by Alex Boesch, Student Public Relations Writer
The Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) has named Cedarville University’s Dr. Keith Shomper, professor of computer science and cyber operations, as one of its Excellence Award recipients for July 2021.
Even from a young age, Shomper was fascinated with teaching. “I wanted to be a teacher from as far back as high school,” he said. “I was motivated by my 10th grade geometry professor because I enjoyed the way he motivated the class by challenging us to give rigorous logical answers for the geometry problems.” 
Today, his favorite aspect of being a professor is being in the classroom, interacting with his students and showing them the intersection between faith and computer science. “I love the time in class, interacting with the lesson material and sometimes just telling nerd jokes and sharing computing experiences,” he said. “I encourage my students to approach God's word as a reasonable faith, to exercise consistency in their devotion and to recognize that Christian growth is a life goal which requires that we daily approach God for our needs.”
Shomper has had the privilege of teaching every graduating class of computer science students except for the very first. He is also grateful for having been able to contribute to his school’s programs, including helping develop and modify the computer science and cyber operations curriculum.
Shomper has also helped the computer science program achieve accreditation with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2006 and maintain that accreditation since that time. He has contributed to the cybersecurity specialization achieving recognition as a National Security Agency National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, and receiving ABET accreditation.
SOCHE is the regional leader for higher collaboration, engaging with colleges, universities and industry to transform the economy through the education and employment of nearly 200,000 students in Southwest Ohio.
Academic officers at each SOCHE member institution submitted faculty members who demonstrated excellence in teaching, service, and scholarship during 2021. Similarly, human resources officers at each SOCHE member institution named staff members who demonstrated excellence in student success, service and assessment throughout the past year.
The full list of award winners and their supporting information is available at https://www.soche.org/.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 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, including its Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.