Cedarville University is a private, co-educational university located in Cedarville, Ohio, United States.
At its founding, the school was affiliated with the conservative General Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod, now Presbyterian Church in America. Today, Cedarville is an independent Baptist school. Across all academic disciplines, student life is influenced by codes of personal conduct, community service, and theological study.
Chartered by the state of Ohio and accredited by the Ohio Board of Regents, Cedarville University is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
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History
Cedarville College was chartered in 1887 by the New Light Reformed Presbyterian Church; at the time, the surrounding township was largely Presbyterian. The first classes were held in 1892, though the college did not officially open until 1894. David McKinney was the college's first president.
After McKinney, Dr. Wilbert McChesney served as president from 1915 to 1940. McChesney guided the college during World War I and the Depression, and also served as professor of New Testament when the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary was located at Cedarville. In addition to his duties at Cedarville, McChesney served seven terms in the Ohio Legislature. The Rev. Walter Smith Kilpatrick replaced McChesney, serving from 1940 to 1943. He is the only alumnus of the college (1934) to serve as president, having graduated with honors. Kilpatrick's brief tenure faced financial challenges and the impact of World War II.
Ira Vayhinger became the College's fourth president in 1943 and served until 1950. He had served as General Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) from 1911-1922. He joined Cedarville College in 1941 as finance director and business manager. As president, he guided the college through enrollment challenges and the difficult years of World War II. E. H. Miller was appointed president in 1950. During his tenure, the college merged (1953) with the Baptist Bible Institute of Cleveland. Following the unanimous vote of both boards of trustees, the transfer of property occurred April 4, 1953. Miller's tenure as president ended in 1953.
Dr. Leonard Webster, the dean of the Baptist Bible Institute of Cleveland, became president of Cedarville College in 1953. In 1953, the Baptist Bible Institute of Cleveland, Ohio relocated to Cedarville's campus and transitioned into management of Cedarville College through a merger arrangement with the college's Presbyterian board of trustees, who each resigned in turn. The Baptists were affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, a fundamentalist group which later dissociated itself from the college. Webster led the move from Cleveland to Cedarville and hired new faculty to complement the existing Baptist Bible Institute professors. Webster represented Cedarville at national and state conferences of the Regular Baptist Churches to promote the college.
Dr. James T. Jeremiah, Cedarville College's seventh president, began his tenure in 1954 and served until 1978. Under Jeremiah's leadership, Cedarville College transformed to an accredited institution of higher learning respected for its graduates, programs, faculty, and facilities. College enrollment increased during Jeremiah's tenure, reaching more than 1,200 by the mid-1970s. The Jeremiah Chapel in the Dixon Ministry Center is named in honor of Dr. James T. Jeremiah. David Jeremiah his son, is a noted alumnus and a former Cedarville trustee.
Dr. Paul H. Dixon became eighth president of Cedarville College in 1978. Dixon expressed a strong desire for students to take part in the Great Commission. In his 25 years, Cedarville constructed $100 million in facilities and expanded from 180 to 400 acres. Cedarville attained university status in 2000 and programs of study grew to more than 100, including graduate degrees. Enrollment increased from 1,185 students in 1978 to more than 3,000 by the end of Dixon's service in 2003.
Cedarville's ninth President, Dr. William E. Brown, began in 2003. Under his leadership, the university developed new online programs and launched the Pharm.D., [now defunct] M.Ed., M.S.N., and M.B.A. programs. The campus expanded to include the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies and Health Sciences Center and renovated 14 residence halls. The university experienced many changes during 2012-14. A theology professor, Michael Pahl, was placed on leave in August 2012 and later dismissed for teaching that the Bible was not the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and President Brown announced his resignation in October 2012. In January 2013, Inside Higher Ed characterized the university as being in the midst of an "ongoing, tangled doctrinal controversy." Vice President for Student Life Carl Ruby resigned in January 2013. The Board of Trustees eliminated the philosophy major at the end of the academic year, citing a continued decrease in program enrollment and a lack of financial viability.
