Cedarville University - Campus News

Babbie Mason, Award-Winning Singer and Songwriter, Visits Cedarville

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:15:00 -0500

Cedarville University is excited to welcome Babbie Mason to campus on Monday, February 20. Babbie is a nationally known, award-winning singer and songwriter. She has won two Dove awards, shared the platform with many prominent ministry figures and produced 15 recordings of her God-honoring, church-inspiring compositions. She has also recently published her second book, Faith Lift. In spite of these successes, she continues to enjoy singing for anyone and everyone, from politicians to inmates, from the largest churches in the nation to the smallest villages overseas.

Babbie teaches courses in songwriting at two Christian universities, sharing from her experience on ideas for songs, practical tips for strong writing and advice on how to get published. While at Cedarville, Babbie will be teaching two sessions, “Songwriting 101” and “The Christian Artist 101" at 7 and 8 p.m. This event may especially benefit those who who are aspiring Christian artists or plan to enter a song in Cedarville’s first songwriting competition.

The event, hosted by Cedarville University’s Music and Worship Department is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the department of music and worship.

Cedarville University attracts 3,300 undergraduate, graduate and online students to more than 100 areas of study. Cedarville is a Christ-centered learning community recognized nationally for rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. Visit the University online at www.cedarville.edu.

School of Pharmacy Receives ACPE Pre-Candidate Status

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Cedarville University has received pre-candidate status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), which will authorize the University’s school of pharmacy to matriculate its first class of professional students in the fall of 2012. The school of pharmacy received ACPE approval during the January 18-22, 2012 meeting of the ACPE board of directors based on an on-site evaluation conducted on November 1-3, 2011.

The full accreditation for pharmacy programs consists of three steps that include pre-candidate, candidate and full accreditation status. The pre-candidate accreditation status is awarded to new pharmacy programs that do not currently have enrolled students and authorizes the school to admit its first class.

Cedarville’s School of Pharmacy seeks to be the school of choice for Christian students as it focuses on training exceptional pharmacy practitioners who embody Christ-like compassion and pursue innovative solutions.

“The profession of pharmacy represents a great opportunity for Cedarville graduates to engage the culture, care for the needs of its citizens and influence others for Christ,” said Jeffrey Lewis, R.Ph., Pharm.D., associate dean of the school of pharmacy. “Health care professionals often interact with people during times of significant personal physical and emotional need and it's during such times that their spiritual needs also become apparent.”

Approximately 50 new students will be entering the professional program in fall 2012.

One of these is Jason Holmes, a junior who will be entering the professional pharmacy program in fall 2012. He was drawn to Cedarville because of its combination of academic excellence and training.

“The University has tailored its education and academic requirements to enable me to be a competent and knowledgeable pharmacist one day, one who will exhibit the highest level of professionalism within health care,” Holmes said. “Cedarville's school of pharmacy has placed a great emphasis on training leaders who will achieve results while building relationships with both co-workers and peers.”

Junior Jenna Lawhead will also join the professional program in the fall.

“One of the primary things that I love about the pharmacy program here at Cedarville is that faculty members actually care about their students and are interested in both our spiritual and academic needs,” Lawhead said. “Attending Cedarville will enhance my future career as a pharmacist because I will focus more on giving glory to God through my career.”

An additional on-site evaluation will be scheduled during the 2012-2013 academic year in order to gather further information for the school of pharmacy to be considered for candidate accreditation. If candidate accreditation is granted and the program continues to develop, full accreditation status of the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree would be considered by the board following the graduation of students from the program in 2016.

The school of pharmacy has previously received approval from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and approval from the Ohio Board of Regents in the spring of 2011, which represent two of the three accreditation approvals required for the pharmacy program.

Jason Nightingale, President of Wordsower International, To Speak in Chapel

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:05:00 -0500

Cedarville University welcomes Jason Nightingale, founder and president of Wordsower International. He will speak in on chapel March 20 and 21, 2012 in the Jeremiah Chapel of the Dixon Ministry Center at Cedarville University.

Nightingale and his wife Sharon founded the organization in 2001. Wordsower International’s mission is to share the Gospel with those in Africa, South Asia and Europe while planting churches in surrounding villages.

Wordsower Evangel Arts is an element of the organization that uses drama to share the gospel. Nightingale along with his wife and a handful of passionate individuals believe in the power of expressing the gospel through performance.

The organization strives to meet physical and education needs of children and widows in countries like Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, South Africa, India, Haiti and Peru. Nightingale and his wife travel to churches in the United States informing others on the needs of women and orphans in countries overseas.

You may also listen to the web stream of chapel. To order a CD, DVD, or MP3 download of a chapel message, visit the Cedarville University Media Store.

