Alumna, Mennonite educator to speak at Bluffton graduation
Elaine Moyer, associate director of the Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) and a Bluffton University alumna, will return to her alma mater as commencement speaker on Sunday, May 9. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in Salzman Stadium.
Moyer earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Bluffton in 1972 and later served the university as a faculty member, administrator, coach and, most recently, as a trustee from 1991-2009.
In her speech, titled "Engage Complexity, Live Simply," she is scheduled to discuss how Bluffton has prepared its alumni to live in a complex world and to challenge this year's graduates to make a positive difference with a simple lesson of compassion.
Moyer, who assumed her current duties with the MEA last year, spent six years at Bluffton between 1976 and 1983. During that time, her positions included assistant professor of health, physical education and recreation; department chair; director of women's athletics; and coach of volleyball, tennis and track and field. She was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
Moyer, who holds a master's degree in physical education from Marshall University, also spent 26 years at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School in Lansdale, Pa. After three years as a teacher and three more as assistant principal, she was chief school administrator for 20 years. Those years saw a 23 percent increase in enrollment and facility enhancements of more than $20 million at the school.
She has been a leader in Mennonite education both at Christopher Dock and at conferences, has presented several papers and made other presentations at churches, in the media and elsewhere. A participant in a Fulbright Administrator Exchange in Northern Ireland from 1998-2000, Moyer has served as a consultant as well, most recently at Bethel College; Juniata Mennonite School, McAlisterville, Pa.; and Warwick River Christian School, Newport News, Va.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers