President Peterson’s Plans for Change at BU

Dr. Steve Peterson became the 10th president of Bluefield University in July of 2024, coming to BU with a career in higher education spanning nearly 30 years at such schools as Houston Christian University and Liberty University.

Since stepping into his leadership role, Dr. Peterson has been focused on student success, online education, financial support, campus life engagement, and improvements to campus facilities. Regarding student success, Dr. Peterson said he has prioritized improving student support services.

“Student success is at the heart of everything we do,” Dr. Peterson said. “One key initiative is expanding our academic support services, including tutoring and career resources. We also continually evaluate and seek to improve our advising process to ensure that every student has a clear path to graduation.”

Regarding online education, Dr. Peterson said the plans are to expand and improve Bluefield’s online program just as much as its in person learning to make online education more accessible and flexible for students.

“We know that flexibility is critical for higher education today,” Dr. Peterson said. “We are committed to strengthening our online offerings by expanding course availability, improving instructional design, and creating an engaging learning environment for our students.”

In addition to making the online program more flexible, Dr. Peterson said he wants to significantly grow enrollment numbers.

“We believe we have quality programs, and we are launching a major marketing initiative to spread the word,” Dr. Peterson said. “I expect our enrollment to double in the next few years.”

Regarding financial support and affordability, Dr. Peterson acknowledged that higher education is expensive and that affordable education matters to students.

“Bluefield has always been committed to providing affordable, quality education,” Dr. Peterson said. “In recent years, we have reset tuition to lower the total cost of attendance and frozen tuition for the upcoming academic year.”

Dr. Peterson added that BU institution aid for students is almost $7 million annually and that the university is working to secure additional scholarships through donor commitment and strategic partnerships.

“Recently, we initiated conversations with university alumni and friends to create new endowed scholarships that will provide long-term financial assistance to students,” he said.

In addition to making Bluefield more affordable, Dr. Peterson said he wants to grow the campus culture by making it a more vibrant atmosphere. He said he’s working closely with Corey Mullins, BU’s vice president for Student Development to achieve this goal.

“We are investing in student-led initiatives, expanding leadership development programs, and increasing opportunities for campus-wide events,” Dr. Peterson said. “One of the special things about Bluefield is that we all have a chance to get to know each other. We are on this journey together, and I am committed to creating a campus that engages all students and provides more opportunities for interaction.”

Bluefield University’s campus is more than 100 years old with some of the school’s original buildings still in use today. With age, Dr. Peterson said, comes the need for modernization.

“We have several exciting developments regarding our campus facilities,” Dr. Peterson said. “As you know, our campus is over 100 years old, and some of its buildings have been standing for a very long time. We are working to update these buildings and make them more relevant to today’s needs.”

Among those improvements is an HVAC updgrade project in Lansdell Hall, which will also include the replacement of all the windows in the building to enhance energy efficiency and aesthetics. Renovations to Alumni Hall should begin soon once final donations for a matching gift are received. The hope is to reopen Alumni Hall as early as this fall. Improvement are also being made to the Sims Wellness Center to make it a more desirable space for the community, and upgrades are also in the works for Easley Library.

“Easley Library received a donation to enhance the digital learning spaces within that facility,” Dr. Peterson said. “We have a group dedicated to upgrading that facility to serve the needs of our students, creating more study spaces and collaborative learning spaces.”