Career Services Helps Students Find Meaningful Internships

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:12:00 -0500

Looking for a job can be tough, especially in a difficult economy. Internships help better prepare students for the workforce by giving them experience in their chosen field. Career services at Cedarville University exists to train students in lifelong career strategy and aims to help them expand their knowledge base, learn to network and build their career navigational skills.

Jeff Reep, director of career services, has advice for students pursuing internships. “It’s important that [students] get started early in the process,” he said. “You don’t want to wait till you’re a junior and start looking for it, because you only have three summers. The other thing I would say is that the economy is tough. A lot of times, internships are not posted. So I think it’s important if there’s an organization, a company, a location that you’re interested in, contact them.” He suggests physically stopping by the office or calling and asking about internships, even if there are none posted on the company’s website, and leaving a resume.

Many students have taken Reep’s advice and applied it with great results. Timothy Ronco, a senior mechanical engineering major, interned at Goodrich Corporation, an aerospace company that designs and sells subsystems to aircraft manufacturing companies. “The practical work experience has been invaluable,” Ronco said. “Going to college and working are completely different ball games. My classes at Cedarville played a huge role in preparing me for my internship, and my internship has been essential in preparing me for industry.”

Ronco’s internship led to a job with Goodrich in a specialized leadership program that develops and equips college graduates to become leaders in the company. He advises looking to people you know for possible internship opportunities. “Anyone who is going to be able to hand a physical copy of your resume to a hiring manager is someone that you want to talk with,” he said. “For whatever reason, electronic applications rarely ever pan out. That personal connection is vital, especially since college students have little experience.”

Samantha SanGregory, a senior accounting major, also held an internship that led to a job. “I found my internship by attending a job fair hosted by the school of business at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio,” she said. “This fair was recommended to me by Jeff Reep and my academic advisor. I was looking for a summer accounting internship and had not considered interning for anything besides a CPA firm, but after talking to Progressive’s recruiter, I began to consider corporate accounting positions. Because I met Progressive through another school’s job fair, I did have to put forth extra effort to stay in touch with the recruiter, but it was well worth it.”

She will begin working full time for Progressive Insurance when she graduates, and her status as a former intern has put her on the fast-track for a higher accounting position of her choice in the future. “Stretch yourself,” she advises. “Be willing to put yourself out there and take risks. Work hard at building contacts and maintaining them. Be open to new options and consider every opportunity available to you. Dress professionally at all times—you never know when your next first impression or interview will take place.”

Meredith Sumner’s internships didn’t lead to a full-time job, but they did provide her with interesting positions to add to her resume. Sumner, a 2011 graduate with a double major in both organizational and international communication, interned at both NASA and Sea World. “I interned with NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia the summer before I came to Cedarville,” she said. “Today I’m so thankful for the experience because it’s a great resume booster. Sea World was awesome. I loved every minute of it. Orlando is the tourism capitol of America; you have the chance to meet so many fascinating people from around the world. Human resources took really good care of the interns, making sure we had every opportunity to network within the company.”

Sumner said that having multiple internships on your resume will show potential employers that you’re ambitious. “You’ve branched outside the classroom to acquire skill sets necessary for your field. Also, don’t overlook connections you already have. Thanks to my cousin at NASA, I was working alongside students from MIT and Cornell with just 30-some community college credits to my name.”

To learn more about all that career services offers, visit their website at www.cedarville.edu/career.

Equipping Students with Excellence in Music and Worship

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:32:00 -0500

Serving as assistant professor of music at Cedarville University, Patrick Anderson brings a unique set of talent, skill and vision to the worship program at this Christian university in Ohio.

Originally from the West Coast, Anderson graduated from the University of the Pacific with a degree in music performance and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Before coming to Cedarville in the fall of 2011, Anderson served as an adjunct professor at The Master’s College and Westmont College while attending classes for his doctorate in music performance from the University of Southern California.

Anderson is also a founding member of the band Enfield, a contemporary worship band originally formed to lead worship at a youth conference in California called Resolved. Since its inception Enfield has produced five albums and has become an example for other musicians in combining excellence in musicianship with doctrinally strong lyrics.

Currently teaching contemporary music theory, worship practicum and guitar lessons and working as a coach for worship bands at Cedarville, Anderson’s goal is to train students and musicians to serve in their local churches by using their musical gifts.

“I hope Christian musicians are inspired to pour back into Christians in their communities who can then pour into the church and to Christians in other professions,” Anderson said. “Musicians have opportunities to touch places in the culture that are unique to music and the arts, and Christian musicians must actively influence the culture.”

Using the example of Johann Sebastian Bach, Anderson pointed out that Bach’s superior music was originally designed for the church and is still revered today as a standard of excellence in the arts.

