Bowling Green State University

University History

Originally known as Bowling Green State Normal School, it was one of several institutions established in the Progressive Era to meet demands for training and professional development of teachers. Classes began in 1914, enrolling 304 students primarily from Ohio and a few from Michigan and New York who were taught by the original faculty of 21. The school graduated 35 certified teachers in 1915, the same year that the campus’ first two buildings, University Hall and Williams Hall, opened their doors. Two years later the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded. Setting the pace for teacher education in Ohio with four-year degree programs, Bowling Green State Normal School achieved the status of college in 1929 and expanded its curriculum through the addition of the College of Liberal Arts, now known as the College of Arts and Sciences.

On October 28, 1927, the nickname “Falcons” was originated by the sports editor of the Daily Sentinel-Tribune. He thought the Falcon was fitting because it was indicative of a powerful bird that was small in stature, its coloring represented the Bowling Green school colors, and like the athlete, the falcon is a bird that goes through a long period of training before battle. At the time the school was still named Bowling Green State Normal College, Common nicknames, used by sports writers throughout the state, were “B.G. Normals,” “Teachers,” and the “B.G. Pedagogues"

The addition of graduate programs and the College of Business Administration helped to raise the status of the institution from the college level when it was designated Bowling Green State University in 1935. With continued growth, the Graduate School was formed, and BGSU awarded its first doctoral degree in English in 1963.

The 1970s represented a hallmark of progress with the addition of three new colleges. The College of Health and Human Services opened in 1973 to offer degree programs in a variety of health and community services. In 1975, the School of Music was elevated to the College of Musical Arts and the Graduate School to the Graduate College. Adding further evidence of the University’s ability to address increasingly complex socioeconomic trends and offer expanding career opportunities, the School of Technology was given college status in 1985 and renamed the College of Technology. The founding tradition of teacher preparation is now maintained in the university's College of Education and Human Development.

Extension services are integral to the University’s rich curricular texture and rural history. First offered in 1946 in the Sandusky, Ohio, area and later expanded to serve Erie, Huron, and Ottawa counties, extension programs established a foundation for BGSU Firelands, the University's regional campus. Located near the shores of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio, and about 60 miles east of Bowling Green, Ohio, This college was established in 1968, when the first building (now Foundation Hall) at the Huron location was opened. BGSU Firelands is home to approximately 2,000 students. The college grants mostly 2-year degrees, but students are able to complete 4-year degrees in Early Childhood Education, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, Liberal Studies, Visual Communication Technology, Applied Health Science, Nursing, and Advanced Tech Ed.

In 2003, the Cedar Point Center, BGSU’s most technologically sophisticated facility, opened its doors on the Firelands campus to serve constituents of the University and the community.

For instance, The Women's Center, founded in 1998, provides a place for the community to gather and serves as a resource center. Many student organizations meet at the center. The center hosts brown bag lunches once a month where all are welcome to join in informal discussions on topics of broad interest.