BGSU Firelands celebrates major milestone

HURON TWP. — A crown jewel of a higher learning institution recently celebrated its diamond-level anniversary. Many people gathered for BGSU Firelands' recent 60th anniversary celebration, taking place on Wednesday at the Huron-area campus' grounds. BGSU Firelands opened its doors to the public for this free birthday celebration. Staff members, students and alumni came together to celebrate the occasion on its Founders Day. Guests enjoyed live music, refreshments and games. The event also featured The Firelands Legacy Walk, a showcase of memorabilia and milestones from its six decades in operation. University Dean Allia Carter jokingly said she believed in birthdays ending in the digit "five" and "zero." "You have to celebrate them and you have to celebrate them right," Carter said. The university hosted a celebration when the campus turned 50 years old. Now 10 years later, the 60th anniversary is an opportunity for reflection and connection, according to Carter. Hearing about history The university hosted another Founders Day celebration in 2024. Like last year, the event featured several speakers, including former professors who spoke about what the campus was like in its early years: • Larry Smith, professor emeritus of English and humanities, spoke on the groups present during the early years of the Firelands campus, including new faculty and the returning Vietnam War veterans, whom Smith described as leaders and a big part of the campus. The first demonstration on the Firelands campus was put on because of the Vietnam War, according to Smith. He mentioned a speaker who came dressed in full uniform to share what a tragedy the war was. Smith said it was the veterans, like the speaker, who led to the end of the war. • Ron Ruble, associate professor emeritus of humanities, reflected on his time developing the speech and theater programs. When he started at the university, there was no place other than a classroom for building sets, costumes or makeup. The students were not allowed to use the theater because they were told it was for "large group instruction," according to Ruble. There were days Ruble and his students would have to load a U-Haul and take it to McCormick Middle School in Huron, where they were allowed to use space for their theater program. Through time, the program improved and students had access to what was necessary to make everything work. • Joel Rudinger, professor emeritus of English and pop culture, shared the moment he first learned about the development of the Firelands campus. He was teaching while also working on a doctorate at the main campus but was not earning enough money. He started applying for other jobs, eventually looking into a place in Missouri. Rudinger was told that if he moved, he would never finish his degree at Bowling Green. He was then told about the Firelands campus being built and was offered an opportunity to apply for a full-time instructing position and later got it. While the campus was under construction, he would drive past the property, watching the trees disappear. One of his favorite memories from his time on campus dates to this time — when he first discovered his office. He said he came when the doors and windows were being put in. He walked up to where he would be spending his workdays and noticed he would overlook the cornfields — exactly where he wanted to be. Through the years, he watched the campus continue to grow with more buildings going up and technology coming in. Rudinger said the development of technology has been the biggest change he saw on campus. He said the dependence on social media did not exist for a lot of students before he retired. He also saw the development of "Firelandic," a language created by students. Rudinger shared a memory of the time a group of cheerleaders ran onto a basketball court and began cheering in the made-up language, and a crowd of students responded to them in the same language. He said this stunt made the then-dean James McBride furious. "That's what makes Firelands," Rudinger said. "These little moments." Rudinger attributes his entire value system to BGSU Firelands. He was there at the age of 28 when the first brick was laid. He discovered a love for teaching and watching students grow. Campus today Nov. 19 is an important day to the Firelands campus, according to Carter. She said it is the day BGSU decided to expand, but officials did so because of the community. If it were not for the community and its financial contributions, the college would have never been constructed. "Today we celebrate 60 years in honor of a belief that we recognize that it is now our turn to continue this work that they talked about," Carter said. "To do it with clarity, to do it in courage and in purpose." Before BGSU Firelands, the region was known for manufacturing. There were individuals going to college, while others could not afford it, or it was out of the picture because of distance. Today, the region looks different, Carter said. Many residents of the area have some college experience but no degree. "We have one of the strongest associate degree completion rates throughout the state; however, the bachelor attainment is what remains below the national average," Carter said. "These numbers are not a warning sign; they are a turning point." BGSU is looking into the region's industries, including healthcare, manufacturing and hospitality. Carter said the college is creating pathways to fill the region's needs, but to do so, it turns to community partnerships. Carter described an education pipeline as an example of one such community partnership: • Students enrolled in EHOVE Career Center's fire program can transition into classes at BGSU Firelands and finish out their education on the main campus. "This continuum of education creates a pathway for a practical field for real solutions," Carter said. "These are true examples of how we coordinate education and create real career pathways."