Cedarville hires first professor to lead new civil engineering program

Cedarville University has hired Dr. Stephen Ayers as the first professor for its new civil engineering program.

Civil engineering joins Cedarville’s other excellent engineering programs, which include mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. Students can begin taking classes in civil engineering this fall.

Ayers joined Cedarville University in January after serving for 13 years at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas.

Ayers brings extensive teaching and program development experience to his position at Cedarville. At LeTourneau, he chaired the engineering department, overseeing degree programs for five engineering disciplines. He also led the development of the civil engineering program at LeTourneau from its initial conception to full implementation.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and his doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. Prior to moving to the U.S., Ayers also worked in Australia as a research engineer, developing new products for the structural engineering market using advanced composite materials.

For the past six years, Ayers has worked in Senegal, Africa, developing water resource projects. His focus has been on tailoring engineering solutions to the environment in Senegal.

Ayers noted that civil engineering provides a unique platform for service-oriented outreach. “The world is in desperate need of good infrastructure and the engineering that allows life to happen,” he said. “We can make a big difference in places around the world by serving people’s fundamental needs in the name of Christ. Civil engineering provides an avenue to touch people’s lives at a very fundamental level and we want to instill this idea in our students.”

Ayers said he was impressed by Cedarville’s commitment to Christ and by the existing strong engineering programs in mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. “I desire to build a distinctively Christ-centered, nationally recognized program that produces highly skilled and equipped engineers,” said Ayers. “I aim to train civil engineers that industries and graduate schools want. These graduates will go out with competency and excellence to be good witnesses to the name of Christ through who they are and what they do.

Ayer’s goal is a civil engineering program known for integrated lab experiences, technical rigor and a strong faculty commitment to excellence. “Cedarville civil engineering students will be trained well and will be highly employable,” said Ayers. “We will continue to unapologetically seek to serve Christ in all we do.”

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 150 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.