2021-22 University News

BoT spring meeting

BoT Spring Meeting

The board continued its year-long efforts on implementing best practices for engaged boards, met with the university's new co-source fiscal partner, Cliffton, Larson, Allen (CLA) officer and learned about student-retention efforts.


Lion and Lamb

Lion and Lamb Plans

Bluffton University is committed to continuing the important work of the Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center and will build on new experiential learning opportunities in fall 2022.


Alumni Discount for Master's

Alumni Discount

In recognition of the significant contributions Bluffton alumni make to the institution and in their respective communities, Bluffton University is helping graduates continue their education through the Bluffton University Alumni Master's Degree Grant.


College of Distinction

College of Distinction

Bluffton University has been recognized for excelling in the areas of student engagement, teaching, community and successful outcomes by Colleges of Distinction.


Marpeck Deans Conference

Marpeck Deans Conference

Faculty from eight Mennonite institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada came together for the Marpeck Deans Conference hosted by Bluffton University.


PSC Winners

Presidential Scholars

Zael Coblentz and Ella Meyer, incoming students at Bluffton University, have been awarded the university's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, valued at nearly $140,000 for four years.


Bluffton University has been named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's Transfer Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.

Transfer honor roll

Bluffton was recently named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's 2022 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the dynamic pathways the university has created to support transfer students.


2022 graduate processional

Ready to build a life

"We believe that Bluffton graduates are prepared for life as well as vocation, for responsible citizenship, for service to all peoples and, ultimately, for the purposes of God's universal kingdom."


Dr. Charles Daws plans to work with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's crime lab to improve testing techniques during his fall sabbatical.

Faculty research

Faculty members awarded research grants and sabbaticals shared their plans during the annual Dean's Reception.


Perry Bush presented departmental honors to Grace Branson for her independent study history project, “The Impact of Total War on Bluffton College.”

2022 Academic Awards

Outstanding scholars were recognized for their academic achievements at the 2022 Academic Awards and Honors Forum.


During the lecture, Alex Sider noted a line often used in media reports, “the elderly and disabled are the most at-risk for dying of COVID-19,” as a way of othering people.

Peace Lecture

Existing inequalities for people with disabilities were deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic according to Dr. J. Alexander Sider. He presented the 2022 C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture.


Ethan Ly was one of 19 students who shared their research, pre-professional and creative endeavors with classmates, faculty and staff.

Research symposium

Student research, pre-professional and creative endeavors, ranging from an exploration of the molecular motion of water droplets to a multimedia presentation about a fictional apocalyptic event, were presented.


Brooke Kleman, Coach Dan Hughes and Jameel Cosby

Developing leaders

Champion WNBA Coach Dan Hughes pointed to his "coaching tree" as his biggest career accomplishment. Hughes spoke at the Athletics Awards Forum. Awards were presented to Jameel Cosby and Brooke Kleman.


Commencement speaker Peter Strange, chairman emeritus of Messer, Inc.

Commencement 2022

Peter Strange, chairman emeritus of Messer, Inc., will address the 2022 graduating class during the May 7 Commencement ceremony at Salzman Stadium.


Madison Baker will compete against winning students from other North American Mennonite colleges during the bi-national competition.

Oratorical contest

Madison Baker '22, a marketing and sport management double major, won the annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. Her speech focused on the stigma of human trafficking.


Risa Fukaya ’22, a social work major from Zushi, Japan, talks with students as part of PEACE Club’s presentation during Civic Engagement Day.

Modern Minimalism

Bluffton's year-long exploration of "Cultivating Modern Minimalism" culminated with Civic Engagement Day. More than 20 presentations were available, styled like an in-house conference.


Bluffton University

STEM Scholarships

Bluffton has received a five year Choose Ohio First $138,600 grant by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to support students in STEM fields.


Full scholarship

Full scholarship

Eleven full-tuition scholarships will be awarded to current teachers seeking their Ohio Department of Education intervention specialist license.


Prayer vigil

Bluffton University PEACE Club and Bluffton Area Ministerial Association will hold a joint prayer vigil Friday evening, April 1, for fallen Village of Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis.