Thomas White took office as president in July 2013, becoming the 10th president of Cedarville University. Under his leadership, the university completed an extensive renovation of the Jeremiah Chapel, built new science laboratories, established two additional graduate programs, and founded the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity.. In December 2013, twenty-year Cedarville professor Joy Fagan resigned, saying she did not fit the changing policies, including the new restriction of only female students allowed in the Bible classes taught by female professors due to clear biblical teaching. White said that his policies were in line with past values and Scripture, and were "not a new shift." In early 2014, White said that university was preparing to codify their complementarian stance concerning gender roles. He also said he was eliminating layers of leadership such that the presidential cabinet would have direct authority over the university. In April 2014, President White and Vice President of Student Life Jon Wood took copies of The Ventriloquist, an independent subversive student newspaper, during its unauthorized public distribution; the publication had previously reported on institutional changes at Cedarville and published pro-LGBT content. The newspaper represented students who were abandoning the traditional Christian views and embracing agnostic beliefs. Per the Ventriloquist website, the paper recognized that they were outside the university life and chose to publish online.
Elements of the school's heritage remain on today's campus in the form of one original building: Founder's Hall (Old Main).
The university's seal has remained essentially unchanged from the Presbyterians' original design and still contains the Latin phrase 'Pro Corona et Foedere Christi,' which is translated, 'For the crown and covenant of Christ.' The original seal is surrounded with a slogan adopted by the former Baptist Bible Institute, 'For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.'
Academics
Cedarville University offers more than 130 programs of study, which cover most areas of the liberal arts, the sciences, professional programs, and theological studies. It also offers 40 minors, including a five-class Bible minor, which is required for all students. The university also awards graduate degrees in the areas of nursing (M.S.N.), business (M.B.A.), ministry (M.Min. and M.Div.) and pharmacy (Pharm.D.).
The university launched a School of Pharmacy in 2009 with 52 students beginning a three-year pre-pharmacy curriculum. The four-year professional graduate program (Doctor of Pharmacy) launched in 2012 culminating with the graduation of 48 Doctor of Pharmacy graduates in 2016. The program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), affording all graduates eligibility for licensure in all 50 states. The program, the faculty and the students have won numerous regional, state, and national awards, including recognitions by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The Doctor of Pharmacy degree is the University's only doctoral degree.
The university employs more than 200 faculty in several academic departments and the Schools of Engineering, Education, Business, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Biblical and Theological Studies. All of the professional programs are accredited by their respective accrediting agencies and in the 2016-17 academic year, the university received 10-years of accreditation from its regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Spiritual life
According to its mission statement, the university is, "a Christ-centered learning community equipping students for lifelong leadership and service through an education marked by excellence and grounded in biblical truth."
The university's mission statement includes several portrait statements:
- Glorify God: The Cedarville graduate exemplifies devotion to the triune God, Christlike character, and faithfulness to the teachings of the Scriptures.
- Think Broadly and Deeply: The Cedarville graduate evaluates ideas, practices, and theories across disciplines within the framework of God's revelation.
- Communicate Effectively: The Cedarville graduate listens well, and produces and delivers clear, compelling, accurate, and truthful messages in a relevant, respectful manner.
- Develop Academically and Professionally: The Cedarville graduate demonstrates competence and integrity in academic and professional endeavors.
- Engage for Christ: The Cedarville graduate lives to further the mission of Christ in the world as an active influence in spiritual, moral, professional, and social spheres.
With a stated goal of "helping [the student] increasingly reflect the character of God in [his or her] life," Cedarville University is a religious university. All matriculants are required to earn a 15 credit hour Bible minor. Students are also required to attend weekday chapel services on-campus in the Dixon Ministry Center. In addition to these requirements, students are also encouraged to participate in various community service and ministry programs off campus.
Campus
The university's original campus and facilities are in the village of Cedarville. Since about 1970, the school has purchased and consolidated surrounding farm lands which now total approximately 400 acres to the north and west of the village.
