One Thousand Days Transformed - The Campaign for Cedarville
Jenkins Hall is slated to open Fall 2017

Trustees Approve Financial Aid and Dorm Initiatives

by Mark D. Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations

A new financial aid program and residence hall were announced after the Board of Trustees’ regular meeting September 29. Both initiatives are expected to improve student life and college affordability.

The Trustees approved the recommendation from Cedarville University’s administration that will increase scholarships and provide more need-based aid for new freshmen and transfer students.  

The new program will increase academic scholarships by $1,000, establish a competitive $20,000 President’s Society Fellows Scholarship to recognize academic excellence and godly character, engage donors to provide an additional scholarship for all Pell Grant recipients, and introduce guaranteed scholarships for students who do not receive other merit aid. These changes are designed to make Cedarville’s distinctively Christian educational experience accessible to more students.


Jenkins Hall

The Board also approved the naming of Jenkins Hall, a new dormitory slated to open in the Fall 2017 term. The $3.3 million residence hall will be a 64-bed facility located near the university’s townhouses along the eastern edge of campus. Four 16-person units will provide students with the best living-learning and discipleship environment. The new residence will replace Faith Hall, a 58-year-old former Army barracks that will be razed at the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year.

The facility is named after Eleanor (Ellie) Sommerfeld Jenkins, the wife of Board of Trustee Warren Jenkins, who passed away in 2015. Warren is president and owner of Jenkins Restorations in Purcellville, Virginia. Jenkins Hall is completely paid for by donor and capital funds.


Jeremiah Chapel Dedication

As part of the 2016 homecoming activities, the renovated Jeremiah Chapel was dedicated. The $3 million project took three months to complete and included updated and increased theatre-style seating, new customized sound system and lighting, new projection screens, and paint and carpeting. The largest number of donors to one campaign in the school’s history, over 2,100, joined together to fund the renovation and expansion. President Thomas White remarked that “chapel remains the heartbeat of Cedarville University and the support of this many people indicates that it always has been.”


New President’s Society

The university also introduced The President’s Society, a new giving program for alumni and friends that is designed to provide scholarships to future Cedarville University students. The President’s Society will invite young alumni to join the movement of paying it forward as they give back to the scholarships which helped them experience a Cedarville education. The new program has three levels: Young Alumni Circle, Membership Circle, and Leadership Circle.

The Young Alumni Circle has three giving levels ($250, $500, and $750) for recent alumni to give back to the university. The Membership Circle is for $1,000 annual donors, and the Leadership Circle focuses on donors who contribute a minimum of $10,000 annually. The benefits include the opportunity for discounts at the university bookstore, priority seating at special events on campus, an invitation to the Legacy Banquet, and periodic communication with the president.


New Faculty Appointments

The Board of Trustees approved the hiring of seven new faculty members.

Jeffrey Bates, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice

Bates earned his doctoral degree in pharmacy studies from Ferris State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State, and since 2003, he was a faculty member at Ferris State University.

Kurt Beachy, M.S., instructor of kinesiology and allied health

Beachy earned his master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Iowa, and bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of New Mexico. He has served as an assistant athletic trainer at Cedarville University since 2012, and as an adjunct faculty member at Cedarville since 2014.

Justin Cole, Pharm.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice

Cole earned his doctoral degree in pharmacy studies from Ohio Northern University. He worked as a staff pharmacist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2006, and most recently, was the pharmacy clinical coordinator for Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, Ohio.

Emily Ferkaluk, Ph.D., instructor of political science

Ferkaluk earned her doctoral and master’s degrees in politics from the University of Dallas, and her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Cedarville University. Since 2015 she has served as an adjunct professor in the History and Government department at Cedarville University.

Danielle Fredette, M.S., assistant professor of electrical engineering

Fredette earned her master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cedarville University. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State.

Kristine Kidder, RN, B.S.N., instructor of nursing

Kidder earned her master of science in nursing degree from Liberty University and BSN from Cedarville University. She has served as an adjunct instructor in Cedarville University’s School of Nursing since 2003.

Katherine Loper, RN, M.S.N., instructor of nursing

Loper earned her master of science in nursing degree from Wright State University and BSN from Cedarville University. She worked as a staff nurse at Miami Valley Hospital from 2008-2015 and as an adjunct instructor at Cedarville University since 2013.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 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.

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