Cedarville University Strategic Plan
Distinctiveness Reinvigorated
For more than 130 years, Cedarville has been dedicated to providing an education consistent with biblical truth. That dedication has been rooted in a desire to glorify God, a desire permeated throughout the trustees, administration, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Cedarville. As the University faces a culture increasingly hostile to biblical authority and ultimate truth, we are taking a stand — a stand rooted in the truth of the Word of God, and a stand that is consistent with the historic American ideal of religious freedom.
We remain steadfast in our commitment that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). We remain committed to grounding our students in the Word through a solid Bible minor emphasizing biblical theology. We remain dedicated to discipling and mentoring the next generation of believers for Gospel impact in their communities, cultures, and marketplaces through their ministry in local churches. Altogether, we seek to remain faithful to the stewardship entrusted to us, in glorifying God by fulfilling His teaching and by producing well-educated graduates who are equipped to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
To do so, we will reinvigorate our distinctiveness by strengthening our core. Daily chapel, an enhanced Bible minor, state of the art programs anchored to the truth of Scripture, and a vibrant campus community comprise the essence of the core. Strengthening the core requires not only focusing on what we do best, but also adding innovative new academic offerings that will continue to broaden and augment the means by which we maintain and strengthen our mission.
Our Mission
Cedarville University transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority.
Our Vision
For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ
Core Commitments
Cedarville University’s vision is expressed in five core commitments that drive this Strategic Plan.
Biblical
Authority
Driven by the inerrant, infallible, and reliable truth of God’s Word.
Comprehensive
Education
Providing a comprehensive education grounded in biblical truth, offering a wide array of state of the art programs, and committed to intentionality and innovation.
Godly
Service
Comprised of servants who seek to honor God through pursuit of academic excellence, vocational mentoring of students, and biblical modeling of the Christian life.
Transformed
Lives
Creating a community focused on discipleship and service, transforming students to be ambassadors for Christ in whatever vocation to which He has called them.
Faithful
Stewardship
Dedicated to excellence through good stewardship of resources and commitment to financial sustainability and affordability.
Core Strategies
Cedarville University seeks to fulfill its Mission and Vision of being an exemplary Christian institution by pursuing the following Core Strategies:
Academic Excellence:
Enrich and refine the quality of a residential, undergraduate program array that is responsive to cultural and vocational demands.
Tactics
Maintaining only high quality programs provides more efficient use of resources and the opportunity for pursuing our mission in new areas of market demand. We will pursue new programs after careful market and financial analysis to glorify God by preparing young men and women for the call He has placed upon them.
Commitments
- Provide a Comprehensive Education Grounded in the Bible and Liberal Arts
- Strengthen the Family, Church, and Society through Graduates of Character
- Provide a Wide Array of Professional Programs
- Assess Quality, Viability, and Mission Fit of Current and New Programs
Gospel Impact:
Continue and elevate the effect of our commitment to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible across the university to engage the culture for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Tactics
Cedarville University is committed to holding fast to the inerrant Word of God and discipling students in its teachings. We produce graduates who are spiritually mature, equipped to engage the culture boldly and share the Gospel of Christ through service in the local church. Such graduates glorify God by remaining faithful to the teachings of Scripture.
Commitments
- Submit to Biblical Authority
- Provide Biblically Faithful Education in All Disciplines (Comprehensive Education)
- Maintain and Enhance the Cedarville Experience to Transform Lives
- Disciple Students to Engage Culture and Share the Gospel
- Support the Local Church by Producing Godly Servants
Institutional Sustainability:
Enhance institutional strength by pursuing creative solutions that balance the high quality Cedarville experience with student access, maximizing the stewardship of financial, physical, and human resources.
Tactics
Financial stewardship demands that Cedarville University evaluates sustainability issues in light of the mission. The Cedarville Experience is a unique and worthwhile investment made by students and their families. We seek innovative methods to be as efficient as possible with the resources God grants us through tuition and donations. We provide quality faculty, staff, and facilities by appropriating resources carefully and suitably. We sensibly monitor the discount rate to keep the university financially strong while offering as much financial aid to students as is reasonable. In short, we glorify God through stewardship of the resources and the mission which He has entrusted to us.
Commitments
- Balance Mission with Sustainability through Faithful Stewardship of Resources
- Maintain Healthy Enrollment
- Recruit and Maintain Godly Servants
- Balance Financial Aid with a Reasonable Discount Rate
- Create Innovative Efficiencies
- Utilize Fundraising to Increase Affordability through Scholarships
- Raise Endowment Levels
- Maintain Quality Facilities
Program Innovation:
Expand kingdom impact by providing graduate, online, and non-traditional programs that balance academic excellence with sustainability to advance Cedarville’s mission.
Tactics
Due to its uniquely robust undergraduate programs, Cedarville University is well poised to offer Dual Enrollment, Graduate, and online courses and programs. These offerings provide us with the opportunity to pursue our mission and vision with constituencies beyond residential, undergraduate students. We glorify God by providing Dual Enrollment, Graduate, and Online students with educational opportunities that are of excellent quality and consistent with biblical truth.
Commitments
- Expand the Reach of the Mission through Additional Program Offerings
- Meet New Demands by Offering Excellent and Sustainable:
- Traditional, Online, and Accelerated Graduate Programs
- Online and Hybrid Dual Enrollment Courses
- Evaluate and Consider New Roles for Undergraduate Online Courses
Vibrant Community:
Encourage a campus culture that promotes flourishing, camaraderie, and a biblical sense of community through collaborative and innovative co-curricular programs and events, reflecting biblical truth and transforming lives.
Tactics
Cedarville University glorifies God by developing a biblical community on campus, providing cultural experiences for students and the local community, engaging the culture through public events and media interaction, building strong ties with alumni, and supporting local churches with the expertise and service of our faculty, staff, and students.
Commitments
- Transform Lives through Biblical Community
- Promote Campus Spirit
- Develop Student Talents and Discipline Through Co-curricular Programs
- Provide Cultural Experiences
- Build Stronger Ties With and Among Alumni
- Engage Culture
- Support the Local Church