Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2015

GIVING TIME Faculty members at Cedarville know that time inside the classroom is just the beginning of forming relationships with their students. To make a difference — a real, lasting difference — professors spend time outside of class, and it may not be during regular office hours. Stephen Boalt ’62 transferred to Cedarville University with a passion for music. He played the trumpet but dreamed of being a vocalist and ultimately serving as a music minister. Something always held him back from being the singer he wanted to be. Enter Richard Cooke, Boalt’s trumpet and vocal instructor at Cedarville, who served on the faculty of the music department from 1958–1962. After spending time with Boalt, Cooke determined something was restricting his throat. Using his personal time outside of class, Cooke drove Boalt to a specialist in Columbus who diagnosed the problem and provided corrective surgery to remove growths from Boalt’s throat. “Following the surgery and a period of healing,” said Boalt, “I was able to sing like never before, with a three-octave range in full voice.” He has since gone on to record nine full orchestral solo albums with some of the greatest musicians in the world. And it all began when a professor took the time to dig deeper. Beth CramPorter, current Chair of the Department of Music and Worship, is impressed — but not surprised — by Boalt’s story. That same legacy of mentoring continues with the music department today. “Mentoring students is one of the highlights for faculty at Cedarville. We take this very seriously in our department,” she said. Mark Tucker ’07 was a senior when he discovered the value of having a professor willing to go above and beyond to help a student. Tucker was interested in learning a skill outside of his electronic media major, but couldn’t afford to take an extra course. His adviser, Clark Greer, an Assistant Professor of Communications from 1999–2007, gave up several hours a week to meet with Tucker and teach him Adobe Photoshop. “He and I met regularly and worked our way through the tutorial, from page one to nearly the end,” Tucker explained. “By the end, Iwas able tomaster the software and achieve amarketable skill, all without adding to my debt.” Jim Leightenheimer ’80, Associate Professor of Communications, confirmed Tucker’s recollection of Greer. “Dr. Greer definitely spent significant time not only with Mark, but with other students pursuing research interests,” he recalled. “My colleagues and I still value these mentoring relationships as some of the best things that we are able to invest in here at Cedarville,” Leightenheimer continued. Looking back at her four years at Cedarville, Lauren (Hanna) Sterrett ’06 recognizes that the time April Crommett, Associate Professor of Exercise Science, spent with her outside of the classroomwas as important —or even more important — as the time they spent inside the classroom. Sterrett recalled trips with Crommett to two national exercise science conferences as pivotal in helping her choose a career path. “We had hours to discuss the most fitting career choice for me,” Sterrett explained. “My education was expanded far beyond the classroom.” When it was time for Sterrett to investigate graduate schools, Crommett went along with her to visit two programs, helping her reason through a tough decision. Years after Sterrett’s graduation from Cedarville, Crommett witnessed her master’s thesis defense from the graduate program she helped her enter. “She still sends me notes and gifts of encouragement nine years later,” Sterrett shared. “I am so thankful for her investment inme.” Crommett remembered Sterrett as a student with great energy and charisma. “It was easy to come along beside her and encourage her dreams,” she recalled. Jamie (Widman) Koser ’11 asked Sharon (Klopfenstein) Christman ’92, Professor of Nursing, to mentor her during her final year in the nursing program. The two met together regularly throughout that last year. “Looking back now, I realize how much our regular meetings were a sacrifice to her,” Koser recalled. “Often, we’d meet in the later afternoon and her two young kids would be around.” Koser was an “out-of-the-box thinker” who always had big questions, Christman recalled. “It was a pleasure to meet with her regularly to talk about God, life, and nursing,” she added. SHARING TALENT As with any professional field, experience brings insight and perspective that can make your work more enjoyable and your end results outstanding. Instead of holding onto that prized knowledge, Cedarville’s professors share it freely. Boalt recalls his time spent in class with James T. Jeremiah, Cedarville’s then President, fondly and with deep appreciation. “I knew that I didn’t have the means to attend seminary like some of my classmates,” he explained, “so I made the most of the classes taught by Dr. Jeremiah.” He was riveted by courses such as Bible Doctrine, Baptist History and Polity, Systematic Theology, and others, soaking up every bit of knowledge he could glean from his esteemed professor’s compassion and powerful ability to teach. “These classes put some tools in my tool kit for serving the Lord in later years,” he said. It was Jeremiah who recommended Boalt for his first ministry position, setting the course for a lifetime of service in music evangelism, preaching and singing in 35 countries, traveling two million air miles, and reaching countless souls for Christ. Koser described Christman as being able to “teach the socks off any subject.” Her greatest lesson, perhaps, was teaching students to have confidence in themselves as superior nurses because they were Christian nurses. “She explained to our class that because we have the power of God in us, we have the ability to see, hear, feel, smell, and sense things that other nurses cannot,” Koser explained. “I was shocked, Cedarville Magazine | 21