New Graduate Program, Faculty Hires Highlight Trustees Meeting

Cedarville University continues to grow, with record enrollments for 14 consecutive years and new facilities that will transform the campus for the growing student body.

This momentum was evident at last week’s board of trustees meeting, as board members approved a new graduate program and four new faculty members, reviewed artist renderings for the proposed Lorne Scharnberg Business Center, and endorsed a $2,000 bonus for all full-time employees.

Graduate Programs

The trustees approved The Graduate School to offer a new Master of Arts degree in innovation with concentrations in business innovation and business analytics and visualization that will now pursue the necessary external approvals.  This program is ideally suited for professionals who want to solve problems using innovative and creative solutions and will provide employment opportunities within medium- and large-sized corporations that have established innovation operating units. The 33-hour, fully online degree program will be delivered as a partnership between the school of business administration and the International Center for Creativity (ICC) in Columbus. Cedarville’s industrial and innovative design undergraduate program and its MBA innovation and entrepreneurship program are also offered in partnership the ICC.

Undergraduate Programs

The trustees approved phasing out the multi-age health and physical education and physical education (PE) programs. The programs have not seen high demand, and the move allows Cedarville to focus on its allied health programs, such as the developing physician assistant program, which is scheduled to begin in 2023, pending external approvals.

All students who are currently in the PE programs will work with their academic advisors to complete their program and graduate as planned by 2024.

Supporting Faculty and Staff

The trustees also endorsed a $2,000 across-the-board bonus for all full-time faculty and staff members, and a prorated bonus for the University’s 30 permanent part-time employees. The bonus recognizes the campus community’s efforts to successfully complete the challenging 2020-21 academic year with students on campus while carefully stewarding the budget during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is believed to be the largest bonus given to employees in the university’s history.

Campus Master Plan

The board also reviewed and discussed artist renderings of the Scharnberg Business Center. Construction on the new business building is expected to commence sometime in the fall of 2022.

Trustees also participated in a Friday morning groundbreaking ceremony for the $8-million Callan Athletic and Academic expansion project. The Callan Athletic Center has been the home of the Yellow Jackets since 1981. Callan is also the academic facility used by the university’s school of allied health.

The two-story expansion will create classrooms, lab space, and offices for the school. Cedarville’s new Master of Athletic Training program, which will enroll its first graduate students in summer 2022, will use this space. Pending all external approvals, the developing physician assistant program, the Master of Medical Science in PA Studies, will also enjoy classroom, lab, office, and student collaboration spaces in the new expansion.

On the first floor, the new space will include a 3,500 square foot weight room for athletes, as well as a new team room with more than 2,000 square feet of space for the athletic staff and student­ athletes to meet, review film, host events, and recruit future Yellow Jackets.

“We are grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to grow and expand our academic and athletic facilities,” said Cedarville University President Dr. Thomas White. “The transformation of the Callan Athletic Center will bless our allied health majors, our athletes and athletics staff, and our entire campus. We thank God for the resources he has graciously provided.”

New Faculty Hires

Four new faculty members were approved by the trustees, and below is a brief profile of each one.

• Pamela Bailey, MSW, assistant professor of social work

Pamela Bailey earned her undergraduate degree in social work from Cedarville University and Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University. She has served as an adjunct instructor at Cedarville University since 2015.

• Jessica Elder, MLIS, instructor of library sciences
  

Jessica Elder earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Kent State University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Cedarville University. Since 2018, Elder has served as a digital services specialist in Cedarville’s Centennial Library.

• Mark Leeds, PhD, associate vice president for academics and associate professor of theology
  

Mark Leeds earned his doctoral degree in systematic theology and a master’s in language study from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University.

• Megan Rabe, PhD, assistant professor of mathematics
  

Megan Rabe earned her doctoral degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and a   bachelor’s degree in math from Cedarville University. Before coming to Cedarville, she served as an assistant professor of mathematics at Grove City College and as a teaching assistant at Kentucky.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, 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 cedarville.edu.