Bluffton University news

Music department chair, Dr. Roy Couch, will conduct the concert which will feature six Bluffton University student musicians.

Student musicians

The varied program will include an arrangement of "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "Mas Que Nada," and an arrangement of "The Incredibles."


The Colloquium presentation is free and open to the public. 

Colloquium

Emily Buckell, assistant professor of Spanish, will share "Leamos!: Comprehension-Based Novels in the L2 Classroom" on Friday, March 31, at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall's Stutzman Lecture Hall.


Rev. Valerie Bridgman will explore how studying the Bible from a womanist perspective can show the path to authentic peacemaking.

Peacemaking Forum

Rev. Valerie Bridgman, Ph.D., will present the annual Keeney Peace Lecture Forum titled "What is Peace When You Feel Like Fighting: Reflections of a Womanist Biblical Scholar."


Rae Carson has published 10 books and several short stories, but the obstacles she faced at the beginning of her career, remain. The difference now is she’s made peace with them.

Path to publication

New York Times Bestselling Author Rae Carson shared a few lessons she learned on her journey to becoming a full-time author during Bluffton University's 38th English Festival.


Donut Run

Donut Run

The 2023 Donut Run is set for Sunday, March 26. The 5k race with donuts at the finish line will start and end at Salzman Stadium.


Full-circle musical

The spring musical "Quilters" features a quilt created for a previous performance at Bluffton. It has been taken out of the archives to be featured once again on stage.


As the Civic Engagement lecturer, Prothro draws from communication and media scholarship to sketch our media ecosystem and to suggest practices of engagement that foster connection rather than amplify polarization.

Civic Engagement Day

Marathana Prothro will present the annual Civic Engagement Day Forum titled, "Echo Chambers and Fun-House Mirrors: Navigating an Age of Alternate Facts, Distorted Reality and Fractured Relationships."


Destinations include Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands, Glasgow, Belfast, Galway and Dublin!

Alumni travel

Join President Jane M. Wood and fellow travelers in Scotland and Ireland. Tour participants will visit small villages, enjoy the beautiful countryside and view seaside cliffs.


Lead President's Ambassadors for 2023-24

Ambassadors named

President's Ambassadors for 2023-24 have been named. They will receive professional development training and will engage with prospective students, alumni and donors.


Seniors Logan Daugherty of Bradford HS and Abbigail Martin of Colonel Crawford HS accepted Bluffton's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.

Presidential Scholars

Logan Daugherty and Abbigail Martin, incoming students at Bluffton University, have been awarded the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, valued at nearly $140,000 for four years.


The artists will be available to discuss their work during a reception from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, March 19, in the Sauder Visual Arts Center.

Senior art exhibit

The exhibit opens March 13 and runs through March 25 in the Grace Albrecht Gallery of Bluffton University's Sauder Visual Arts Center.


Tickets are available now for performances on March 30, 31 and April 1.

'Quilters' musical

Through music, story and dance, the challenges and joys women faced on the North American frontier will be performed as the spring musical "Quilters."


Commencement speaker Kathy Carr began her career with Fort Wayne Community Schools as a special education teacher in 1978.

Commencement speaker

Kathy (Gaines) Carr, a 1978 Bluffton graduate, long-time educator and community advocate, will address the 2023 graduating class during the May 6 Commencement ceremony.


“We’re not putting on rose colored glasses or airbrushing out the warts of this history in this class. We’re remembering the past as it was and there are lessons out there for us,” said Perry Bush

A look into the past

History students “put their fingers on the bones of Lima’s historic African American neighborhood” in Perry Bush’s Theory and Application class. “What they found is significant,” said Bush.


“My favorite thing about the trip was being able to learn the Greek language in a classroom setting and then using it out on the street right away.”

Cross-cultural

Immersed in new environments, participants experience diverse lifestyles, make new friendships and learn respect for other heritages all while meeting personal challenges which build character.


Board action taken

The Board of Trustees approved a new construction project and a grant for students, recognized retiring faculty and welcomed a new board member during its annual winter meeting.


Former female student athletes gathered in 2022 for a reunion with Coach Kim Fischer.

Fischer Press Box

Construction for the Coach Kim Fischer Softball Press Box will start in May 2023. Former student-athletes, fans and friends contributed toward the two-story building.


Triple Chocolate Bread will be available through Feb. 28.