Cedarville's campus includes state of the art facilities and has won awards for some of the architecture. Among the few turn-of-the-century structures is Founders Hall, which houses the president's office and administrative functions.
Students who choose to reside on campus live in single-sex residence halls. The university has 11 residences for men and nine for women, all with co-ed lounges. Some students live in a suite-like setting, with three to four bedrooms sharing a small lounge in each unit. Others live in a single-room, hall-style format with communal lounges on each floor. Town homes are available for upper class and graduate students.
Newer athletic facilities cover the farthest northwestern reaches of campus, including a soccer stadium and baseball/softball fields. The university created the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course in 2006, located on the north end of campus and designed to host NCAA-sanctioned, as well as All-Ohio and National Christian College Athletic Association meets.
Publications
BBI publications
Before Baptist Bible Institute merged with Cedarville College and relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, BBI published: 1) Marturion (a student yearbook), and 2) B. B. Eye, the only known archives of which are in the Cedarville University library and in the Louisiana Serials list.
Present Cedarville publications
- Cedars: news magazine and online news site by students for students
- Cedarville Magazine: a publication for alumni and supporters of the university. Stories focus on the university's academics, campus life, ministries, and alumni.
Athletics
Known as the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets, Cedarville competes in 16 sports. The official school colors are blue and gold. Cedarville is a dual member of two national athletics associations; the university is a NCAA Division II member as well as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The university became a full member of NCAA Division II on July 12, 2012. In 2013 the university joined five other regional institutions to form the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
Prior to joining the NCAA, Cedarville competed as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the American Mideast Conference (AMC). Cedarville ended their affiliation with the NAIA after the 2010-11 academic year, after competing in the NAIA for over 60 years. The university was one of the founding members of the AMC, then known as the Mid-Ohio League, in 1949. In 2007, the women's track program placed 2nd in the nation among all NAIA divisions. Both the men's and women's basketball teams have advanced to the NAIA Division II national basketball championships. In 2005, the men's team made it to the NAIA Division II final four, and in both 2004 and 2005 the women's team competed in the NAIA Division II championship game. Cedarville's women's sports won the American Mideast Conference (AMC) All-Sports Award for the 2004-2005 season. The women's cross country team won the school's only NAIA national title in any sport in 2001. The Lady Jackets also claimed the 2008 All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship which features all of the colleges and the universities in the state. They are the only NAIA program to ever win the All-Ohio women's title.
Since joining NCAA Division II, 10 Cedarville teams have competed in their respective NCAA Championships. Yellow Jacket golfer Jacob Forsyth competed in the NCAA Division II Super Regional (2013). Carsyn Koch won the 800-meter race at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Indoor and Outdoor Championships (2016, 2017)., competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016, and competed in the U.S. Outdoor National Track and Field Championships (2017). Dan Michalski won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Outdoor Championships (2017), becoming Cedarville's first men's NCAA Division II champion.
Accreditation and involvement
Cedarville University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Its professional degrees are accredited by the appropriate specialized accreditor. Cedarville University is also approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
In addition, Cedarville is a member of the following organizations:
- Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio
- Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences
- Council of Independent Colleges
- National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
- Ohio College Association
- Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges
- Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education
- National Association of Schools of Music
Student organizations
Cedarville University offers nearly 120 different student organizations, from academic and professional, to social and service, to cross-cultural and special interest groups. Click to view a complete list of student organizations.
Notable alumni
- Mark Keough, incoming Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives; pastor in The Woodlands
- DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association
- Paula Faris, American television correspondent for ABC News
- Abbie Cobb, actress and author
- David Jeremiah, author, speaker and senior pastor of a California evangelical megachurch
- Joseph M. Stowell III, president of Cornerstone University and the author of over 20 Christian books
- Valde Garcia, member of the Michigan State Senate
- Peter A. Lillback president of Westminster Theological Seminary and author of "George Washington's Sacred Fire"
- Grace Norman, U.S. Paralympic triathlon gold medalist, and bronze medalist in 400m in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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