Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2015

24 | Cedarville Magazine C r a s h Course e A test drive of the classroom experience (without the final exam) COURSE TITLE The Christian in Theatre INSTRUCTOR Rebecca Baker Associate Professor of Theatre DESCRIPTION The Christian in Theatre course highlights issues young Christians face as they evaluate career choices and ethical priorities in professional theatre. A biblical view of the arts provides students a foundation for exploring how to be salt and light in the culture-shaping world of stage and screen. They learn how to weave excellence in creative work with authentic integration of faith. Recent interaction within the community has led to service-learning projects with women at the Safe Harbor House in Springfield, Ohio; young girls in a detention center; and an after-school workshop with children. BIG IDEA • Creativity reflects being made in God’s image, a gift to be used for His glory. • Theatre can use storytelling as Jesus used parables, to engage others with familiar situations and characters to teach them truth they might not otherwise understand. • The best time to grapple with critical ethical issues is before entering the profession and facing choices about content, behavior, and priorities. • Our work ethic and relational interaction as Christians has significant impact as we seek to genuinely share our faith with co-workers. LEARN MORE: cedarville.edu/theatre “The Christian inTheatre course really strengthened my understanding of what it means to be a Christian artist. It challenged me to think beyond the halls of Cedarville and prepare for what might lie ahead in a secular theatre environment.This course also showed me the necessity of doing art well for the sake of my testimony. Nothing turns someone off more to an artist and their story faster than poorly done art.” Rebecca Levergood ’16 Theatre Commencement Honors Outstanding Graduates Seven hundred and two undergrads and 43 graduate students became the most recent Yellow Jacket graduates during Cedarville University’s 119th commencement last spring. Two undergraduate students especially reflected the academic quality and personal integrity of the graduates. Katie Goehring ’15, from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, became the first Cedarville student awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministries (with highest honors) and then traveled to Germany for a yearlong study opportunity. Another Columbus-area student, Rachel Zeiter ’15, excelled academically in her pursuit of a degree in special education (with honors) — without the benefit of vision. Zeiter, from Worthington, Ohio, came to Cedarville University with very limited eyesight. Her lack of vision didn’t deter her from accomplishing great things — on or off campus. Prior to the start of her senior year, she went tandem skydiving. After graduation, Zeiter was hired as a ninth- grade special education history and English teacher at Hamilton Freshman School in Hamilton, Ohio. President’s Trophy winners at this year’s commencement were Sydney Bissonette ’15 from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Samuel DeLoye ’15 from Wausau, Wisconsin. Bissonette graduated with a bachelor’s degree in allied health and plans to pursue a Doctor of OccupationalTherapy atThe Ohio State University. DeLoye earned a bachelor’s degree in Bible and will pursue further education at seminary, with the goal of serving in ministry. The President’s Trophy is awarded to graduating seniors who excelled in the areas of academics, leadership, service, and Christian character. Eight students were presented with the Faculty Scholarship Award for achieving a perfect grade point average. They included: Christian Caroll ’15, Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Joella Gerber ’15, Bachelor of Arts in psychology; Andrew Gutberlet ’15, Bachelor of Arts in Christian education; Shane Johnson ’15, Bachelor of Arts in chemistry; Jennifer Knepel ’15, Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology; Abby Sherman ’15, Bachelor of Science in social work; Kelsey Weir ’15, Bachelor of Science in Nursing; David Yoder ’15, Bachelor of Science in biology. Reno Takes on New Leadership Role at Cedarville Loren Reno ’70, a 38-year veteran of the United States Air Force and the inaugural Dean of Cedarville University’s School of Business Administration, was appointed Interim Vice President for Academics in June 2015. As the Dean of the School of Business Administration since 2 0 1 2 , R e n o i n c r e a s e d enrollment, bolstered career placement, and saw higher passage rates for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. According to Cedarville’s Career Services, in 2014, graduates from five business programs had 100 percent job placement within six months of graduation. Cedarville University ranked 25th in the nation for graduates passing the CPA exam and in the top 4 percent among all 776 universities with an accounting major. “Gen. Reno is a godly, humble follower of Jesus who personifies Micah 6:8. I have the utmost confidence that he will lead our academic programs well,” said Thomas White, President of Cedarville University. During his distinguished military career, Reno was a navigator and then theAir Force’s senior logistician. He led teams that bought and delivered jet fuel to front-line military operations around the world; repaired and overhauled jet engines and large military aircraft; provided logistics support to U.S. air mobility warfighters; and wrote the policy and advocated for the budget Campus News