We tend to talk about personal growth as if it were a smooth, steady process, but anyone who has successfully navigated change knows it carries friction. As dean and director of The Ohio State University at Lima, I spend a lot of time thinking about how students grow. When my own children were young, physical growth was unmistakable — shoes suddenly didn't fit, legs ached during sleep, and we'd brush it off with a familiar phrase: growing pains. We intuitively accept that physical development brings tension and discomfort. Yet somehow, as adults, we fail to remember that intellectual growth and personal growth work the exact same way.
We often talk about change as if it was passive — a natural tide that carries us forward while we sit back and watch. But real change is never passive. It is an active, often uncomfortable wrestling match with who we are, what we know, and who we want to become.
As late August is upon us, students across Northwest Ohio are packing cars, reviewing class syllabi, and stepping onto campuses from Lima and Findlay to Bowling Green and Toledo. They enter higher education at a moment when national headlines constantly ask if a degree is still worth the investment. Looking at college strictly as an entry on a balance sheet, however, misses its most fundamental endorsement: higher education is an intentional arena for active growth.
In my role, I see this active transformation happening every day. True growth is rarely linear. It brings red-inked essays, daunting research assignments, tough classroom debates, homesickness, and moments of real self-doubt. These occurrences aren’t evidence that a student doesn’t have the mettle for higher education — they are the explicit proof that learning is occurring and with change comes resilience. A college degree isn’t just a credential; it is a testament that a determined student developing grit stayed in the room through the challenging work of self-improvement.
This message resonates deeply in Northwest Ohio, a region built on determination, hard work, and endurance. Whether cultivating rich farmland, adapting manufacturing lines to new technologies, or launching local small businesses, our communities know that nothing worthwhile grows without sweat, patience, and weathering a few hard seasons.
Higher education in Northwest Ohio reflects that same ethos. Our campuses serve as engine rooms for regional resilience. We ask our students — whether traditional undergraduates or adult learners returning to upskill — to lean directly into the friction of acquiring new skills, thinking critically, and leading their communities.
As a new academic year begins, we must remind students that struggle isn’t the opposite of success in college — it is the prerequisite. Growth is rarely if ever easy, but when backed by hard work and a supportive community, it remains the most rewarding journey a student can take.