Celebrating Butler’s beginning

Founder’s Week 2025 celebrates the mission of anti-slavery and inclusion that Butler University was founded on by hosting presentations and events, as well as giving out awards to faculty that highlight and promote DEI on campus. Photo by Jonathan Wang.

JENNA HARLAN | STAFF REPORTER | jhharlan@butler.edu

Butler University hosted its annual celebration to honor the founder of the university, Ovid Butler, during the week of Feb. 3-7. The celebration week includes a historical exhibit, a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) forum and awards, a service opportunity and many other events for students and the Butler community.

Butler was an attorney, newspaper publisher, member of the Christian Church and an abolitionist. His mission was to create a university on the principles of the Church, as well as a university free from the influence of slavery. Butler University, originally North Western Christian University, admitted students of color from its founding in 1855 and was the second university in the U.S. to admit women.

The celebratory events began on Monday with the opening of a historical exhibit. The Reilly Room was filled with excerpts from rare books, historical photographs and information about the university’s history. The showcase will be available to view through Feb. 7. 

Digital initiatives librarian Evan Miller assisted in the preparation of the showcase. The original exhibit was curated in 2013 by professor emerita Sally Childs-Helton. Last year, the exhibit was revised and expanded to be put on display for the first time during Founder’s Week 2024. 

“The department wanted to revise things but also add some additional context,” Miller said. “What education was like in Indiana, where Butler was founded, information about Ovid Butler — the namesake of the University — but also other individuals like Alexa Blaker, the founder of the College of Education.”

Miller also discussed what he hopes people would take away from this exhibit.

“I think just understanding that history is complex,” Miller said. “We can still glean that vision of inclusivity and open-edge access to education, and that’s the goal I hope the university keeps moving forward with and really supporting all individuals in that.”

Along with the opening of this showcase, there was a DEI forum and awards ceremony on Feb. 3 in the Reilly Room. 

In this session, Khalilah Marbury, the vice president for DEI and student affairs, discussed the results of the university campus climate surveys with a group Q&A. 

“Diversity, equity and inclusion means so much more than what I think is perpetuated in society,” Marbury said. “It’s about having people who have different perspectives, social identities and experiences coming together and just being able to exist. In particular, I really encourage people to understand the history of Butler and know the institution you’ve committed yourself to.”

Awards were presented to associate professor of political sciences Sue-Mei Ooi, lecturers of entrepreneurship & innovation Brenda Geib-Swanson and Kristi Mitchell and lecturer of risk management & insurance Todd Wottring for their DEI work on campus.

Monday’s event concluded with the recognition of the Ovid Butler’s Founder Award recipient, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. This award is given to a community partner of Butler who has consistently shown values of innovation and brought DEI into both Butler and Indianapolis communities. 

Sahar Atmar, a sophomore biology and Spanish double major and member of the Diversity Program Council, attended the DEI Forum and Awards Ceremony. 

“I find diversity initiatives very important on our campus and also on an institutional level,” Atmar said. “I was really excited to hear from Vice President Dr. Marbury because I think it’s a really unique time in our country and also a unique experience to be able to hear directly from our VP. It’s a great week to be coming out and going to events.”

On Tuesday, the Division of DEI hosted a trivia night called Battle of the Bulldogs. The questions included a wide variety of topics spanning from Butler’s history to general pop culture. The teams gathered in the Reilly Room to play, with the College of Communication team taking the prize.

The Founder’s Week festivities will continue throughout the week. On Wednesday, the university encourages the community to go support the women’s basketball team as they take on Villanova. Butler Athletics will be offering an extra free ticket per staff member and a discounted ticket for one of their guests. 

On Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Diversity Program Council is hosting a presentation titled, “Building a Culture of Change: Empowering Leadership with Peyton Head.” Head is a 2016 graduate of the University of Missouri, where he faced systemic racism. Following the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, he made posts highlighting the racism he experienced that started movements to create a more inclusive campus. Head now is an advocate for inclusion in higher education.

Following the presentation, the Compass Center will host a film showing of “Young Plato”. Both events are being offered as Butler Cultural Requirement credits to Butler students.

Closing out the Founder’s Week celebration will be a service activity on Friday, which is Founder’s Service Day. The Butler community will be making no-sew blankets to give to the Horizon House, a foundation that aids the homeless by providing food, resources, case management and outreach in the Fairview Community Room.

Founder’s Week celebrates the legacy of Ovid Butler and his ideals that founded the university, while offering opportunities for the campus community to engage and continue that legacy. 

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