Pursuit of truth
We follow evidence wherever it leads and defend the freedom to question, test, and discover.
Our history
137 years of scholarship
Brightwood University was founded in 1887 by a group of educators and civic leaders who believed their growing region deserved an institution of the first rank. They began with a single hall, forty students, and a charter promising an education open to the talented regardless of background.
From those modest beginnings, Brightwood grew into a comprehensive research university. The twentieth century brought our schools of engineering and medicine, a teaching hospital, and a library that today holds more than two million volumes. Through war, depression, and change, the university held to its founding charter.
Today Brightwood is home to 24,000 students and 1,800 faculty across six faculties and twelve residential colleges — yet the conviction of our founders remains unchanged: that great teaching and fearless inquiry, pursued together, are the surest path to a better world.
Mission & values
What we stand for
Our mission is to advance knowledge and educate students in an environment of free inquiry, that they may serve the world with wisdom and integrity. These values guide everything we do.
Open access
Talent is everywhere; opportunity must be too. We open our doors to the able from every background.
Community & tradition
Our residential colleges and centuries of custom create a home that shapes character for life.
Excellence
We hold ourselves to the highest scholarly standards, in the classroom and in the laboratory alike.
Service to society
Knowledge is a public trust. Our research and our graduates exist to serve the wider world.
Integrity
We act honestly, govern responsibly, and steward our resources for the generations to come.
Brightwood by the numbers
1887Year chartered
320Acres of campus
12Residential colleges
2M+Library volumes
University leadership
Meet our leadership
Distinguished scholars and administrators stewarding Brightwood's mission and its future.
Dr. Eleanor Hayes
President & Vice-Chancellor
Historian and former provost leading the university's strategic vision.
Prof. Raymond Tan
Provost
Physicist overseeing academic affairs, faculty, and research across all six schools.
Dr. Maria Alvarez
Dean of Admissions
Champion of access and the architect of our need-blind admissions policy.
Prof. James Okonkwo
Dean of Research
Engineer directing the university's $310M annual research enterprise.
Become part of our story
For 137 years, students have written the next chapter of Brightwood. We would be honoured to have you write yours.