Join The Celebration

 

Free to attend, RSVP requested

All alumni, donors, and friends are warmly invited to an hors d’oeuvres reception on Saturday, October 19 at 7 p.m. at Venue 252, 252 Lawrence St., Eugene, OR. Other events include tours of campus, a library archive tour, a dedication of Goodrich Hall, and an alumni basketball game.

Founders Day is October 15th and events will take place on campus Tuesday October 15th through Sunday October 20th. The online giving day takes place at Bushnell.edu/foundersday, gifts can be made anytime between October 1st and October 15th to qualify for the swag raffle.

We invite you to join us on campus to celebrate the great things God is doing at Bushnell University.

Attendance is free, but we ask that you RSVP here so that we know how many to plan for.

Local Hotel Options

Schedule

Tuesday, October 15th

11 AM – 12:00 PM — Chapel

Afternoon — Campus Tours Available @ Welcome Center

Saturday, October 19th

10:00 AM — Chi Rho Lecture 2* @ Bushnell University Library

11:00 AM — Historical Campus Tour Available @ Welcome Center

12:00 PM —  Goodrich Hall Building Dedication @ Goodrich Hall

12:30 – 2:00 PM —  Library Archive Exhibit and Mural Installation @ Ross Evans Chapel Lobby

7:00 PM — Venture Forward Campaign Celebration @ Venue 252

Sunday, October 20th

2:00 PM — Women’s Alumni Basketball Game @ Bushnell University Morse Center

4:00 PM — Men’s Alumni Basketball Game @ Bushnell University Morse Center

 

*Academic Lecture Series hosted by Central Lutheran Church. This year’s lectures feature Dr. Dennis Lindsay, former Vice President of Academic Affairs at Bushnell. All are welcome. Learn more about attending and this year’s topic “(Re-)Discovering Faith in Moments of Crisis” here.

What is Founders Day?

Founders Day is an annual celebration of Bushnell University’s legacy of wisdom, faith, and service. Students, alumni, and friends celebrate together with events on campus and an online giving day swag raffle.

This year, we are also hosting Founders Weekend festivities October 19-20, to celebrate the successful completion of the Venture Forward campaign and the renovation of Goodrich Hall and Bell Tower.

Activities will also include campus and library archive tours, dedication of Goodrich Hall, and an alumni basketball game.

 

Wisdom: This year, we’re celebrating one of our university’s founders, our namesake, James A. Bushnell. An advocate for Christian education, he helped lay the groundwork for what would become our beloved university. James A. Bushnell exemplifies the kind of person we hope our students become during their tenure here at Bushnell University: faithful, tenacious, humble, generous, and innovative.

Faith: Founded as Eugene Divinity School in 1895, Bushnell University has over 128 years of Christ-centered history. This year we’re celebrating our “Restoration Movement” faith heritage a look at one of the movements founding principles: “Christians only, not the only Christians.”

Service: Students are equipped during their time at Bushnell to be Beacons shining the light of Christ in the world through lives of service. The Beacon Fund for Student Scholarships helps make tuition affordable and accessible. This year, we’re celebrating the generous alumni, friends, businesses, and churches who serve our students through gifts to the Beacon Fund.

Win a Raffle for Bushnell Swag!

Celebrate Founders Day with us! Post a photo of you on social media in Beacon gear with the hashtag #bushnellfoundersday and be entered to win a raffle of Beacon swag. Double your chances of winning by donating $5 or more to the Beacon fund, (a posted photo counts as one entry, a donation counts as a second entry.)

James A. Bushnell


Was an educator, a businessman, and most importantly, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. He founded the first bank in Junction City and served as the president of the Lane County Evangelistic Board for several years. But his true passion was found in promoting and aiding Christian education. In 1895, with the help of Eugene Sanderson, James A. Bushnell founded Eugene Divinity School, the institution we now know and love as Bushnell University.

 

Read the full story

Bushnell students embody the hope that James A. Bushnell had for the future of the Church and the world.


Making a gift to the Beacon Fund today equips Bushnell students to be tomorrow’s church and industry leaders.

 

GIVE

The Beacon Fund

The Beacon Fund

At Bushnell, 9 out of 10 students need some form of financial aid. Meet Jacob Lilley ’23 a recipient of the Beacon Fund for Student Scholarships.

On May 15th, Jacob walked across the stage at Bushnell University’s Spring 2023 Commencement, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Your gifts made this possible.


“Relationships are valuable. This is a foundational understanding in every business course that I’ve taken here [at Bushnell]. We emphasize ethical principles and it stands out…Bushnell professors take a Kingdom-mindset on what business should look like.”

 

– Jacob Lilley, class of 2023

Founder's Day Team
Advancement
Meredith Goehring, M.A.
Donor Relations Specialist

B.A., Azusa Pacific University M.A., Northern Arizona University   Primary Responsibilities:   Provide ongoing donor care and stewardship of annual fund and campaign donors, …

Advancement
Ali Savage, M.A.
Director of Annual Giving

M.A. in Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary B.A. in Political Science and Education, Western Washington University  

Advancement
Lars Coburn, M.A.
Director of University Relations

B.S., Bushnell University M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary Lars is the Director of University Relations in the Office of University Advancement. "I grow …