1987-1988 Cedarville College Annual Report

Christian young people come to Cedarville because they know that here God is given His rightful place of priority. At Cedarville we still require chapel attendance five days per week and our Christian ministries program is one of the most comprehensive anywhere. "Until this century, educators throughout history not only sought to build the character of their students, they made this task their central responsibility," says Dr. Derek Bok in a recent President's Report for Harvard University. Sadly, during the 20th century moral instruction has all but disappeared from higher education. Furthermore, Dr. Bok admits that in recent years Harvard has had relatively little lasting effect on the moral and ethical values of its students. In the same publication former Secretary of Education William Bennett agrees. "Where are our colleges and universities," he asked, "on the issue of their responsibility to foster moral discernment in their students? With the exception of a relatively few places - mostly religious or military institutions - higher education is silent." Regarding religious schools, Dr. Bok states that they Our academic departments seek means to bring ethics and values into the classroom. "...no longer seem as able as they once were to impart basic values to the young." At Cedarville we major on imparting Christian values. Unlike secular institutions and many religious ones, we still honor God's Book, the Bible. Our Christian faculty continue to incorporate scriptural principles into every discipline without apology. Our academic departments seek means to bring ethics and values into the classroom. Last year our Business Administration Department secured a grant from the Cleveland Foundation to fund a two-year study of ethics in business. The result of these efforts? Our graduates continue to be in great demand because of their character, their sense of right and wrong, and their work ethic. Because Cedarville's distinctive contributions are recognized and valued, I have had opportunities to speak at meetings of some of Ohio's business leaders on morality and ethics in business and education. Nationwide, leaders in higher education have been calling for more volunteerism by their students. A recent meeting at Temple University explored the topic, "Social Responsibility: What Role for Higher Education?" James A. Joseph, president of the Council on Foundations, said that colleges and universities must instill more of a "chari– table impulse" in students. While urging more campus volunteerism he warned, "Those who choose to sit on the sidelines will find society shaped by a vision and values they do not share." At that same meeting Bruce Payne of Duke University challenged colleges to merge the worlds of "thought and action." "Colleges are not doing their job if they are not creating that mixture," he said. Educators are recognizing that the college experience should encourage meaningful volunteer service. At Cedarville students are involved. Nearly all volunteer for some kind of service. This is normative for Cedarville, not a response to a new trend. Each week a fleet of vehicles carries 100 teams of students to Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati to help meet the needs of real people with real problems. Whether the scene is churches, hospitals, nursing homes, jails, detention homes, or rescue missions, these young people develop a keen understanding of their society and how to relate to people with compassion. Cedarville students continue to raise their own funds in order to serve short-term worldwide in the nations of China, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Peru, the Philippines, and on the continents of Africa and Europe. Internationalism is not a new horizon at Cedarville. Our Missionary Internship Service program is in its 20th year and will continue to send our students abroad for global involvement. The "Golden Age" of higher education is past. During the period of the '70's students were plentiful. Rivers of government funds irrigated great expansion in capital build– ing, programming, and faculty hires. But in the '80's the picture changed dramatically. Students and aid funds began to dry up. Outright grants in aid shifted to loans, which now exceed 50 percent of all student financing. Stafford Student Loan funds, backed by the federal government, dropped 19 percent this year at Cedarville, making a college education not feasible for increasing numbers of young people. And many of those who graduate carry heavy debts, as high as $15,000 for some 22-year-olds.