Traditions & special events
Colors
The university's official colors are royal purple and white.
Mascot
The athletic emblem or mascot of the athletic teams is the beaver, personalized as
J. Denny and Jenny Beaver.
Motto
The Truth Makes Free. This conviction is at the center of the Christian faith, of
Bluffton University and central to the liberal arts tradition of Christian higher
education.
Alumni
There are 15,350+ Bluffton University living alumni. This number includes those who
have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours at Bluffton.
Homecoming
This traditional activity is held annually in the fall.
Art exhibits
Art exhibits are displayed regularly in Marbeck Center and Sauder Visual Arts Center
Albrecht Gallery and represent various media and artists students, faculty, community
artists, national organizations and professionals. Students wishing to exhibit in
Marbeck should consult the director. Most exhibits are organized and provided by the
art department.
Forum
Meeting each Tuesday throughout the academic year, Forum is a weekly event in which
the entire university community-students, faculty and staff-comes together to hear
presentations and programs that deal with important themes and issues of the day. The
majority of the speakers are from outside of Bluffton. They range across the academic
disciplines and are chosen because of their expertise in an area of significance for
the university curriculum. Special Forums, such as the C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture
and the Keeney Peace Lecture, enable the articulation of heritage values central to
the Bluffton. Programming is determined by the Forum director, in consultation with
a committee of faculty and students. Forum events are among those in the list of events
that qualify for arts and lecture academic credit.
History of the university
See historical sketch, University Catalog.
Board of trustees
The ownership, control and full legal responsibility of Bluffton University is vested
in the Board of Trustees.
President
The university has had nine presidents since 1900: Dr. N.C. Hirschy, 1900-08; Dr.
S.K. Mosiman, 1910-35; Rev. A.S. Rosenberger, 1935-38; Dr. L.L. Ramseyer, 1938-65;
Dr. Robert S. Kreider, 1965-72; Dr. Benjamin Sprunger, 1972-77; Dr. Elmer Neufeld,
1978-96; Dr. Lee Snyder, 1996-2006, Dr. James M. Harder, 2006-18, Dr. Jane Wood, 2018-current.