education programs, including majors in
special education,
school psychology, guidance and counseling and
vocational rehabilitation counseling. The new Administration Building opened in 1964 and the William T. Jerome Library opened in 1967.
Student activism became common in the 1960s, reflecting the various social and political events of the time period.
Vietnam War protests were common in downtown Bowling Green and on campus. In 1969, a Black Student Union formed to encourage unity, scholarship, leadership, culture and political awareness of African Americans students. The majority of student activism at BGSU was peaceful and Bowling Green was the only public college or university in Ohio to reopen in the spring of 1970, following the
Kent State shootings during anti-war protests. Bowling Green added two colleges in the early 1970s when the College of Health and Human Services opened in 1973 and the School of Music was elevated to the College of Musical Arts in 1975. In addition to the new colleges, the BGSU
Popular Culture Center opened in 1970 as one of the first pop culture centers in the United States. In 1978, the university established the University Honors Program. followed by the Offenhauer Towers in 1971 and Industrial Education & Technology Building in 1972. The Business Building and the Industrial Arts Building opened in 1973 and University Hall received renovations in 1974 that included new seating, an improved sound system, and air conditioning in the auditorium. In 1979, the Student Recreation Center and the Moore Musical Arts Center opened. By the 1970s approximately 4,000 students lived in private, off-campus housing. On campus, Darrow Hall became the first
co-ed residence hall in 1972 with men and women inhabiting alternating floors. In 1981, the university hosted Xing-Fang Olu, a geneticist from
Fudan University to study
cytogenetics, and sent its own Jong Sik Yoon to teach at Fudan in return. This was the first such exchange in Ohio since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1984, ties were strengthened with Fudan University, along with then
Xi'an Foreign Language Institute, following a visit to China by then-University President
Paul Olscamp, and establishment of more regular exchange programs. The School of Technology was given college status in 1985 and renamed the College of Technology. The university expanded many of the technology and science facilities during the 1980s, including constructing the
Planetarium and Physical Sciences Building. In 1985,
Ronald Reagan became the seventh president or president-elect to visit the university after
Warren G. Harding,
Theodore Roosevelt,
William Howard Taft,
John F. Kennedy,
Richard Nixon, and
Gerald Ford. The
Stroh Center, a 5,000-seat arena to replace the aging
Anderson Arena, opened in 2011, hosting basketball and volleyball in addition to graduation ceremonies, concerts, and other events. The facility opened in 2011 with performance space, as well as work and classroom areas for art studies of the School of Art, the Department of Theatre and Film, and the College of Musical Arts. That same year, BGSU built a $40 million residence hall project that included two new residence halls, one a traditional-style dorm and a second suite-style for upperclassmen. In the fall of 2011, BGSU opened The Oaks dining hall. The Oaks was constructed with sustainable designs that included a hybrid solar and wind power system to fulfill
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an electric-powered truck to distribute food on campus, and a
rooftop garden. The building used sustainable and recycled construction materials. In Fall of 2016 the university began offering a degree in
Mechatronics engineering. In 2016 and 2017, three major renovations were complete to three original campus building, totaling about $70 million. The former South Hall was re-opened in fall 2016 after undergoing a $24 million renovation and renaming to The Michael and Sarah Kuhlin Center. The building is home to BGSU's School of Media and Communications. Following a $25 million renovation and restoration, University Hall re-opened in Fall 2017. It was originally built in 1915 as one of the first buildings on campus. Today, University Hall houses the Office of Admissions, classrooms and
active learning spaces. Also, in Fall 2017, Moseley Hall reopened, following a $21 million restoration and renovation. Moseley Hall, built in 1916, originally housed the university's
agricultural science program. Today, it features technologically advanced laboratories for chemistry, biology, geology, and medical lab science.
2020–present In June 2020, the College of Health and Human Services created two schools, a School of Nursing and a School of Physical Therapy. In July 2020, the College of Business became the first named college on campus when it was renamed to the Allan and Carol Schmidthorst College of Business following a $15 million donation. The renaming coincided with the moving to the College of Business from the Business Administration Building to the new Maurer Center, a $44.2 million structure built onto the former Hanna Hall. == Campuses ==