James T. Jeremiah, serving as acting president after Leonard Webster resigned, was called to be the seventh president of the school. His leadership stabilized the College, and made it a leading institution in Christian higher education. look at each other and ask, "Cedar-Where?"4 Consequently, school officials "hired a bus and everybody who wanted to could come down and look at the campus. Faculty, students, and everybody came down."5 Among those coming were representatives of the school yearbook and newspaper. They wandered about the Cedarville campus taking pictures and looking over the entire operation. "We were glad we were going to be able to have a college campus instead of meeting in a church."6 At the other end of the spectrum was the reaction in the greater Dayton area to the news that the college would be changing hands. On Saturday, March 16, 1953, the lead headline in the Dayton Daily News read: "Cedarville College, Cleveland School Merge." The subheading announced in bold print: "Immediate Expansion Scheduled." The article pointed out that the Baptists, who were taking charge of the school, planned to begin slowly but anticipated building the school to "500 students from all over the United States." The Dayton Daily News went on to say: Thus historic Cedarville, which was threat– ened with the termination after 56 years of op– eration, is to continue - and will be strong than at any time in its history. ''I'm tickled to pieces," McClellan told the Dayton Daily News today. "It means a lotto the county."7 96/Chapter XII The dream of 500 students was certainly optimistic in light of the challenges ahead. From an external standpoint, there was the challenge of gaining support from the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (G.A.R.B.C.). The Regular Baptists had taken that name as an indication of their allegiance to the orthodox biblical principles of historic Baptists, as opposed to the "liberal theology" permeating the Northern Baptist Convention. Many Regular Baptists wanted nothing to do with the term "liberal," even in the specific context of the "liberal arts" college. Others were not convinced a liberal arts college was needed. From an internal perspective, there were several major obstacles to getting the new school off the ground. The most immediate problems were moving the Bible Institute to its new location, preparing that new location for the opening of school in September, and acquiring a faculty for the liberal arts program. These problems were complicated by the resignation of Mr. Allan Lewis as president of the newly merged Cedarville College-Baptist Bible Institute, effective June 8, 1953. When Lewis decided not to move with the school the trustees selected Dr. Leonard Webster as ' president.8 Webster had come to B.B.I. following the resignation of Kenneth Amsler as president and dean in April 1952. He became acting dean when school opened the following September.9 Then, Webster became president after only one year with the school. One of Webster's first responsibilities was to attend the G.A.R.B.C.'s annual meeting in the city of Philadelphia, where he outlined the events leading to the acquisition of the Cedarville campus for the Association. He later described his experience at the annual meeting for Ohio Regular Baptists: Throughout the General Association of Reg– ular Baptist Churches, the news concerning God's miraculous provision of the Cedarville College property for the Baptist Bible Institute has been received with much thanksgiving and praise. Many have said that this is a definite answer to prayer. Regular Baptists have long felt the need for a Liberal Arts College wholly dedicated to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and operated on a definite Baptistic pOlicy.IO Following his return from the national conference, Webster and Professor John Stoll moved their families to Cedarville. The July issue of the Ohio Independent Baptist announced that the "general offices of the institution have now been moved and all mail should be addressed to Cedarville, Ohio.''11
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