by Alyssa Speicher, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University has a national reputation for its academically rigorous academic programs, all coming from a Christian worldview.
One reason for this reputation? Forty-three of Cedarville’s 86 programs of study are connected to at least one of the four pillars of STEM -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“People tend to isolate facts and ideas, but in STEM, all four areas are used simultaneously as solutions to problems,” said Dr. Angelia Mickle, dean of the school of nursing. “Cedarville recognizes the importance of the inter-relatedness of these core areas of study. They’re the underpinnings of how jobs are accomplished and things function in our society.”
The STEM mindset reaches even further than traditionally science and math-centered programs: It extends into other fields like broadcasting and digital media, where students have to efficiently interact with technology to accomplish their jobs.
“As the rest of the world becomes more technologically literate, it is so important for our graduating students to also be scientifically and technologically literate,” added Dr. Robert Chasnov, dean of the school of engineering and computer science. “Cedarville hasn’t depleted its liberal arts education; we’ve just added all these STEM majors to it.”
It is clear that Cedarville University values the STEM fields based on majors and programs alone, but beyond this, Cedarville shows its support for these fields by intentionally embedding STEM concepts into chapel services, investing in state-of-the-art, accredited facilities and equipment, hosting several STEM-related conferences and providing multiple services for STEM students, including the Center for Bioethics.
Cedarville prepares STEM students to be problem-solvers and thought-leaders while equipping them to approach STEM areas with an ethical, Christian worldview.
“Training our students to critically think, evaluate and problem-solve through a Christian lens is important,” said Mickle. “When we form ethical decisions, we need to make sure we are doing that through a Christian worldview and that we have influence in ethical conversations. There are so many things in healthcare and other fields that could be beneficial if we’re doing them through a Christian worldview lens, but could be very detrimental if we are doing them through the humanistic worldview.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.