Since its founding in 1847, Otterbein has been committed to educating students others deemed undeserving of such a right. Otterbein was among the first institutions in the nation to have included women as faculty members and as students. 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. Otterbein gave students a voice through its unique governance system beginning in the 1960s. Today, Otterbein continues to recognize the value and potential of every student. The University is committed to serving low-income, first generation, and today’s underserved students, which include new Americans, students from underfunded urban and rural school districts, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and students of color. 

The University’s founders, Lewis Davis and William Hanby, demonstrated fearless leadership when they imagined a place that would make education available to all genders and races. Otterbein University is a private university nationally recognized for its intentional blending of liberal arts and professional studies. It is respected for its pace-setting ideals, its ground-breaking integrative studies curriculum and its commitment to experiential education, its standing among the country’s first co-education institutions, and its commitment to serve the public good. Offering more than 60 undergraduate academic programs to its 2,000 students, Otterbein is located in picturesque Westerville, Ohio — just minutes away from downtown Columbus — and offers its students the perfect location to learn, grow, and benefit from access to internships and worldwide networking opportunities through its four-year READY career and professional preparation program.