by Sarah Mummert, Student Public Relation Writer
While you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, you can discern the quality of an academic program by the success of its graduates and partnerships with business leaders.
At Cedarville University, having partnerships with the National Security Agency (NSA), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Intel indicate the success of its 30-year engineering program, which includes computer science and cybersecurity.
Today, Cedarville graduates are leaders at Honda, Lockheed Martin and GE Aviation. These accomplishments point to the strength of Cedarville’s engineering program and faculty, who have been educating students for the past 30 years.
Dr. Bob Chasnov, dean of the school of engineering and computer science, and Dr. Larry Zavodney, senior professor of mechanical engineering, are two leaders who have instilled academic excellence throughout the engineering program. Under their leadership, the program has grown from 40 students to more than 650 in mechanical, electrical, computer and civil engineering.
After its start in electrical and mechanical engineering degrees, Cedarville swiftly added computer science in 2001 and computer engineering one year later. Civil engineering joined the curriculum in 2018, and two years later, cyber operations became a program.
Cedarville graduates have gone on to successful careers with high-profile companies like Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Tyler Greenwood, a 2017 mechanical engineering graduate, works for Sikorsky (now acquired by Lockheed Martin), a position he secured as a result of another mechanical engineering graduate, Dave Scott ’06.
“One thing Dr. Zavodney used to say has certainly been valuable: ‘We’re teaching you how to think like an engineer,’” said Greenwood. “The ability to think critically and consider all aspects of an engineering problem has been the greatest gift Cedarville gave me. The skills I have gained on the job combined with what I learned at Cedarville have made me well-rounded and helped me earn the trust of my coworkers and customers.”
An additional highlight of Cedarville’s success is the cyber operations major. Cedarville’s cyber program is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and Cyber Defense by the NSA and is accredited by ABET in Cybersecurity. The only other undergraduate schools in the nation to hold these distinctions are Towson University, the United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy.
State-of-the-art equipment and award-winning academic competition teams give engineering students at Cedarville University many hands-on opportunities in real-world environments. Competition teams include the 14-time champion Solar Boat team, the defending state champion Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team and teams in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design, SAE Supermileage, NASA’s Student Launch Challenge and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Robotics competitions.
“Plenty of partners in the industry keep coming back to hire our students because they like what they see,” said Chasnov. “Our program continues to grow and thrive, and the only way a program can grow is to have the right people to help it grow. God has brought all the right people here — both students and faculty — at the right time.”
After 30 years of success leading to a 98.1% job placement rate for the school, each program looks forward to the next 30 years of growth, training students with the technical ability and personal integrity to make a difference in the world.
Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.