About Butler University

Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing seven colleges offering associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree options. Approximately 4,500 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 42 states, one U.S. territory, and 31 countries reflecting diverse cultures, interests, aspirations, personalities, and experiences. Butler was founded on ideals of equity and academic excellence and is committed to its mission to create and foster a collaborative, stimulating intellectual learning environment. We strive to prepare all learners to lead meaningful lives and are inspired to enrich our communities. In the 2024 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News and World Report, Butler was ranked the No. 1 Regional University in the Midwest as well as No. 1 for Most Innovative School and Undergraduate Teaching. Butler was also listed on the shortlist of excellence for First-Year Experiences and Study Abroad Opportunities. Such recognition reflects Butler’s dedication to providing students with a broad, liberal arts foundation with nationally recognized programs, coupled with countless experiential learning opportunities in Indianapolis and beyond. Through this comprehensive approach, Butler students are prepared to step directly into a career or graduate school with confidence, which is evident in Butler’s 2023 six-month post-grad success rate of 98 percent.

Student Learning

In furtherance of its teaching and learning goals, Butler has established learning outcomes for all students. The outcomes are assessed in students’ course work and elsewhere throughout their undergraduate years, yielding continued refinements and improvement in teaching. By graduation, Butler’s dynamic academic and co-curricular offerings will prepare our students to demonstrate the following:

• Liberal arts knowledge and transferable skills developed through multifaceted learning experiences.
• Disciplinary and professional knowledge and skills in at least one academic field of study.
• Competencies that facilitate their personal development and wellness cultivated through experiences inside and outside the classroom.
• A capacity to help shape our local and global communities through civic understanding and an appreciation of diverse perspectives.

Students are afforded ample opportunities to achieve these learning outcomes through a combination of courses-both in the major and in the Core Curriculum-and through co-curricular experiences.

A History of Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Equality

From the beginning, Butler has been ahead of its time among institutions of higher education for its commitment to racial and gender equality. The University was chartered as North Western Christian University by abolitionist Disciples of Christ members who wanted a university away from the “pernicious influences of slavery.” Upon establishment in 1855, the University immediately began setting educational precedents:

• Inclusive Admission: Butler has welcomed students from all minority groups since its founding. Notably, Gertrude Amelia Mahorney became Butler’s first documented African American graduate in 1887, later teaching in the Indianapolis Public Schools.
• Gender Equality: Butler was the first institution in Indiana, and the second in the nation, to admit women on an equal basis with men. Demia Butler, daughter of founder Ovid Butler, graduated from the full four-year program in 1862.
• Academic Innovation: Butler pioneered Indiana’s elective system, allowing students to choose subjects tailored to their needs, with parental consent.
• Empowering Women: In 1870, Butler became the first U.S. university to establish an endowed chair for a female professor, appointing Catharine Merrill to teach English literature. Merrill was also the first to use the lecture method for non-scientific subjects.

• Leadership in Greek Life: The nation’s first chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, a sorority for African American women, was founded at Butler in 1922.

In the fall of 2023, Butler announced the creation of Founder’s College, continuing its legacy of inclusiveness and accessibility. This new initiative focuses on enrolling Indianapolis-area students who face financial barriers or other obstacles to higher education. Students can earn associate’s degrees in industry-aligned fields in just two years, with the option to continue to a four-year degree at Butler.

The Campus

Butler’s more than 300-acre campus, within a historic north-side Indianapolis neighborhood, comprises nearly 30 buildings, playing fields, and a nature preserve. Located five miles from the heart of the city, the campus offers easy access to downtown. Its city location allows Butler to offer students a wide range of internship opportunities that are excellent preparation for careers and graduate schools. In addition, full-time faculty in several disciplines, such as accounting, journalism, and instrumental music, are supplemented with adjunct instructors, drawing on the resources of professionals in the surrounding community.

