I Succeeded
05/07/2024
Commencement speaker Glen Guyton encouraged Bluffton鈥檚 graduates to celebrate, to acknowledge that growth is success. - Photo by Beth Caroline Designs
Graduates Celebrate Success
Four years ago, the graduating baccalaureate class of 2024 began their journey at 小优传媒 in the midst of a pandemic. Saturday morning, May 4, their journey was celebrated as 147 bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees were conferred.
Commencement speaker Glen Guyton, Mennonite Church USA executive director, encouraged graduates to celebrate how far they have come before stressing about the future. Graduates were encouraged to say out loud, with hands raised, 鈥淚 Succeeded.鈥 鈥淵ou are a thousand times better than you were,鈥 Guyton stressed. 鈥淪uccess is about growth.鈥
Guyton offered some secrets to success to the graduates. 鈥淟ook back to see where you come from, don鈥檛 chase the idea of would have-should of鈥揷ould of and, celebrate yourself,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y hope is that you do not pursue happiness 鈥 but be happy. That you do not chase dreams 鈥 but dream.鈥
Bluffton graduates
Six states and four countries were represented in the graduating class. Dr. Alex Sider, interim vice president of academic affairs, shared that 16 first generation students, four students with alumni parents and one student with an alumni grandparent were among the graduates.
The Master of Nutrition in Dietetics graduated its first four students. This one-year program meets new Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credentialing requirements.
In addition, Master of Arts in Education and Master of Business Administration graduate
degrees were presented. Bachelor of Science in Nursing and bachelor of art degrees
were also conferred.
Emeritus faculty
Emeritus status was presented to three retiring faculty, Dr. Perry Bush, history; Dr. Deborah Myers, food and nutrition; and Gary Schiefer, business.
Bush, emeritus professor of history, joined Bluffton鈥檚 faculty in 1994. He is known for his lively and passionate classroom storytelling. Bush is also a published author of more than 30 articles and four books, including 鈥淒ancing with the Kobzar,鈥 the centennial history of Bluffton College.
As a Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine in 2012, Bush later served as a selector for the Fulbright Scholars Program.
Myers, emeritus professor of food and nutrition, joined the Bluffton faculty in 2000.
She is credited with establishing the dietetic internship program in 2012 and the
Master of Nutrition and Dietetics program in 2023, both to meet requirements for the
RND credentialing exam.
As program director of the nutrition and dietetics program, the program was recognized as a 鈥淧rogram of Excellence鈥 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Schiefer, emeritus professor of business, joined the Bluffton faculty in 1990. For years, he taught the first two classes for all new economics, business, marketing and accounting students. Then also taught the senior year capstone class for most of these same students.
Having served as department chair for a decade and on many other faculty committees, Schiefer has furthered Bluffton鈥檚 mission from behind the scenes by setting policies and helping hire faculty and key staff members.