DEI History and Milestones

Ovid Butler founded the University in 1855.

The information presented in this timeline is based on the impeccable research conducted by Dr. Sally Childs-Helton, Professor Emerita and former Head of Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives and by Jacob Sherer ’24. 

1855

Butler is founded as North Western Christian University

 “The university opened its doors on November 1st, 1855, as North Western Christian University, with two professors and twenty collegiate students. From the first day, the school admitted women and students of colour, as well as students of any or no religious background, since the university was nonsectarian from its founding. Among the first class were students who had been dismissed from Bethany College because of their abolitionist beliefs. North Western Christian was the first college in Indiana to admit women on an equal basis with men, and the second in the United States of America.” 

Learn more about our founder, Ovid Butler, and his abolitionist beliefs on our Founder’s Celebration website.

1869

Butler endows first chair in the US for a female professor

 After the untimely death of his daughter, a graduate from then North Western Christian University, our founder, Ovid Butler, endowed the Demia Butler Chair in English Literature, the “first endowed chair in the country created specifically for a female professor.” The Demia Butler Chair of English Literature is currently held by Dr. Ania Spyra, Professor of English.

1922

Sigma Gamma Rho is founded as the only historically Black sorority founded at a predominantly white institution 

Despite the growing power and influence of the Ku Klux Klan, and with the Indiana Grand Dragon living across the street from campus, seven young Butler students and educators founded Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Sigma Gamma Rho has since grown to include more than 500 global chapters and is the only historically Black sorority founded at a predominantly white institution. 

Learn more about Butler and Sigma Gamma Rho’s enduring legacy.

1985

The Minority Alumni Council is formed

The Minority Alumni Council was formed to “establish and encourage a mutually beneficial relationship between BU and the minority alumni; provide assistance in promoting BU to prospective students; raise funds for the BU minority alumni organization” among others. The Minority Alumni Council was refocused with the launch of the Black Alumni Association in 2005. The LGBT Alumni Association launched in 2007 and the Latinx Alumni Association launched in 2021

1989

Valerie Davidson is hired as Butler’s first full-time position dedicated to supporting minority students 

On January 2, 2019, Ms. Davidson retired after 32 years of service at Butler University serving as Director of Diversity Programs and Director of the Efroymson Diversity Center. Randall Ojeda now serves as the Director of the Efroymson Diversity Center. The Efroymson Diversity Center facilitates the Dr. John Morton Finney Scholar Program.

Learn more about the program and its esteemed founder.

2002

The Center for Faith and Vocation (now The Compass Center) is founded

The Center for Faith and Vocation was founded in 2002 and made possible by a generous gift from the Lilly Endowment. In 2024, the Center for Faith and Vocation updated its name to The Compass Center. While the name has changed, its mission remains the same: to support students, faculty, and staff—of all faith, spiritual, and secular identities—in living lives of purpose, meaning, and contribution. They accomplish this through programs for multifaith communities, interfaith engagement, meaning and purpose exploration, and spiritual life for well-being.

2006

Efroymson Diversity Center opens

Thanks to the generous support of Lori Efroymson-Aguilera and Efroymson Family Fund at the Central Indiana Community Foundation, the Efroymson Diversity Center officially opened as a dedicated space to house programs and activities which foster respect and cooperation between people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences.

2018

The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab opens

Named in honor of Nobel Peace Prize awardee Desmond Tutu, The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab is an innovative think tank dedicated to undergraduate research, activism, dialogue, and advocacy around peace and social justice issues.

Learn more about the The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab.

2020

The Hub for Black Affairs and Community Engagement opens

Established in the fall of 2020, the Hub for Black Affairs and Community Engagement exists to center and elevate the collective Black voice and experience at Butler University; strives to lead the disruption and continued dismantling of systemic racism; and cultivates the collective Black strengths to build and maintain a more inclusive community.

Learn more about the Hub for Black Affairs and subscribe to the newsletter.

Social Justice and Diversity (SJD) Requirement is added to Core Curriculum

In August 2020, a Social Justice and Diversity (SJD) requirement went into effect as a new addition to the Core Curriculum. Students must take one course in any part of the University that exposes them to critical scholarship on the root causes of marginalization and inequity and how to counter it.

2022

Butler hires its inaugural Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Khalilah Shabazz 

Reporting directly to the president and serving on his cabinet, this decision marks the first time this executive level position has been established. In this role, Dr. Shabazz leads the development and execution of Butler’s DEI strategy. 

Childs-Helton, Sally, “Ovid Butler and the Founding of Butler University” (2010). Scholarship and Professional Work. 50. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/librarian_papers/50