Article published August 07, 2005
BGSU leader stays the course
Defying trends, Ribeau marks a decade at the helm
One of the first issues Sidney Ribeau had to deal with after being named president of Bowling Green State University in 1995 was the renovation of the student union, behind him. A renovated union opened in 2002.
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THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG
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By KIM BATES
BLADE STAFF WRITER
BOWLING GREEN - In an era when the average university president's tenure lasts about six years, Sidney Ribeau is atypical.
Last month, Mr. Ribeau quietly marked 10 years as president of Bowling Green State University. His longevity may be even more notable because African-American presidents typically stay at their colleges for even less time, studies show.
In his decade at the helm of the nearly 21,000-student institution, Mr. Ribeau has been credited with helping bolster the university's enrollment, beginning new academic programs, and adding private money to the school's coffers.
While pleased with his performance, some university officials are surprised that he has remained this long as head of a university in the county seat of a largely rural farming county.
"I've always said the average length of time of a university president is about the length of time as an NFL running back," said Mike Wilcox, vice chairman of the BGSU Board of Trustees. "I think they take the same amount of punishment.
"We're delighted that he and Paula [Whetsel-Ribeau] have stayed," he added. "We're obviously in a growth mode at Bowling Green."Mr. Ribeau, 57, acknowledged that he has had other job opportunities over the years but said he's remained at BGSU partly because of loyalty - and because he still has work to do in the job he took over in 1995 after leaving Pomona, Calif. Mr. Ribeau turned down a raise in December that would have added to his $286,443 salary.
"As long as there's still a possibility to do something and make a difference, then I'm going to try and get it done," he said.
Some of the university's accomplishments under his leadership include:
The creation of the BGeXperience, a program for freshmen that's geared toward making critical thinking about values central to the undergraduate experience. An alumnus last year credited Mr. Ribeau with being one of the main factors in his decision to donate $1 million for the program.
The renovation of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. After he was named university president but while Mr. Ribeau was still working in California, a group of BGSU students called him asking for help in restoring their then-aging union. They ultimately convinced him that there was a problem; he in turn helped persuade the board of trustees that the union needed an upgrade.
The placement of learning communities for students in residence halls across campus, something Mr. Ribeau said was one of his first goals in 1995. The university has been ranked as a leader in the field.
An increase in student diversity, retention, and test scores of incoming students. Enrollment also has jumped, reaching a record level of 20,975 last fall.
A capital fund-raising effort to bring more than $120 million to the campus by 2008.First-time president
Mr. Ribeau was working as a vice president for academic affairs at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., when he was selected as president from among nearly 140 applicants. He replaced Paul Olscamp, who retired in 1995.
A native of Detroit, Mr. Ribeau came to BGSU without having led a university before but with nearly two decades of work in higher education. He began his teaching career in 1976 at California State University in Los Angeles and later became a dean at another university.
Faith Olson, a longtime BGSU employee and a regular leader of its classified staff, remembers the issues that existed on campus when the new president - then a bachelor - arrived in town.
"I think that when he came, it was to build morale: He was brought [in] for that purpose," she said. "I believe he's a great communicator."
Ms. Olson said Mr. Ribeau was the one who gathered the campus community together to develop a university mission and core-values statement. It contains some of the things Mr. Ribeau talks up on a regular basis: Be Visionary. Be creative thinkers.
So she's taken it to heart.
When Ms. Olson has noticed problems on the campus in recent years, she's voiced her opinions directly to Mr. Ribeau in one-on-one meetings. She said he's approachable and will respond to issues.Bumps in the road
One of the biggest employee issues occurred last fall, when members of the classified staff - neither they nor faculty members at BGSU are unionized - became enraged after learning the president gave pay raises to four of his office employees without their knowledge.
Responding to their criticism, the president quickly rescinded his actions, and a top administrator in his office went to a staff meeting offering apologies.
Mr. Ribeau also took heat this past year on two other occasions, one of which was when his wife was hired for a $66,000-a-year university job that was not posted. The president backs that decision, saying she was qualified for the job and shouldn't be denied employment because she's married to him.
