Otterbein’s story begins in the mid-1800s, before the abolition of slavery, before the women’s rights movement, before equality and inclusion were rights.

Otterbein was founded by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1847. We included women as faculty members and as students from our founding, and we were the first institution in the nation to do so. Otterbein admitted students of color before the Civil War and welcomed Japanese-American students who had been sent to internment camps during World War II. And, we gave students a voice in our story through our unique governance system beginning in the 1960s.

Today, students from diverse backgrounds enhance Otterbein’s campus by sharing their unique experiences and perspectives. These qualities made Otterbein what it is today: a nationally recognized university offering bachelor and master degrees to a wide variety of students.