Bluefield University Celebrates President David Olive’s Tenure
2007
Dr. David Olive begins his tenure as the ninth president of Bluefield College.
2009
Bluefield University completes construction on East River Hall, its first new residence hall in nearly 30 years.
2010
Bluefield announces its first health science program and develops its first online programs.
2012
The institution revives Rams football after a more than 70-year hiatus.
2013
Bluefield University develops its first master’s degree program and signs an articulation agreement with the Appalachian School of Law.
2014
Bluefield opens Bluestone Commons, an apartment complex featuring contemporary independant student housing.
2017
The institution celebrates the largest traditional incoming class in school history
2018
Bluefield University begins construction on a $2.7 million addition to the Science Center and establishes the Caudill School of Business
2019
Bluefield opened the Center for Counseling and Wellness.
2020
The institution merges with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) and launches the Rams Connect initiative.
2021
Bluefield College changes its name to Bluefield University, commemorates its 100th anniversary, and launches the public phase of the $18 million Go Further Centennial Campaign.
2023
Dr. David Olive announces his transition toward retirement in June 2024.
Dr. Olive Leaves His Mark…
The way Dr. Olive has treated me and my family is absolutely wonderful. His kindness and policies have directly changed the course of my life. Dr. Olive is the definition of a biblical servant leader.
Dr. Olive and I started in the same year (’07) and he is the only president I have known. It has been a blessing to work with him and he will certainly be missed.
Dr. Olive has a servant’s heart. He is willing to go out of his way to make sure that BU student’s needs are met. He is also humble, generous, and kind-hearted. God blessed the Bluefield University campus with Dr. Olive, and I will forever be grateful.
Dr. Olive is the epitome of what it means to be a servant leader. From picking weeds in the flowerbed when the maintenance staff was unable to, to answering a student’s request for a hug while wearing a hazmat suit during the Covid lockdown, to driving students to the airport, to cleaning out mold from a student’s bathroom when nobody else could… there are few men as gracious, tactful, and kind as Dr. David Olive. Many university presidents do not care to open up their offices to students, to form relationships with them, or to serve them so humbly, but Dr. Olive is cut from a different cloth than the rest. Dr. Olive is so greatly missed by his students. I will be forever impacted by his incredible, Christ-like servant leadership. He is an example to me and to the rest of us who seek to serve as Christ did.
Dr. Olive came to Bluefield the summer before my senior year, and his immediate impact on our campus was evident. It was an honor to be asked to serve alongside of him on the Football Feasibility Committee as a student, and then to continue to serve alongside of him on the President’s Advisory Council as an Alumni. Bluefield is a better place because of Dr. Olive’s service, and I am grateful that God weaved the “spire on the hill” to be a big part of the fabric of David’s life. Thank you for everything, Dr. Olive. You will be missed!