BGSU s Ribeau to take over reins at Howard University

Bowling Green State University
LINK: Howard University " rel="storyimage1" title="BGSU-s-Ribeau-to-take-over-reins-at-Howard-University.jpg"/>
Ribeau <br> <img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/weblink_icon.gif> <b><font color=red>LINK</b></font color=red>: <a href=" http://www.bgsu.edu/" target="_blank "><b>Bowling Green State University</b></a> <br> <img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/weblink_icon.gif> <b><font color=red>LINK</b></font color=red>: <a href=" http://www.howard.edu/" target="_blank "><b>Howard University</b></a>

Bowling Green State University President Sidney Ribeau is leaving the university after 13 years at the helm.

He has accepted the presidency at Howard University in Washington D.C.

Mr. Ribeau announced his plans in an e-mail sent early Wednesday morning to the BGSU community.

This is a message I never imagined writing, but the time has come, he wrote. I will leave BGSU at summer s end to assume the presidency of Howard University.

Mr. Ribeau said it was a bittersweet moment for him and his family, but they look toward the new challenges and possibilities. He is fund-raising on the east coast and was not immediately available to comment.

Mike Marsh, chairman of the BGSU Board of Trustees, said that Mr. Ribeau called him Tuesday evening to tell him of his decision to accept the Howard University presidency.

They made him an offer he thought was real good and he thought the timing was right, Mr. Marsh said. He did a lot of good things here, which is true, and there were opportunities to do things there.

The BGSU campus was buzzing yesterday about Mr. Ribeau s legacy during his 13 years.

During his tenure, Mr. Ribeau established a core values system for the university, the President s Leadership Academy, the BGeXperience freshman orientation program, and learning communities across campus.

You have to call it highly positive throughout his tenure, Mr. Marsh said. He makes everybody around him a better person and those people are hard to find.

You can find skilled people, financial people, and managers, but people who make everyone around them better, they re not a dime a dozen.

Mr. Ribeau intends to stay the summer at BGSU, which should give the trustees time to find someone to fill in on an interim basis, Mr. Marsh said.

A broad-based search committee would them be established to find his replacement. Ideally, a new BGSU president would be in office by the start of the 2009-2010 school year, Mr. Marsh said.

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