New Residence Hall, Increased Financial Aid Approved by Trustees

A new residence hall to accommodate recent record enrollments, increased financial aid designed to help incoming Cedarville University students make college more affordable, and celebration of the largest estate gift in the university’s 131-year history were key items addressed by Cedarville University’s board of trustees at its October meeting last week.

In addition, the trustees approved 16 new faculty members, welcomed a new trustee, and reviewed the initial phase of a comprehensive 10-year master plan.

Additional Student Housing

With Cedarville University having just welcomed two record freshman classes in a row, the trustees approved the construction of a 63,000-square-foot, approximately 300-bed facility to address the housing needs. The hall will provide private lounges on each wing for men and women, as well as a central lounge on the first floor. It will be located near the current apartment-style facilities and close to the athletic complex.

“Our residential philosophy is oriented around discipleship,” said Jon Wood, vice president for student life and Christian ministries. “This building continues our model of life-on-life discipleship in a residential community. The indoor and outdoor spaces associated with this residence hall will be built with community and spiritual growth in mind for the student body.”

This three-story building will be constructed by the Danis Corporation, and it will include four handicapped-accessible private rooms and a resident director’s apartment. The building, furniture, and infrastructure are expected to cost $13.3 million with no debt incurred for the project. The new hall is planned to open for the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

Increased Student Financial Aid

Continuing its efforts to increase affordability and accessibility for students, the trustees approved several increases in freshman academic scholarships for 2019-20. Academic scholarships for fall 2019 freshmen will range from $9,000-$20,000. While benefiting students, this year’s modest changes in financial aid opportunities also ensure the university maintains a healthy discount rate for long-term sustainability.

Celebrating Commitment to Christian Higher Education

Trustees celebrated the late Roger and Charlotte Kuriger’s commitment to Christian higher education. The Kurigers bequeathed the majority of their estate to Cedarville University for student scholarships. The Kurigers’ $3.1 million gift is the largest estate gift in Cedarville’s 131-year history.

Charlotte Kuriger passed away earlier this year in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the age of 96. She and Roger Kuriger married on July 3, 1942, and both enjoyed professional careers, Roger as an accountant and Charlotte as a secretary for Simmons Perrine law firm.

The funds will fund scholarships for Cedarville’s graduate nursing program and the undergraduate program in accounting through the endowed Roger and Charlotte Kuriger Scholarship Fund. This fund will make a Cedarville education possible for future students who are preparing for careers in advanced practice nursing or accounting.

“We are thankful for the gift from the Kurigers. Their generous gift will be used to equip our students to make a kingdom impact in their professions,” said Thomas White, president of Cedarville University. “The Kurigers’ commitment to sharing the Gospel and serving others reflects our heartbeat at Cedarville University.”

New Faculty Appointments

The board approved the hiring of 16 new faculty members.

• Holly Blakely, M.A., assistant professor of English. Blakely earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English from Wright State University. Since 2014, she was an adjunct lecturer in English at Sinclair Community College.
• Xiaowei (Sean) Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of electrical engineering. Chen earned his doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering from North Dakota State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Air Force Engineering University in China. Since 2014, he was a teaching assistant in electrical and computer engineering at North Dakota State.
• Robert Clark, Ph.D., assistant professor of history. Clark earned his doctoral degree in history from Kansas State University. He also holds a master’s degree in history from Wichita State University and a master’s degree in Christian ministries from Dallas Theological Seminary. Since 2015, he was assistant professor of history and geography at Butler Community College.
• Dan (Cam) Davis, M.F.A., associate professor of visual communication. Davis earned his M.F.A. from Radford University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in commercial art from Marshall University. Since 1996, he has been a faculty member at Liberty University.
• Alexandra Hintz, Pharm.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Hintz earned her doctoral degree in pharmacy from the University of Charleston. Since 2015, she has worked at Health Partners of Western Ohio as a pharmacy resident and clinical pharmacist.
• Kyung-Hwa (Christine) Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of international studies. Kim earned her doctoral degree in political science from Syracuse University. She also holds a master’s degree in international relations from Syracuse and a bachelor’s degree in English literature and linguistics from Korea National Open University. Since 2016, she was an adjunct professor at SUNY Onondaga Community College.
• Chao Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology. Liu earned his doctoral degree in human sciences from Oklahoma State University. He also holds a master’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of Maine and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Beijing Norman University. Since 2014, he was a teaching assistant and instructor at Oklahoma State University.
• Anthony Moore, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology. Moore earned his doctoral degree in systematic theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS). He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from SWBTS and a bachelor's degree in biblical studies from Evangel University.
• Mohan Pereira, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics. Pereira earned his doctoral degree in physics from the University of Rhode Island. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Columbo in Sri Lanka. Since 2016, he was a postdoctoral associate at Yale School of Medicine at Yale University.
• Diedrich Prigge, Ph.D., associate professor of management. Prigge earned his doctoral degree in construction management from Arizona State University (ASU). He holds a master’s degree in construction management and bachelor’s degree in construction management from ASU. Since 2016, he was assistant professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology.
• Anne Russell, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing. Russell earned her doctoral degree in nursing from Kent State University. She holds an M.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Xavier University. Since 2011, she was an associate professor at Wright State University.
• Michael Sherr, Ph.D., professor of social work. Sherr earned his doctoral degree in social work from the University of South Carolina (USC). He also holds a master’s degree in social work from USC and a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina—Greensboro. Since 2016, he was professor of social work at the University of Tennessee—Chattanooga.
• Kari Siders, M.L.I.S., assistant professor of library science. Siders earned her master’s degree in library and information science from Kent State University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and history from Wilmington College. Since 2016, she was the director of library services at Southern State Community College.
• Daryl Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of management. Smith earned his doctoral degree in human resource management and organizational behavior from the University of Washington. He holds a master’s degree in human factors and systems engineering from Wright State University and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences from the United States Air Force Academy. Since 2015, he was professor and dean of the school of business at Cincinnati Christian University.
• Nathanael Smith, Pharm.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Smith earned his doctoral degree in pharmacy from Cedarville University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science from Cedarville.
• Thomas Ward, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering. Ward earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton. He holds a master’s degree in aerospace systems engineering from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Dayton. His bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering is from the University of Cincinnati. Since 2016, he was an associate professor of engineering at Heriot-Watt University in Malaysia.

New Trustee Member

Brian White, lead pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel North Indy and executive director of Great Commission Collective, was approved as a new member of the board of trustees. White holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Cedarville University. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Master Plan Reviewed

During the 2017-18 academic year, Cedarville’s administration began working on a 10-year master plan that would address infrastructure and facilities. This plan was presented to and approved by the trustees in May, and at the October meeting, they reviewed planned improvements that are set to begin this academic year.

Initial plans include improving upon the university’s curb appeal along State Rt. 72, expanding chapel seating capacity (by fall 2019), and building a Chick-fil-A restaurant along the back of Centennial Library and overlooking the campus lake. The new restaurant is scheduled to open in 2020.

The approval of the approximately 300-bed residence hall was also part of the master plan. Other projects discussed include a facility to accommodate Cedarville’s civil engineering program that started this fall and an expanded varsity weight room.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 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.