For Robbie Smith, IT is about much more than technology. It’s about people.

“It’s really easy to dissociate technology from people, maybe because of movies like ‘The Terminator,’” said Robbie Smith, executive director for information and technology at Bluefield University. “But people are technology, and technology is people. And the closer we get to understanding that and working with it, the sky is the limit.”

Smith has worked at Bluefield University for nearly seven years. When COVID-19 shut down in-person classes, Smith and other IT professionals worked hard to build systems to support online learning.

Socialist candidates have been enjoying political wins across the nation, but what do BU students think about socialism, and why is it popular? Find out in this audio story.

Bluefield University’s women’s soccer team has forfeited the rest of the 2026 season due to injuries, which include ACL tears, knee injuries, and ankle injuries. Athletics Director Corey Mullins explained the decision.

“Through the course of the preseason and into the first couple of matches of the season, we had some injuries and some other issues that we felt like it was not gonna be physically safe for our team to continue to play,” Corey Mullins said. “We just could not field a team . . . that was gonna be able to go out there every day and play for ninety minutes.”

The team played its first game against Reinhardt on September 14. Although the roster included 15 players, multiple girls were coming back from last year’s injuries and were not cleared to play. The team’s single sub was allowed to play only a short time because she also was coming back from an injury.

Dr. Paul Bennett isn’t much into sports, but among the few events he watches is the America’s Cup, one of the oldest international sports competitions in the world. It began with a race around the Isle of Wight in 1851.

“A whole fleet of British boats contributed,” Dr. Bennett said. “One boat came from America — that was the yacht ‘America’ — and it sailed across the Atlantic in order to compete. It won by about half a mile.”

Dr. Bennett has loved sailing since he was a boy. He says it “gets into your blood — you can’t forget it.” Hanging on his office wall is a painting of the boat he had when he was 18. Although he now serves as assistant professor of economics at Bluefield University, Dr. Bennett spent most of his career in IT.

As an undergraduate, Dr. Bennett majored in mathematics, which he sees as an “incredibly beautiful” part of God’s creation. He interned with IBM, where he worked on a program to design cuts for a numerically controlled glaze. He loved it so much that he spent the next 40 years in IT.

In August, Rilla Cooper joined the inaugural class of BU’s online doctorate in education. She is one of five Bluefield employees and 21 total students enrolled in the first course of the Doctor of Education (EdD) program this semester.

“It’s one of the few programs I feel like I could do a doctoral level program and work full-time and have kids full-time and do it all together,” said Cooper, who serves as director of student success. She also teaches University Foundations classes, which replaced Career Pathways.

Bluefield University was approved as a level five institution in June, which allows it to offer up to three doctoral programs. Currently, the university offers the EdD Cooper is working toward, as well as a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). Dr. Shellie Brown, who founded and teaches in the EdD program, said working toward doctoral programs was the primary motivation for Bluefield College changing its name to university in 2021.

The men’s dormitory Rish Hall underwent extensive renovations during the summer, receiving new flooring, remodeled bathrooms, individual climate controls for each room, electrical upgrades, a new roof, and much more.

“From the outside, the brick is the same. But the windows and everything else you see is upgraded,” said Hal Keene, director of facilities and operations at Bluefield University. “I don’t think there’s any ceiling, wall, light, window, anything that you can walk inside the building and see that’s not brand new.”

On April 24-25, writers and word-lovers from around the nation will gather at the Granada Theater in Bluefield, WV, for a weekend of fellowship and inspiration. The speakers for HopeWords Writers’ Conference will include authors Mitali Perkins, Daniel Nayeri, Gary Schmidt, and S.D. Smith.

As balmy weather and green growth return, many of us feel the urge to go outdoors. Whether you prefer gravel paths or wilderness treks, hiking opportunities abound. Both Virginia and West Virginia feature numerous hiking trails to woodlands, waterfalls, and scenic views. These trails also offer birdwatching opportunities and sometimes fishing.

Changes may soon be coming to Career Pathways classes. The General Education Committee is considering potential revisions, but no changes have been approved yet. Meanwhile, students and faculty have raised concerns over the efficacy of Career Pathways classes.

To some, the phrase “local history” is synonymous with antiquated buildings and dull insignificance. But history is not just facts – it’s a collection of stories.

“A lot of times, it’s not the building,” said Wayne Pelts, assistant director of the Academic Center for Excellence and Careers (ACEC). “It’s the people, it’s the stories, it’s those movers and shakers.”

Standing in a small kitchen surrounded by flavored syrups and stainless-steel appliances, Diane Clinton pours steaming water through a filter full of fragrant coffee grounds. Dark liquid drips steadily into the hourglass-shaped beaker below. For the past several weeks, Diane has been practicing making lattes, cappuccinos, frappes, teas, and other drinks.

Eight days into the fall semester, Bluefield University ran out of federal work-study funds – and students are feeling it.

Although she worked as a school librarian for a couple of years, Paula Beasley prefers working with college students. 

“You guys are a little bit more interested in education as opposed to just running through and grabbing all the picture books,” Beasley said.

As soon as Moises and Jessica Aristy heard about the events planned for Career Week, they decided to attend at least one event. Both seniors at Bluefield University, they attended the LinkedIn Boot Camp held on October 15.

Students are starting a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter on campus and expect to hold their first meeting around mid-November. 

According to Cora Thornton, president of the newly formed TPUSA chapter, the purpose of TPUSA is “to inform the student body about what’s going on in the world” and show a Christian perspective on politics.

When Blake Carter heard that Charlie Kirk had been shot, he knew the reaction was not going to be good. 

“That was what was permeating my mind,” Carter said. “I kind of knew where we were in terms of the political dynamic, and I knew what was about to happen.”

Students can access free tutoring while enjoying coffee and snacks in the Academic Center for Excellence and Careers (ACEC), open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Students can drop by and get help with a variety of classes from experienced peers, or they can make an appointment by contacting ACEC’s Wayne Pelts or Rilla Cooper. 

Between classes, theater rehearsals, tutoring, work-study, and other activities, Elei Haynes stays busy. As she plans her remaining semesters at Bluefield University, one requirement in particular looms over her. 

Wayne Pelts never liked history.

“All we did was define terms and answer questions and take quizzes,” he said.

As an English major at Bluefield State University, Pelts prayed he’d never have to take social studies. But a world history class changed his mind. After graduation, Pelts started teaching high school history.

A new heating and cooling system is coming to Lansdell Hall and should be functional by mid-December. The main administrative building for Bluefield University, Lansdell Hall has not had central heat since its coal boiler failed three years ago.