BGSU 2026 State of the Region Conference to focus on education-employer collaboration to drive Ohio’s economic future

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Highlighting the value of collaboration between academia and industry partners, the Bowling Green State University Center for Regional Development's 2026 State of the Region Conference on Thursday, March 26, will examine the high-fidelity ways in which students and faculty can work with and learn from key employers in northwest Ohio and beyond.

Running from 8 a.m. to noon in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, this year's conference will center on the theme "Shaping Ohio's Next Generation of Talent: Advancing Education-Employer Collaboration to Power Ohio's Economic Future," and will spotlight how BGSU regional partnerships contribute to community vitality, discuss how students can become involved and feature panels with major employers in which they will discuss where the workforce is going.

For students, the 2026 State of the Region will be an opportunity to hear directly from major regional employers about the economic future and their thoughts about what they hope to see from the next generation of job candidates.

Nichole Fifer, Ph.D., the director of the BGSU Center for Regional Development who will deliver the economic address, said this year's State of the Region will be of particular interest to current BGSU students, who can gain career exposure and insight from the day's events.

"We're going to be talking about a lot of important things, the first of which is where the workforce is going - what are those in-demand jobs, what industries are growing and how the economic environment is shifting and changing," Fifer said. "I think it's really going to give students the opportunity to think about what these partners are looking for when hiring for those great, high-paying jobs.

"There's going to be a really good take-home value for students, especially."

BGSU has been both a leader and a partner for economic development in Ohio and in the greater region.

Through a number of partnership-driven projects, BGSU has collaborated with regional partners such as the City of Toledo, ProMedica, Queen's Village, Mercy Health, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and the Old South End Housing Coalition, which not only led to positive outcomes within the BGSU footprint, but also proved to be career-changing for the many students and recent alumni who participated in the projects.

Programming will include perspectives from industry partners, BGSU alumni, faculty and other regional stakeholders to learn how they can benefit from career exposure opportunities on campus.

Steve Russell, the chief partnerships officer and associate vice president of career outcomes for the BGSU Kuhlin Hub for Career Design and Connections, will moderate a panel with three representatives from First Solar, Firelands Regional Health System and Owens Corning to discuss the economic future students can expect - providing key insights before graduation day.

"Those are three big regional employers who are all coming to the table to talk about the things they're really looking for out of the next generation of talent," Fifer said. "They'll be looking at what students can do to set themselves apart, the opportunities they can take advantage of academically to move themselves forward and the questions they should be asking."

By highlighting the ways in which University partnerships can lead to connections - both in communities and careers - this year's State of the Region is designed to provide BGSU students with a broad range of opportunities and information that will be useful as they look toward their next steps.

"It's impossible for a person, and especially a young person, to know all the possibilities within any industry or job," Fifer said. "The open-minded process of trying something you didn't know was a possibility can lead down a path you never imagined."

For more information and to register, visit BGSU.edu/crd.

Registration is free, and the conference can be attended in-person or virtually.