Central Mennonite College (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)

Central Mennonite College was established in 1900 by the Middle District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church at Bluffton, Ohio, and later (1913) called Bluffton College. This district conference was composed of 12 churches with a total membership of about 3,000. The purpose of the college was to give to Mennonite young people the opportunity of securing an education under Christian auspices in harmony with the beliefs of the Mennonite Church. At the annual conference in 1898 a board of trustees was elected to establish a college at Bluffton. Those elected were J. H. Tschantz, J. F. Lehman, J. A. Amstutz, Gerhard Vogt, J. C. Mehl, H. J. Krehbiel, J. W. Leatherman, H. P. Krehbiel, and P. E. Stuckey. The first president was N. C. Hirschy, pastor of the Wadsworth (Ohio) Mennonite Church.

The college opened 5 November 1900. During the first year 47 students were enrolled in academy and commercial courses. Freshman college work was first offered in 1902 with four students, and later, a two-year junior college course was given. In 1908, upon the resignation of President Hirschy, S. K. Mosiman was elected president. In 1913 representatives of five branches of Mennonites organized Bluffton College and the Mennonite Seminary, taking over the plant and resources of Central Mennonite College and developing a four-year standard college and graduate seminary.

Because of its limited constituency Central Mennonite College was small and its offerings limited, but since both presidents were thoroughly trained and men of culture and genuine Christian character, a good foundation was laid for Bluffton College with a much larger constituency.

Bibliography

Smith, C. H. and E. J. Hirschler. The Story of Bluffton College. Bluffton, Ohio: The College, 1925.

Author(s)	Noah E Byers
Date Published	1953

Cite This Article

MLA style

Byers, Noah E. "Central Mennonite College (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Central_Mennonite_College_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=55515.

APA style

Byers, Noah E. (1953). Central Mennonite College (Bluffton, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Central_Mennonite_College_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=55515.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 542. All rights reserved.

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