A Charge to Keep

Cedarville College by conviction has deliberately classified itself as a "Baptist College of Arts and Sciences," This immediately limits our sources of revenue to those who are sympathetic to our denominational convictions. It should be pointed out that it sometimes becomes a barrier in obtaining funds from secular organizations and foundations. Obviously, many Christians of other denominations will feel restraint when it comes to the support of a col– lege which is distinctively Baptist. This, of course, is understandable. Because of this, however, it needs to be clearly understood that the burden rests more heavily upon those who believe as we do and desire to have their young people educated in a college where our Christian faith is upheld. Up to the present time, we have not been financed by subsidies from the United States Government. We have not qualified for such support, nor have we sought it. The Board of Trustees has not to this time established a policy as to whether or not we should seek and accept government aid. The government is presently contributing billions of dollars to the support of education. Schools accepting and using these funds are able to provide the facilities for thousands of young people who maywish a Christian college edu– cation, but are hindered in this because schools of our type have not been aided by government funds. Often we have been asked why we do not seek government aid. The answer is simple: we have preferred to have the support of God 1 s people, If our own Christian people do not support us, then what? Dear reader, you answer this question. It is at this point in my opinionwhere many church-related schools in the past have been sold out to secularism. They found themselves in a church relationship which did not care enough to support the institution to which they had committed the education of their own young people. The colleges then looked to other sources for financial aid. Those who thus supported the col– lege eventually controlled it and the church relationship was s evered or it became ins ignificant. Last summer an 80-bed addition was made to Faith Hall at a cost of $165,000, During this period, we al so purchased 21 apartments located in the Cedar Park Development, This housing expansion cost $160,000 and will temporarily house 133 men. Eventually, the college plans to use these units for married-student housing. New and larger buildings are now being planned for future use, Be sure to see these plans in more detail as you read the following pages, Most of our dormitories have been financed by the sale of college bonds, At the present time, we have sold ,$192, 350 of a $350,000 bond issue approved by the Board of Trustees. It is hoped that our churches and interested indi– viduals havingmoney to loan will consider Cedarville College as a sound place of investment. The income from the dormitories will adequately care for the principal and the interest over a period of years. We are very grateful for the response which has been shown for this aspect of our program. At the present time there are 269 individuals and churches who have invested money in the college by the purchase of Series A, B, and C bonds. We believe Cedarville College has something distinctively Christian to offer young people who are enrolled here, We are concerned that we keep this emphasis now and in the years to come, You, our friends, are respon– sible with us to see that this is done. We all have "a charge to keep." In great measure, your financial support of this college will be the guarantee of its continued loyalty to Christ and the Bible. During the past year, we have been stressing the importance of erecting a new college library. This building will cost $375,000. Interested friends have contributed $134,937.77 in cash, but the entire amount must be raised by designated gifts since the library is not an inc-ome-producing building. Since the present college library was built for a student body of 225, one can easily see how inadequate this facility is now with a student body of 760. We are not providing adequate library facilities for our present student body, This problem must be remedied, and that very soon. Actually, we should have begun the construction of this new unit a year ago. Many individuals in various parts of the country have been spending time in prayer and effort seeking funds for this new building. We commend them for their sacrifice in helping us meet this goal. Funds now available for the library are a reality because somany of you did something about the problem. May I encourage you to continue your efforts in obtaining gifts for the new Cedarville College library? We need this new building now more than we did last year when the college banquet program was being carried on in various churches and communities. Many times we are asked concerning the accreditation of Cedarville, At the present time, the college is engaged in a self-study program which we sincerely trust will lead to regional accreditation, The North Central Associa– tion of Colleges and Secondary Schools has already s ent one examining team to consider our operation with a view to candidate status, The association has appointed a consultant who has already met with the Administration of the col– lege, and another meeting is planned for early spring. The accreditation problem can be solved when adequate financial stability is obtair,ed. It is hoped that this report will give our supporting churches and interested individuals a pictorial view of our financial standing at the present time. The graphs located in other sections of this brochure will clearly show these matters.