37th English Festival

Author Helen Frost provided offered practical advice to aspiring writers during the 37th English Festival. About 50 high school students joined Bluffton students for a day celebrating the written word.


Kathy Dickson

Students Explored 'God's Calling'

Listening for and following "God's Calling" was explored during spring 2022 Spiritual Life Week. Students delved into discerning their vocations with Kathy Dickson.


An Ohio Library Services and Technology Act Preservation Grant funded the  conservation treatment of Bluffton’s 1531 Froschauer Bible.

Rare Bible conserved

A 1531 Froschauer Bible has returned to Musselman Library. The conservation restored the structural integrity of the Bible so it could be examined--with proper handling techniques.


Tickets are now available for performances March 24-27 in the College Hall Ramseyer Auditorium.

Classic murder mystery

Tickets are now available for the Bluffton production of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap." In this classic whodunit, a blizzard traps seven strangers together with a murderer on the loose.


Scholarships approved

New endowed scholarships established in memory of former history faculty member John D. Unruh Jr. and Rose M. White were approved by the Board of Trustees.


Pastor and author Melissa Florer-Bixler started a conversation about how current models of conflict are failing.

Cancel Culture failure

Melissa Florer-Bixler addressed what she described as some of the most pressing concerns for society today: third way politics, cancel culture and polarization during the Keeney Peace Lecture.


We Remember

We Remember

On the 15th anniversary of the Bluffton University baseball team's bus accident, more than 100 members of the Bluffton University community gathered to remember and reflect on the events of March 2, 2007, and the lives lost in Atlanta, Ga.


Zach Hammon named Bluffton University's head women's soccer coach

Women's soccer coach hired

Bluffton University has named Zach Hammon as its next head women's soccer coach.


Randy '73 and Debbie Gade

Stadium lights

Stadium lights will be installed at Alumni Field in summer 2022. A 1973 Bluffton alumnus and his wife, Randy and Debbie Gade, made a $300,000 gift to fund this addition.


Three Bluffton elementary education majors student taught in Chicago last fall semester.

Cross-Cultural Forum

During the spring Cross-Cultural Forum, students shared about their experiences in Chicago, Nashville, England and Guatemala. The students took part in semester-long opportunities in the summer and fall of 2021.


IT collaboration

IT collaboration

A collaboration between Bluffton University, Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College is strengthening the three Mennonite institutions' ties and improving their respective IT departments.


State Representative Susan Manchester spoke at the annual Presidential Leadership Forum.

Standing on principles

"The investments people make in you and the investments you make in other people transcend a lifetime," said Susan Manchester, State Representative for Ohio's 84th House District.


Donning in the suit for 2021-22: Kelly Armentrout, Adam Shanaman, Rona Stafa and Evan Burden, and a Beaver to be named at a later date.

And J. Denny is...

J. Denny and Jenny Beaver took center stage Saturday when the identities of the students portraying Bluffton's mascots were revealed. Thank you Kelly, Adam, Rona and Evan!


Steve Bushre, Bluffton head men's soccer coach

Men's soccer coach

Steve Bushre will begin duties as Bluffton's head men's soccer coach on Feb. 1. He most recently as served an assistant coach at Indiana University East.


Nursing classroom under tutelage of Dr. Sherri Winegardner.

$2 million estate gift

Nursing students will benefit from a new scholarship funded by an estate gift from the trust of Hazel Robinson.


Madison Brunswick will receive a full-tuition and paid graduate assistantship as the 10th Beaver-Falcon MAcc Scholarship recipient.

Beaver-Falcon award

Madison Brunswick, a senior from St. Henry, Ohio, is Bluffton's 10th recipient of a full scholarship to Bowling Green State University's Master of Accountancy program.


Head Football Coach Matthew Nardo

Nardo named head football coach

Bluffton University has named Matthew Nardo as its next head football coach.


Soloists for Messiah Performance

Soloists for Messiah Performance

Bluffton's music department has announced the soloists for its 126th performance of Handel's "Messiah".


