Founder’s Week was celebrated from Feb. 2-6. Eliza West gives a recap of the events.
Legacy in Motion: Founder’s Week events
“‘[Founder’s Week] gives us a chance to celebrate how unique [Ovid Butler’s] vision was at the time we were founded in 1855.’”
Black History Month on campus
‘“[The events are] open to every single person. Please bring your friends. It would be great to have you!”’
A decade of progress and peril
“‘When you fight for something that is so clearly right, really good things could happen. We didn’t set out to do this. It just happened, and I’m glad we did it.’”
Founder’s Week preview
“Founder’s Week invites the Butler community to reflect on Ovid Butler’s legacy and the vision that shaped the university’s foundation.”
Butler honors its history all week long: Founder’s Week 2025
From February third through the seventh, Butler University recognizes its history by hosting numerous events to celebrate Founder’s Week 2025. Multimedia Editor Piper Bailey highlights this year’s events.
Celebrating Butler’s beginning
Founder’s Week is an annual tradition at Butler, celebrating its founder, Ovid Butler.
Founder’s festivities 2024
“This week, Butler University commemorates its history of almost 170 years with the Founder’s Celebration. The celebration — now hosted by the university’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — began on Tuesday, Feb. 6, and will run through Friday, Feb. 9.”
Butler University’s lack of faculty diversity affects us all
While Butler University prioritizes diversity and inclusion, its faculty does not represent this ideal.
Observing a history of racial diversity
Butler University boasts a rich history of racial acceptance. However, some decades of Butler’s history are also tainted with influence from the Ku Klux Klan and segregation. “Ovid Butler had a very high vision of racial equality, which was, unfortunately, not always upheld,” Sally Childs-Helton, Irwin Library’s rare books and special collections librarian, said. Butler’s…