Jonathan Andreas
Jonathan Andreas, assistant professor of economics, joined the faculty in 2007. He was previously employed by the University of Illinois at Chicago as an adjunct professor and Web master. Andreas graduated from Grinnell College with a bachelor’s degree in American studies before continuing his education at the University of Illinois where he received his master’s degree in economics and is currently working on his doctorate.
Robert Antibus
Professor of biology Robert Antibus joined the Bluffton faculty in 1993. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Kent State University and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He previously taught at the University of Montana and Clarkson University. His research interests focus on the importance of mutualistic or beneficial fungi in sustainable forestry and agriculture.
Trevor Bechtel
An assistant professor of religion, Trevor Bechtel joined the Bluffton faculty in 2004. He holds bachelor's degrees from Canadian Mennonite Bible College and the University of Manitoba. In 1999 he earned a master's degree from Loyola University, Chicago, and his doctorate from Loyola University in 2008.
Duane Bollenbacher
Daune Bollenbacher has served as a part-time instructor in mathematics and education at Bluffton University since 1995. Very active in the mathematics education profession, he served as president of the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) 1998-2000, as state contest director of OCTM 1993-2003, and currently as historian of OCTM. For 30 years he taught high school math and coached varsity sports and/ or quiz bowl teams and was named Mathematics Teacher of the Year in Ohio in 1991. In 2002 he received the Christofferson-Fawcett Award for achievements and outstanding service to Ohio Mathematics Educators and Students. A graduate of Miami Universtiy, he holds a master's in mathematics from Northwestern University. He is a frequent civic, business, school and church after-dinner speaker, combining nostalgia with comedy for audiences if all ages.
Susan Carpenter
Susan S. Carpenter, assistant professor of English, joined the Bluffton faculty in 2005. A published author of short stories, poetry and essays, Carpenter has recently completed a novel, Liberty Boulevard, not yet published. Carpenter received her bachelor's degree from Case-Western Reserve University in 1969, her master's degree from Antioch College Graduate School of Education in 1971 and her doctorate in English and comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati in 2005. She has taught at Wittenberg University and Antioch College.
Ronald L. Friesen, Ph.D.
Dr. Ronald Friesen, emeritus professor of economics, taught economics in the Bluffton economics, business administration and accounting department from 1969- 2003. A 1961 Bethel (Kan.) College graduate, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1962 and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1973. He has collected toys for many years and researched the important roles that toys perform in our society.
George Lehman, EDM
George Lehman, professor of business, joined the Bluffton faculty in 1994. He serves as chair of the economics, business and accounting department and director of the graduate management program. Before joining the Bluffton faculty, Lehman served as chief operating officer of Praire View, Inc., a psychiatric hospital in Kansas. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Bluffton, and MBA with an emphasis on not-for-profit institutions from the University of Pittsburg, and an executive doctor in management form Case Western Reserve University.
Gerald J. Mast, Ph.D.
Gerald J. Mast, professor of communication, is the author of Separation and the Sword in Anabaptist Persuasion and co-author of Defenseless Christianity: Anabaptism for a Nonviolent Church. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Malone College. His master’s and Ph.D. are from the University of Pittsburgh in rhetoric and communication with a dissertation topic of “Social Movement Rhetorics of the Radical Reformation.” He joined the Bluffton University faculty in 1996.
Louise Matthews
Louise Matthews is the director of The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University. A graduate of Hesston College and Bluffton University, with a degree in elementary education, Matthews also serves as advisor to Bluffton University's International Connection student organization.
The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University is a place where both students and teachers are challenged with various aspects of peacemaking and justice through fine art and literature. An understanding and appreciation for other cultures, global awareness and non-violent lifestyles are emphasized. Visitors are encouraged to browse though the shelves of more than 5,500 volumes of children's literature on peace and peace-related topics, enjoy the art and sculptures inside and out and discover for themselves how choosing peace is a daily choice. Programs and presentations at the center provide opportunities for both children and adults to consider various peace issues.
Guy Neal
Guy Neal, assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation and head men’s basketball coach, was named coach-of-the-year by the Association of Mideast Colleges in 1992 and by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2001. He joined the Bluffton faculty in 1989. Neal played basketball at Bowling Green State University, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He played on the 1981 MAC championship team and served as a graduate assistant for the 1983 championship team.
Christine Nerad, Ph.D.
Christine Nerad joined the Bluffton faculty in 2003 and now serves as professor of fashion and interior design. A graduate of Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in retail merchandising and art, she holds a master's degree from The Ohio State University and a doctorate in American Culture Studies, Material Culture, Sociology and Women's Studies from Bowling Green State University.
Carrie Phillips
As the archives and special collections librarian, Carrie Phillips is responsible for preservation efforts for all library collections and supervises the university archives and all special collections, including Mennonite Historical Collections of Musselman Library. She is a member of the Ohio Preservation Council and several other library professional organizations. She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Bluffton University and a master of library and information science from the University of Washington.
Kay Soltesz, Ph.D.
Dr. Kay Soltesz, professor of dietetics, has published several research articles on the relationship of diet to disease risk and has been a dietetics educator for the past 15 years. The chair of the family and consumer sciences department, Soltesz earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati, a master's from Bowling Green State University and a Ph.D. with a major in health education and minor in educational psychology from the University of Toledo. She joined the Bluffton family and consumer sciences department in 1995. In 2001, she was appointed by the governor to serve a 5-year-term on the Ohio Board of Dietetics, of which she is currently vice-chair.
Philip Sugden
Since graduating from art schools in New York and Paris, Phil Sugden has made more than 11 journeys to the Himalayas and Tibet as a working artist. Drawings created on location serve as preliminary studies for his larger studio works and later the book Visions from the Fields of Merit. In 1990, he and writer Carole Elchert received grants to create a video and companion book based on their 1988 Cultural Arts Expedition to the Himalayas and Tibet. The result was a PBS television presentation and book titled White Lotus. In 1991, the two helped coordinate the Dalai Lama’s only Midwest speaking engagement.
J. Denny Weaver
J. Denny Weaver is professor emeritus at Bluffton University where he taught in the religion department for 31 years. His most recent books include The Nonviolent Atonement, 2nd edition, and the co-authored Defenseless Christianity: Anabaptism for a Nonviolent Church. His many articles and chapters in edited books as well as speaking engagements address a variety of topics related to nonviolence, violence in traditional theology, atonement theology, the character of God, violence in society, and Anabaptist history and theology. He has lectured in the United Kingdom, the Congo and Germany. He is editor of The C. Henry Smith Series. He now lives in Madison, Wisc. J. Denny Weaver does ask for travel compensation. Please contact him directly via e-mail at weaverjd@bluffton.edu