Nutrition and dietetics major Haley Gill

Haley Gill

Haley Gill '23, a nutrition and dietetics major, knew she needed to make the most of her summer when she received the Bluffton Summer Discovery Grant.


Set in the 1920s in a Chicago clock shop, Bluffton's fall theatre production features seven student actors, inanimate objects brought to life and a unique set design.

Humor and Drama

Bluffton's fall theatre production features seven student actors and puppets designed, voiced and manipulated by students. "This play is really giving our theatre assistants the opportunity to shine."


2021 Bluffton University Board of Trustees

Board member welcomed

The Board of Trustees welcomed Azra Nakicevic, a 1998 Bluffton business administration graduate, as its newest member during the fall meeting. She is a tax partner at GBQ Partners in Columbus, Ohio.


President Jane Wood picks up her meal at the 2020 Harvest Dinner.

Homemade meal to go

Prepared and served by the Bluffton University Nutrition Association, the annual Harvest Dinner returns as a drive-thru, prepaid event benefiting local charities.


All cross cultural experiences include a service component. Students in the San Antonio/South Texas experience volunteered with the San Antonio Human Rights Center.

Eyes opened

Students share stories of challenges, beauty and culture following cross cultural experiences to Kentucky/Appalachia, San Antonio/South Texas, the U.S. Southwest/Hopi, Navajo and Zuni people, and Guatemala.


Construction begins

The two-story, nearly 20,000 square foot Austin E. Knowlton Science Center will feature six labs, faculty offices and interactive collaborative space for students.


Complete coursework toward an ODE intervention specialist license in just three months.

Intervention specialist pathway

Teachers seeking new opportunities in the field of education now have an accelerated summer option to complete coursework for an Ohio Department of Education intervention specialist license.


Bluffton’s first-year class includes 242 students which is the largest first-year class since the 2011 class of 250.

Enrollment grows

A large first-year class combined with successful retention efforts and growth in adult and graduate studies enrollments account for a 49-student increase.


Brandon Freytag '08 inspires Bluffton students to turn their passion into a profession.

Passion into Profession

How do you turn your passion into your profession? Brandon Freytag '08, cofounder and president of talent at Loaded, did just that.


Beaver Tail-Gating

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend events on Oct. 1-2 will include cheering for the football and volleyball teams, alumni and affinity gatherings, campus tours, food trucks, Beaver Tail-Gating and inflatables.


Knowlton Science Center renderings

Groundbreaking

Join us for the groundbreaking of the Austin E. Knowlton Science Center. Located in the heart of campus, the groundbreaking will take place at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1.


Micaela C. Deming

Constitution Day

Micaela C. Deming, of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, presented Bluffton's annual Constitution Day Forum, "The Constitution Versus Domestic and Sexual Violence Survivors: The Inherent Conflicts Keeping Women in Danger."


President Jane Wood presents the 2021 State of the University address.

State of the University

During the annual state of the university address, President Jane Wood shared information including updates on the university's fiscal health, enrollment and graduation outcomes, and strategic planning initiatives.


Bluffton has ranked in the top tier of Midwest colleges for 24 consecutive years.

U.S. News & World Report

Bluffton University has again been recognized by the "U.S. News & World Report" as a Top Performer in Social Mobility, Best Value School and in the top tier of Midwest "regional colleges."


Designing Your Life coach Marathana Prothro

Design Your Life coach

As a Designing Your Life certified coach, Marathana Prothro, assistant professor of communication, can work with individuals and small groups seeking to design joy-filled lives.


Transfer consortium

Bluffton has joined an initiative to streamline the transfer process for community college students to earn bachelor's degrees in English, psychology or biology.


Scott Black has been named as the next head cross country and track and field coach.

Black named XC coach

Scott Black has been named as the next head cross country and track and field coach.


Tobias Buckel

Tobias Buckel

New York Times Bestselling author and World Fantasy Award winner Tobias Buckell is joining the Bluffton University English department this fall. Buckell will serve as an instructor of English.


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