“Christian musicians must be prepared to edify the community with that same kind of talent, both musically and in leading worship,” Anderson said.

Anderson also stresses the need for musicians to understand the importance of song choice and the impact that this can make in the lives of individuals.

“Christian musicians must strengthen the focus on the proclamation of music through strong song choices and Scripture, never forgetting that their purpose is to train people and to serve the church with the things they say, songs they choose and the way that they serve, all for the sole purpose that God would be magnified.”

Anderson hopes to train students to be seen as professionals, and his goal is to “train students to be reputable, solid musicians in the world, and not necessarily just in Christian circles.”

Along with his teaching career, Anderson continues to perform with Enfield and lead worship with the band by traveling back to California occasionally for conferences and gatherings.

Recently, Anderson took part in the production of “The Gathering,” Sovereign Grace Ministries’ newest album that was released in November 2011. He was one of the guitarists on this internationally released album. In addition, Anderson presented several seminars on guitar, voicing and chords at the Worship God conference in Maryland in August 2011.

Anderson is also a member of The Demerits, a traditional Irish, bluegrass and roots musical group at Cedarville.

Recognized for his unique talent and diverse style, Anderson has won numerous awards such as first prize at the 2002 ASTA (American String Teachers Association) Los Angeles Guitar Competition as well as at the 2003 Mid-America Chamber Music Competition at Elmhurst College in Illinois.

Anderson currently serves as the worship leader at a Sovereign Grace Church plant of Dayton and lives in Xenia with his wife and their son.

Cedarville University Theatre Program Presents “The Star Spangled Girl”

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:49:00 -0500

A conservative all-American girl is caught in a love triangle with her two very liberal neighbors in this political comedy set in the 1960’s.

Cedarville University’s Department of Art, Design and Theatre will be presenting Neil Simon’s “The Star Spangled Girl.” The uproarious comedy tells the story of Sophie, an Olympic swimmer and conservative southern girl who moves in next door to Andy and Norman, protest writers. Norman instantly falls in love with her, and his obsession drives her crazy. Meanwhile, Andy is preoccupied with fending off creditors and charming the landlady to avoid being evicted for not paying the rent.

“The Star Spangled Girl” opens March 29 at 8 p.m. The event is open to the public. Tickets will be available for online purchase March 12. For more information, call 937-766-4491 or visit the Cedarville University “The Star Spangled Girl” webpage.

Epsilon Alpha Pi Strives to Make a Difference

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:59:00 -0500

Epsilon Alpha Pi (EAP), a Cedarville University student organization composed of social work majors, has been working hard this academic year to promote professional development, political and social awareness, and community outreach. Students in the organization have participated in several events including Trunk or Treat, Angel Tree and jewelry sales for M.E.R.CY Jewelry.

EAP worked with Greene County Children Services in Xenia, participating in a Halloween event for children in the area called Trunk or Treat. Students in the organization helped decorate a Cedarville van, passed out candy to the children at the event and helped run some of the games at the event as well.

EAP made an impact on the lives of 15 children in Green County through the Angel Tree ministry. This ministry helps reconnect children with their parents who are in prison during the Christmas season. On behalf of the ministry, EAP set up a Christmas tree in the Steven Student Center (SSC). Angel tags hung from the tree, revealing gifts that children had requested for Christmas. Cedarville University students were able to purchase a gift that would be presented to a child for Christmas on behalf of their parent(s).

EAP was able to help support M.E.R.CY Jewelry by selling hand crafted jewelry made by women in the Dominican Republic. According to the organization’s website, “M.E.R.CY Jewelry is a part of the DR Vision in the Dominican Republic. Women are reached with the Word of God and taught a skill they can use to support themselves with dignity. Proceeds from jewelry sales provide education, job training and refuge for oppressed women in the Dominican Republic.” EAP helped raise approximately $900 within three days of selling the jewelry.

New CFO to Lead Cedarville University’s Business Efforts

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:22:00 -0500

Cedarville University announced, today, the appointment of Christopher Sohn as the Senior Vice President for Business and Chief Financial Officer, beginning July 1, 2012.

Sohn comes to Cedarville after 16 years with General Electric (GE). Most recently, he served as finance manager for global technology and growth at GE Licensing. In this role, Sohn worked alongside four business units and managed a collective budget of $200 million. He brings to the University a proven track record of delivering results, improving processes and successfully leading diverse teams.

In his new role, Sohn is tasked with providing leadership in the area of financial management, having direct oversight of finance, operations, and human resources. He will contribute strategic financial planning guidance in ways that increase revenue, maximize cost savings and encourage revenue growth for the long-term success of Cedarville University.