The other controversy involved the city of Bowling Green, where Mayor John Quinn initially blasted Mr. Ribeau for the way he backed students in a fight with the city over a residency code. The mayor took the president to task for making what he called "inflammatory" remarks at a student government meeting on campus.
City officials later agreed to give people living in houses in residential neighborhoods with more than two other unrelated persons until May, 2005, to comply with the law. The announcement was made after Mr. Ribeau and Mr. Quinn met to discuss the issue.
"It was a temporary bump in the road. After we had our little disagreement, there was a real effort to mend some of the communication gaps," the mayor said. "When things come up, we talk."
The mayor added that students, some of whom may express frustration if they don't see Mr. Ribeau out and about daily on campus, should respect his work for them.
"He's a good guy, and he works hard for the students. I think there are times the students don't appreciate him as much as they should because it's a hard job. He has to raise money, and they may not see him. But he's out there working for them all the time," Mr. Quinn said.
Alex Wright, a senior at BGSU and former head of the student government, agrees that Mr. Ribeau has geared himself toward the students' needs and programs. Within days, Mr. Ribeau responded to the students' outcries when city leaders began enforcing the residency law after school had started. Mr. Ribeau ultimately has said he was fearful students would have to withdraw from class.
Mr. Wright described Mr. Ribeau's leadership style as hands-on, something that's been difficult for him recently because of the need to be in Columbus for budget issues.
"He always enjoys walking around campus. This last year took him off campus more than he wanted to because of the state funding issue," Mr. Wright said.Looking to the future
During a discussion last week with Mr. Ribeau about his years at BGSU, the conversation quickly focused on two major topics: students in general and their need for access to higher education - and his hope that they will be the critical thinkers of the future.
"You hope, and this is probably the idealist in me ... you hope from their experience here they'll make the world a better place, a little fairer, a little kinder," he said.
Mr. Ribeau admittedly is philosophical in many of his approaches, and he said one of his goals at BGSU is to continue pushing for those in the campus community to respect one another's views and to foster dialogue despite differences.
Other areas of focus will be a push to make higher education affordable for all students and to create more opportunities for attracting and retaining qualified faculty members.
Mr. Ribeau said he knows the latter is rooted in the compensation packages for employees.
According to a study about Ohio faculty salary trends, BGSU falls below the median state salary average for public universities and colleges and is below the University of Toledo as well. In the 2003-2004 year, the average professor salary at BGSU was $81,763, while the state median salary was $84,853.
Bob Boughton, chairman of faculty senate, said faculty members were pleased this year to receive 3 percent pay raises, with a 0.25 additional merit pool for their work, which is viewed as a start on increasing their salaries. The same was given to classified staff and administrators.
"I think he's doing his best in a forthright way," Mr. Boughton said. "They always say they want to address faculty salaries before anything else, and I can believe them."
He said Mr. Ribeau also has backed a proposal on campus to offer domestic partner benefits to employees, something that remains in the legal review process at BGSU.
Mr. Boughton blames much of the university's woes on the state budget and related shift in state support for higher education over the years.Funding woes
Mr. Ribeau said explaining the state-funding process for higher education has been and likely will continue to be one of the most difficult aspects of his job. Similar to institutions elsewhere, tuition has been increasing annually as a result.
"It's a difficult story, and we must continue to tell it," he said, adding that the university is working to raise private funds for students' scholarship dollars.
Mr. Ribeau hasn't put an exact time line on his future at BGSU, saying only that he wants to finish his work, including the capital campaign. His contract with the trustees runs through July, 2008. But he said he recognizes that universities eventually need new energy.
Ms. Olson is one person who's glad the president has stayed.
"I think he does a great job. For 10 years, he must be doing something right because the normal process is [shorter] for a president. They do come in, do what they need to do, and move on," she said. "But I think he cares about us."
Contact Kim Bates at: kimbates@theblade.com or 419-724-6074.
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