by Mark D. Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations
At its May 4 meeting, Cedarville University’s Board of Trustees affirmed a 10-year campus master plan, a new Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity, new academic programs, and faculty hires and promotions.
10-Year Master Plan
A 10-year campus master plan, designed to meet the needs of the university’s expanding academic initiatives and growing student body, was affirmed by the trustees. The key elements of the plan include:
- Constructing a new liberal arts center that will house selected academic departments and provide state-of-the-art office and classroom spaces
- Constructing a new multipurpose center on the north side of Cedar Lake that will house the admissions welcome center, a new conference/banquet center and the school of business administration
- Expanding Callan Athletic Center to improve locker room facilities, expand the intercollegiate weight room, provide classrooms for the planned Master of Athletic Training program and create a new entrance to the facility
- Adding a new lakeside dining area to Centennial Library
- Defining and enhancing the campus’ east boundary along State Route 72 through signage, landscaping and potentially a fountain near the main entrance
- Constructing new residence halls and expanding an existing residence hall to replace older facilities that are planned for closure and meet the demands of increasing enrollment
- Simplifying traffic flow by reducing the number of vehicular entrances to campus and creating new pedestrian walkways to enhance campus safety
“The campus master plan will advance Cedarville University’s vision to be an exemplary Christian institution known for academic excellence, submission to biblical authority, passion for the Great Commission, and intentional discipleship,” said Thomas White, president. “More important than the new facilities will be the opportunities they will provide for our faculty and staff to invest in students and see their lives transformed for godly service, vocational distinction, and cultural engagement.”
With the affirmation of the trustees, Cedarville’s leadership team will now move forward with developing a comprehensive fundraising campaign that will engage donors to invest in the 10-year vision.
Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity
As concerns about internet security and privacy of personal data continue to grow, Cedarville’s new Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity will seek to help keep the public safe online. The new Center will focus on protecting the rights of individuals and organizations in cyberspace, and it will increase Cedarville’s opportunity for influence as more issues develop with cyberattacks.
Although cybersecurity education nationally is relatively new, Cedarville University’s computer science program already has cyber-trained faculty, a strong cyber undergraduate program and a great reputation among cybersecurity communities in academia, industry and government.
In May, Cedarville University graduated its first class of computer science students with specialized training in cybersecurity. Dr. Seth Hamman, director of the Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity and associate professor of computer science, believes the center will become a catalyst for increased enrollment.
“We live in a world that is oriented around cyberspace and is becoming more so all of the time,” said Hamman. “Cybersecurity is now crucial to the proper functioning of our economy, the well-being of our citizenry and even to the safe-guarding of our freedoms. More students have an interest in being a part of the solution to these issues.”
New Academic Programs
Master of Athletic Training
The trustees approved two related master’s programs that will advance the athletic training education Cedarville currently provides beyond the bachelor’s level. The Master of Athletic Training (M.A.T) and a five-year combined B.S. in sports medicine/M.A.T. program were unanimously endorsed. Now, the university will seek external approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Earning a master’s degree in athletic training will soon be the entry point to a career in sport medicine. With these two new programs, students will have the option to enroll in Cedarville’s accelerated five-year pathway to the M.A.T. or enroll in the stand-alone Master of Athletic Training degree after earning a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Master of Divinity
The trustees also affirmed changes to the university’s existing Master of Divinity degree and approved an advanced standing option. Pending approval by ODHE and HLC, there will now be three pathways to an M.Div. at Cedarville:
- A stand-alone 79-credit M.Div. with eight new, optional nine-hour tracks available in academic ministry, biblical apologetics, biblical care and counseling, missions, pastoral ministry, women’s ministry, worship and theology, and youth and family ministry. There will be no requirement for undergraduate work in Bible.
- The accelerated B.A.+M.Div. program will now offer two tracks, one in pastoral ministry and the other, one of the new M.Div. tracks chosen by the student.
- The new advanced M.Div. program, which requires 61 graduate hours. This pathway to the M.Div. degree recognizes that some prospective students have completed considerable work in biblical and theological studies at the undergraduate level. Built on a 30-hour undergraduate prerequisite base, this program allows prepared students to advance more quickly through the program.
TESOL Endorsement
The department of English, literature, and modern language received approval to reinstitute the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) endorsement for education majors. This program had been eliminated in 2013 when the Ohio Department of Education began requiring endorsements to be completed at the graduate level. In March 2017, this decision was reversed, and Cedarville plans to reinstitute the program to benefit students pursuing licensure in the school of education.
Naming of the Newest Residence Hall
Residence life is a central component of a Cedarville University undergraduate education. To meet the growing enrollment, the university began construction on an additional 64-bed female residence that will open this fall. At its May meeting, the trustees approved the name of the new dorm to honor long-time staff member, Dick Walker. Walker Hall will feature four large units housing 16 students and providing shared living areas, bathroom, kitchenette, and laundry facilities in each unit.
Walker served at Cedarville University for nearly 40 years and, according to chancellor Paul Dixon, “made some of the most significant contributions of anyone who’s been at Cedarville.” From 1975 to 1984, Walker was the dean of men for the university, and from 1984 through 2006, he served as director of campus activities. In 2006, he assumed the role of dean of community and family programs and retired from the university in 2012.
Walker Hall will be dedicated during Homecoming 2018.
New Faculty and Promotion
David Peterson, Ed.D., assistant professor of kinesiology, and Megan Brown, instructor of education, were approved as new faculty members beginning in 2018-19.
Peterson earned his doctoral degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. He holds a master’s degree in health and physical education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Truman State University. Prior to coming to Cedarville, he was the naval aerospace/operational physiologist for the United States Navy since 1997.
Brown is completing her doctoral degree in teaching and learning from Ohio State University in Columbus. She earned her master’s degree in children’s literature from Hollins University in Hollins, Virginia, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Messiah College.
Dr. Denise Simpson Jean-Louis, Ph.D., was promoted to associate professor in the school of pharmacy. Simpson has been on Cedarville’s faculty for five years, and during this time she has authored 11 peer-reviewed journal articles, five peer-reviewed abstracts/conference papers and six book chapters. She is a co-inventor on three United States patents and has given 15 local, three regional and seven national presentations. Retirement Recognition Hardy Hegna, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering since 1992, and Nelson Henning, Ph.D., senior professor of social work, both retired at the end of the current academic year and were granted emeritus faculty status.
About Cedarville University Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,973 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.