“For 125 years, Cedarville University has been equipping students for life-long leadership and service,” shared William E. Brown, Ph.D., president of Cedarville University. “We anticipate a strong future with Christopher leading our business efforts.”

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University attracts 3,300 undergraduate, graduate, and online students to more than 100 areas of study. Cedarville is a Christ-centered learning community recognized nationally for rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. Visit the University online at www.cedarville.edu.

Bach’s Lunch: Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:49:00 -0500

The Cedarville University music department invites you to attend Bach’s Lunch, a series of free noontime concerts featuring a wide variety of musical selections performed by various musicians. Attendees are invited to bring a boxed lunch to enjoy during the recital.

On March 1, Bach’s Lunch presents Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers in the Dixon Ministry Center Recital Hall. Joe Mullins has been an active bluegrass performer and radio broadcaster for 25 years and now leads the Radio Ramblers, founded in 2006. The group has been recognized by the 2011 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards and has been nominated for five awards.

Cedarville University attracts 3,300 undergraduate, graduate, and online students to more than 100 areas of study. Cedarville is a Christ-centered learning community recognized nationally for rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. Visit the University online at www.cedarville.edu.

The Civil Rights Bus Tour: Embracing Racial Reconciliation

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:49:00 -0500

Committed to equipping students for lifelong leadership and service, Cedarville University is actively engaging members of its Christian university in the area of racial reconciliation. On January 18, 25 students and five faculty members piled into a double-decker bus for a four-day trip touring many civil rights historical sites.

Led by Jon Purple, the dean for student life programs, the fifth annual bus trip began its journey in Atlanta, Georgia, at Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace. The group continued to Alabama where they visited the Rosa Parks Library and Museum as well as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the National Voting Rights Museum. Stopping in Memphis, Tennessee, the tour spent an afternoon at the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorrain Motel where King was assassinated.

“It was an eye-opening experience to see the horrors that were perpetrated in the name of racial purity and even in the name of God,” said Zachary Weston, a junior management student who attended the trip. “It was so frustrating to read of men and women who served their country—some even as soldiers—yet would be lynched or shot if they tried to register to vote.”

Janice Supplee, vice president for enrollment management and marketing, said she gained a better understanding of the movement and the lives of the individuals involved after the tour.

“I knew a little about Martin Luther King Jr., but I somehow missed how much his passion for equality and human dignity was driven by biblical teaching and eternal hope,” Supplee said. “Listening to the speech he delivered the night before his assassination when he talked of having ‘seen the promised land,’ you hear a man—fallen like the rest of us to be sure—but a man who had a confident hope in a God who one day will make all things right.”

Taking advantage of the travel time, the group watched many movies about the movement such as “Mississippi Burning,” “Rosewood,” “Red Tails” and “The Help,” all of which spurred discussion of civil rights issues, both past and present.

“In order to have a complete understanding of racial reconciliation one must be willing to see unsettling things and hear difficult truths,” said Emilie Dalavai, a freshman studying global economics and business. “It was disturbing and hard to watch, but I have grown so much as a person as a result of this trip.”

“Being so close for such a long journey facilitated deep discussion and fast friendships,” Weston said. “The conversations tended to be very personal, and the trip was meaningful because the lessons and relationships last far beyond the trip itself.”

“This trip opens your eyes to others points of views,” said Leah Perkins, a senior studying early childhood education. “There is something to be said about being in disagreement and being able to work and hear out other opinions and views with the same people that you have to spend the rest of the weekend with.”

“Though Dr. King and his colleagues started the movement, there is still so much need in the United States to seek racial reconciliation,” said Collin Barrett, a senior studying computer engineering. “Our country is changing drastically, and if we are to be a vehicle for the advancement of the Gospel or even an effective professional, we have to grasp the diversity and interracial needs that are now present in our world.”

Realizing that students will find themselves employed and serving in a variety of diverse locations, Purple notes that the University must prepare students for these opportunities.

“We need to look to the past to understand the present,” Purple said, “as history—especially the recent history of the civil rights movement—very much impacts our present world.”

On the last day of the trip, the tour attended the multicultural Fellowship Memphis church, which is pastored by Reverend Bryan Loritts.

“Our final stop on the trip was a picture of what happens when God enters our world of brokenness,” Supplee said. “Here is a truly multiethnic body of believers located in a Southern city with a troubled racist history, worshipping together in love and unity.”

“It was so encouraging to see a multicultural church working well together to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” Perkins said. “Never in my life have I seen blacks and whites working together to live out exactly what it means to be Christians.”

Supplee said that this trip reminded her that Cedarville is life-transforming and is a place where people are deliberate about being more like Christ.

“I'm so thankful to be part of a place that is intentional about helping students learn, wrestle with tough issues and apply truth to the questions of life.”