Cedarville Stories Podcast: "Beste" Friends
Jeff Beste, director of strategic relationships, has a knack for making meaningful connections.
Cedarville’s Director of Strategic Relations, Jeff Beste, has a gift for relationships.
He is well suited for his role developing and maintaining connections with alumni, supporters, and parents of the University. Every aspect of his 32-year career has been about forging important people connections — from admissions, to Christian ministries, student life, alumni relations, and serving as an adjunct math instructor.
When Jeff first arrived at Cedarville as a student, no one could have predicted that kind of connection. He really thought he would be a Yellow Jacket for a year and transfer. But his one year on campus captured his heart, and he saw God move in a way that convinced him to stay. Connections with “heroes” helped shape his faith and his life, and now, three decades later, Jeff is an integral part of the Cedarville story and the stories of many, many others.
When Jeff returned to work for Cedarville, connections with people like Dave Ormsbee, Jim Cato, and the legendary Dick Walker, continued to shape his life and his faith.
And as important as these pivotal connections have been, it’s his relationship with God that has transformed him the most. As Jeff has learned, all of life is worship to the One who is head over all, Jesus Christ, through whom the whole church is connected.
To listen to the podcast, click on the link below:
To hear more Cedarville Stories podcasts, click on the link below:
More to the Story
Jeff and his wife, Shelley, are also Cedarville parents. Their oldest daughter, Kylie, graduated in 2020.
One other important connection has been Theta Rho Epsilon, or OPE, a fellowship of men focused on service and accountability that Jeff has advised from its beginning in 1991.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 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 high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.