MEDIA RELEASE__In his fall 2026 State of the University address, Bluffton University President Dr. Alex Sider challenged the university community to look beyond where Bluffton has been and consider what kind of university and what kind of people it is becoming.

He introduced “Reinvest, Reinvent, Reimagine,” as the organizing framework for Bluffton’s next five years and emphasized the importance of remaining grounded in the university’s historic mission while adapting to a changing world.

“What kind of university are we becoming? And what kind of people are we becoming together?” President Sider asked. “I believe that those questions belong together.”

From stability to a path forward
President Sider began by reflecting on Bluffton’s previous year, which was focused on establishing a stronger foundation through the university’s Pillars of Purpose one-year strategic campaign centered on stability, trust, hope and compassion.

That work included rebuilding key operational functions, strengthening Advancement and financial planning, improving institutional communication and investing in campus facilities and technology.

He also acknowledged that Bluffton still faces significant challenges on the road ahead. “We’re not there yet,” he said. “But neither do I want you to confuse ‘we still have problems to solve’ with ‘we don’t know where we’re going.’ Those are two very different things.”

The next phase of Bluffton’s work is about moving forward with greater clarity and purpose.

Reinvest. Reinvent. Reimagine.
Bluffton’s new strategic framework, Reinvest, Reinvent, Reimagine, will guide the university’s work over the next five years.

Reinvest asks Bluffton to direct its resources toward the people, programs, facilities and priorities that are most important to providing a transformative education.

Reinvent focuses on creating a more consistent and intentional student experience, from the first time a prospective student encounters Bluffton through graduation. “Students don’t experience Bluffton’s organizational chart,” President Sider said. “They experience Bluffton.”

Reimagine challenges the university to adapt to changes in higher education, technology and the world while remaining grounded in its identity and mission.

“Some things will have to change,” President Sider said. “Higher education is changing. Technology is changing. The students we serve and the world for which we’re preparing you are changing. But our response can’t be to chase every new trend until we no longer know who we are.”

The goal, he emphasized, is not simply a better strategic plan, but “a better Bluffton.”

Truth and Integrity in an Age of AI
President Sider connected Bluffton’s emphasis on relationships and human formation to the university’s 2026-27 Civic Engagement Theme, “Truth and Integrity in an Age of AI.”

While acknowledging the practical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, including how it should be used in education and how it will affect future careers, President Sider encouraged the university community to consider a deeper question: What kind of people are we becoming through the ways we use technology?

“Tools don’t simply allow us to do things; the ways we use them shape the kinds of people we become,” he said. He also emphasized the importance of discernment in an information environment filled with rapidly produced claims, manipulated images, synthetic voices and AI-generated content.

“The challenge isn't that what’s true has changed,” President Sider said. “It's that we're being asked to practice discernment more often, about more things, in an environment increasingly good at producing things that look plausible.”

For Bluffton, the theme connects directly to the university’s larger mission of forming people who are prepared not only for careers, but for lives of purpose, service and responsible citizenship.

The state of Bluffton is something we create together
President Sider concluded by returning to the questions that opened his address: What kind of university are we becoming? And what kind of people are we becoming together?

“I hope you also recognize that you aren't simply observing the state of Bluffton University. You are helping to create it,” President Sider said, addressing the work yet to be done on campus as a collaborative and open project. 

“If our historic commitments, our present reality, and our future hopes really do tell the same story, that story should be visible in you,” President Sider said. “That’s the work we’re already doing. And it belongs to all of us.”