Campus facilities include:

• Jordan Hall, built in 1927 and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to housing several departments of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the building incorporates computer labs, an electronic language laboratory, administrative and faculty offices, Alumni and Community Engagement, Student Accounts, Registration and Records, and classrooms.
• The Fairbanks Center for Communication and Technology, home to Computer Science and Software Engineering and the College of Communication, which includes the Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism.
• The Butler University Sciences Complex, which includes:
  • Gallahue Hall, housing classrooms and labs for Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Levinson Family Hall, which includes the Ruth Lilly Science Library, an atrium, classrooms, study areas, and research labs dedicated to Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Engineering Dual Degree, and Psychology
  • The Holcomb Building, which houses offices and meeting rooms for the departments of Psychology, Physics and Astronomy, and Information Technology
• Bill and Joanne Dugan Hall, home of the Lacy School of Business, includes state-of-the-art technology and flexible arrangements to accommodate the teaching styles of the future, Innovation Commons that brings together students, faculty, and Central Indiana business leaders to foster new ideas, and a Trading Room where students can spot live market date streaming. Also located here is the Office of Career and Professional Success.
• The Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building, a facility that includes state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, and technology in support of student and faculty collaboration.
• The Butler Arts and Events Center, which includes Clowes Memorial Hall, a 2,220-seat multipurpose hall for the performing arts; and the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, a 450-seat theatre that provides performance and exhibition space for the theatre, dance, music, and visual arts programs.
• Irwin Library, which provides basic research tools and holds the majority of the University’s more than 208,000 volumes of books, bound periodicals, and manuscripts. Butler Libraries also offer approximately 822,000 e-books, access to 323 online databases, and 99,000 online journals and magazines.
• Atherton Union, which incorporates the University bookstore, food service operations, a 24-hour computer lab, meeting rooms, and student lounges. Additional facilities include the Efroymson Diversity Center, the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of International Student Services, and offices for Residence Life, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Student Leadership and Service.
• Campus housing, including Irvington House, Fairview House, Residential College, University Terrace, the Apartment Village, and fraternity and sorority houses.
• Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium. The observatory’s 38-inch telescope is one of the largest in the state.
• Robertson Hall, which houses the offices of Admission, Financial Aid, Marketing and Communications, and the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall.
• Hinkle Fieldhouse. The historic 9,100-seat fieldhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the home of Butler basketball and volleyball teams, the Human Movement and Health Science Education program, and spring Commencement ceremonies.
• Sellick Bowl, the site of Butler football and soccer.
• The Health and Recreation Complex, which houses an aquatic and fitness center, in addition to Counseling Services, Health Education, and Health Services.
• Holcomb Gardens, a 20-acre scenic area that abuts Indianapolis’ Central Canal and towpath, a favorite walking, jogging, and bicycling route for students.
• Athletic fields, The Farm at Butler, and the Butler Prairie nature preserve, linked to the main campus by two pedestrian bridges across the Central Canal.
• A multi-use parking facility, with 1,033 parking spaces and 17,000 square feet of retail space.
• South Campus, 40 acres of open green space and home to the College of Education and Founder’s College.

Indianapolis

Butler University remains deeply committed to serving its community. The Butler Arts and Events Center fulfills a cultural responsibility by presenting a vast array of performing arts and spoken-word programs to the public; many of these programs offer enrichment to area elementary and secondary students. Indianapolis schools, corporations, and cultural organizations benefit from the University’s cooperation, and student interns serve in a wide variety of Central Indiana businesses, governmental offices, nonprofit agencies, schools, hospitals, and pharmacies. Butler seeks to continue to strengthen its partnership with a vital, growing city and region.

Indianapolis is the 16th-largest city in the United States, with a metropolitan-area population of more than 2.1 million. In recent years, the city has emerged as a leader in science, medicine, research, technology, and sports. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company is located in the city, as are top-ranked regional hospitals. Many performing arts companies call Indianapolis home. Museum offerings include the world’s largest children’s museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Conner Prairie, and the nearby Indianapolis Museum of Art. Widely known for the annual 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the city has two major league professional sports teams, and it also has hosted hundreds of national and international amateur sporting events.