Bluffton University will celebrate 125 years during Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2024 from Friday, Oct. 4 - Sunday, Oct. 6. This Homecoming is very special as the 125th anniversary of Bluffton University will be celebrated on Homecoming weekend.

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend events will be open to all alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of the university. Along with cheering on the football, golf and swim teams, the Beavers will host alumni gatherings, an open house, food trucks, Beaver Tail-Gating and more. 

Full schedule of events 

Friday, Oct. 4

4 p.m. Perry Bush Colloquium, “Is the Kobzar still dancing?” Centennial Hall, Stutzman Lecture Hall

6 p.m. Bluffton University Swimming and Diving at the Lima YMCA.

6-9 p.m. 1980s Bluffton Beavers Bash invites all 1980s alumni, with special encouragement for the class of 1984, to boogie down in Bob’s Place. 

8-10 p.m. Reunion Zero invites members of the Bluffton University class of 2024 to reconnect at Southgate Lanes. Enjoy bowling, an outside patio with sand volleyball courts and the chance to see your classmates! 

Saturday, Oct. 5

10 a.m. to noon Alumni Baseball Banana Ball game at Memorial Field 

10 a.m. Beaver Fall Classic at Bluffton Golf Club 

10 a.m. to noon enjoy an artist reception for “Elegies of Unrest” by Justin Johnson in the Grace Albrecht Gallery of Sauder Visual Arts Center.

10:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. travel back 125 years while looking through memories from the Library Archive in Musselman Library.

11 a.m. to noon Bluffton emeritus professor of history, Dr. Perry Bush, will be presenting on Bluffton’s historic 125 years in Musselman Library. 

11 a.m.-1 p.m. take part in Beaver Tail-Gating. Activities such as corn hole, inflatables, and pictures with J. Denny and Jenny Beaver will take place outside the stadium. Join classmates and friends under the tent outside Salzman Stadium on Bentley Road for reunion-year gatherings. “A Taste of Bluffton” lunch featuring food from various village restaurants and food trucks will be available for purchase. 

1:30 p.m. Bluffton University Football plays Anderson University at Salzman Stadium.

3-4:30 p.m. join M’Della Moon endowed chair in botany and environmental science, Dr. Jacob Buchanan, for a hike around the Nature Preserve to learn ongoing projects and our new environmental science major. 

3-4 p.m. receive a campus tour from a President’s Ambassador. Tours depart promptly at 3 p.m. from the Salzman Stadium gates.

3:30-4 p.m. meet the Beaver football team on the field after the game for pictures, autographs or just to chat. 

5 p.m. meet renowned visual artist John Mishler as we dedicate a wall sculpture in Knowlton Science Center commissioned by the Dick and Corrinne Boehr family in honor of Elizabeth Boehr’s contribution to Bluffton nutrition and dietetics legacy program. 

6 p.m. milestone giving awards will be presented and members of the President’s Society will be honored at the President’s Society Banquet. Alumni awardees and Hall of Fame inductees will be honored, as well. This event is invitation-only and will be held after the completion of the football game.

8-10 p.m. Alumni, students and friends are invited to take over Vine Street outside Greenhorn and enjoy music, lawn games and more. Light refreshments will be provided. Food and drinks of your choice are available for purchase from Greenhorn.

Sunday, Oct. 6

10 a.m. Beaver Fall Classic at Bluffton Golf Club