Bluffton Bread Company

Students are gaining hand-on learning experiences with the Bluffton Bread Company. Triple Chocolate, Birthday Bread and Asiago Cheddar bread are available through Feb 28.


Dr. Jane Wood selected for year-long Presidential Renewal Program.

Sustain leadership

President Dr. Jane Wood was one of just 15 college presidents selected for The Council of Independent Colleges' Presidential Renewal Program.


Dr. Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication at Goshen College, told stories of three conscientious objectors seeking US citizenship.

Citizenship for COs

Following World War I, prospective US citizens were asked: "Are you willing to take up arms in defense of country?" The impact of this question on pacifists was discussed at Forum.


PAX presentation

PAX presentation

The public is invited to watch two presentations of the World Friendship Center's Peace Ambassador Exchange (PAX) at The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center.


Biblical study notes developed by Dr. Gerald Mast's Religious Communication class will be submitted for publication.

Not just an assignment

Students of Dr. Gerald Mast's Religious Communication class developed study notes to submit for possible inclusion in the Anabaptist Community Bible.


Bluffton Bread Company student advisory board members.

Student-run business

From developing and standardizing recipes to streamlining the online shopping cart, Bluffton University students are gaining hands-on learning experiences through the Bluffton Bread Company.


Students are prepared to successfully enter the workforce or pursue graduate nursing education after completion of their BSN.

Full accreditation

Bluffton's nursing program has been granted the full five-year accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the nation's leading accrediting agency for nursing programs.


Ceramic students built a new wood-fired kiln. The design is similar to a kiln often used in the 19th and early 20th centuries in southern states.

New wood-fired kiln

Behind Sauder Visual Art Center, there is a newly built wood-fired kiln constructed by ceramics students and T.R. Steiner, adjunct professor of art. Bricks used in the kiln were repurposed.


A clinical educator schedules all supervised experiential learning experiences, including at the Blanchard Valley Hospital.

New MND program

Bluffton is now offering a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics graduate degree for students interested in becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Complete requirements for the RDN exam in 12 months.


Consider this your invitation to The Big Reveal of the 2022-23 J Denny and Jenny performers.

And J Denny Beaver is....

Performers in the J Denny and Jenny Beaver suits will be revealed Jan. 28 following the men's basketball game. Multiple students, chosen by a competitive selection process, portray the couple.


Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith gave three pieces of advice: no one is successful on their own, be a person of character and keep showing up.

Show up every day

Early circumstances did not deter future successes for Sharetta Smith, the mayor of Lima, Ohio. Smith spoke on her "Journey to Leadership" at the Presidential Leadership Forum.


A celebration of Coach Guy Neal's accomplishments will be held following the men's basketball game on Feb. 4.

Legacy coach retires

Men's Basketball Coach Guy Neal will retire at the end of his 34th season. The three-time conference Coach of the Year is the winningest coach in Bluffton men's basketball history.


Clayton Moore described his experiences as the first black police officer in Fostoria, Ohio, and his fight against racial discrimination within the department.

Why me?

During the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Forum, retired police sergeant Clayton Moore addressed a question people often ask themselves in times of trial.


Estée (Arend ’13) Hemphill, assistant director of service for the Cleveland Guardians, shared lessons from her career at Forum.

Those other duties

When Estée (Arend '13) Hemphill reflects on her rise through the Cleveland Guardians's front office, she places importance on words often overlooked in a job description: other duties as assigned.


A 2022 graduate of Miami University (Ohio) in interactive media studies, Brian Williams founded R6 and helped grow the Rainbow Six: Siege Esports community.

19th Varsity sport

Brian Williams will coach, recruit and manage the varsity co-ed Esports program starting in the 2023-24 academic year.


The play also features rich characters, complex family dynamics and range of human emotions.

Anne Frank

The story revolves around the confinement of eight people in a tight living space as Jewish families in Amsterdam are forced into hiding from the Nazis during World War II.


“What we’re doing right now is improv, and we still have the option of engaging the scene differently and building a future we don’t have to be scared of.”

"Let's Talk"

During Spiritual Life Week, Flack-Wetherald shared a message on forgiveness during Chapel which resonated with Deborah Yoder '23, an English major from Listowel, Ontario.


Fall campus

New scholarships

Two new scholarships, including the Dr. Perry Bush Scholarship funded by an anonymous donor, were approved during the Board of Trustees fall meeting.


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