FALL 2022 Volume 10 Issue 3 2 Nursing Practice Grounded in Biblical Truth 4 Founding Faculty 12 Cedarville School of Nursing: The Hands and Feet of Jesus 16 Sacrificial Service 20 Pursuing Advanced Practice 24 The Ripple Effect 40 YEARS OF NURSING
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE The year was 1980. The administration and its relatively new president, Paul Dixon, considered the possibility of starting a nursing program at then-Cedarville College. The institution had historically been known for teaching Bible and education. Any new program would bring risk. Would the upfront cost ever be recovered? What would happen if the program failed? Could the program achieve professional accreditation? How would it shape the future of the college? Dixon, who had served as an evangelist prior to serving as Cedarville’s president, had assembled a great team of advisors. He also possessed the gift of strategic planning and making wise decisions for the future of Cedarville. He and the administration decided to launch the nursing program in 1982. Forty years later, we look back upon the success of what continues to be one of Cedarville’s largest and most in-demand programs. We thank God for guiding the administration to start a program that fits so well with a biblical worldview. In time, this program brought expertise and experience to campus that opened the door to the University starting other healthcare degrees including the Doctor of Pharmacy and our PA (Physician Assistant) Studies program that will enroll its first class in May. In the pages of this magazine, you will read more about what makes our School of Nursing distinct. You will learn about the faculty members who started the program and the history of its early years. You will read about how some of our graduates have used nursing to serve others sacrificially in big and small ways. You also will hear from our current Dean, Angie Mickle, as she casts the vision for the next 40 years. In the past, present, and, Lord willing, long into the future, Cedarville University’s School of Nursing will continue to produce nurses who serve God and others well. In Christ, Thomas White, President cedarville.edu/president @DrThomasWhite facebook.com/DrThomasWhite instagram.com/drthomaswhite linkedin.com/in/jthomaswhite 2 | Cedarville Magazine Cedarville Magazine
IN EVERY ISSUE 28 CHAPEL NOTES 30 ADVANCING CEDARVILLE 32 CAMPUS NEWS 36 YELLOW JACKET SPORTS 39 MOMENT IN TIME 40 IN CLOSING Editor Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86 Managing Editor Caroline Tomlinson ’22 Creative Director Chad Jackson ’05 Graphic Designer Craig Salisbury Photographer Scott Huck Administration President Thomas White Special Advisor to the President Loren Reno ’70 Chief of Staff Zach Bowden Vice President for Academics Thomas Mach ’88 Vice President for Advancement Will Smallwood Vice President for Business and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Sohn Vice President for Enrollment Management Scott Van Loo ’98 Vice President for Marketing and Communications Janice (Warren) Supplee ’86 Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries Jonathan Wood Athletic Director Christopher Cross Our Mission Cedarville University transforms lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority. Our Vision For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ Cedarville Magazine is published spring, summer, and fall and mailed free of charge to alumni and supporters of Cedarville University. 1-800-CEDARVILLE • cedarville.edu Direct inquiries and address changes to: Cedarville Magazine Cedarville University 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 cedarville.edu/magazine magazine@cedarville.edu 1-888-CEDARVILLE READ ONLINE! Visit cedarville.edu/magazineFA22 on your computer or mobile device. Fall 2022 Volume 10 Issue 3 FEATURES 2 NURSING PRACTICE GROUNDED IN BIBLICAL TRUTH THOMAS WHITE What sets Cedarville’s nursing program apart? Its firm foundation on the Word of God. Our nurses are equipped as not only highly skilled nurses, but they are prepared to use nursing as a ministry for Christ. That’s what makes them so amazing! 4 FOUNDING FACULTY More than 40 years ago, Cedarville’s nursing program began with a dream. Three founding faculty members for Cedarville’s School of Nursing share the blessings — and the challenges —of starting a professional degree program at a liberal arts institution. 8 TIMELINE: 40 YEARS OF NURSING AS A MINISTRY FOR CHRIST From the very beginning, God's hand has been on Cedarville's School of Nursing. Walk through history as we highlight key milestones for the School and hear from some of its graduates. 12 CEDARVILLE SCHOOL OF NURSING: THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS For 40 years, Cedarville’s School of Nursing has been equipping nurses to impact their world for Christ. From its origins as an undergraduate program to today’s array of master’s options and beyond, one thing remains the same: Cedarville nurses are serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. 16 SACRIFICIAL SERVICE CLEM BOYD Our nursing graduates make a Kingdom impact on their communities and around the world, sacrificially serving to meet the physical — and spiritual — needs of others. 20 PURSUING ADVANCED PRACTICE KIM HIGGINBOTHAM ’93 In 2011, Cedarville’s School of Nursing launched its Master of Science in Nursing program, preparing advanced practice nurses to meet the growing complexities in healthcare. 24 THE RIPPLE EFFECT JEFF GILBERT ’87 What would Cedarville University look like today without a nursing program? The School of Nursing set the stage for today’s well-respected science and professional degree programs. Without nursing, our University would look very different. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. – 2 Peter 1:5–7 Cedarville Magazine | 1
BY THOMAS WHI TE NURSING PRACTICE GROUNDED IN BIBLICAL TRUTH “Cedarville University-trained nurses are amazing!” I hear it all the time. Medical professionals desire to hire our students; they know there is a difference in our nursing graduates. That’s why many students have multiple job offers before they ever walk across the graduation stage. But what is the difference? What makes a Cedarville-trained nurse so amazing? There are many answers to that question, but I want to explore three reasons that I think our nursing program is unique and among the best in the country. A HIGHER PURPOSE WITH A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW Generally, those who go into the nursing field have an innate desire to care for other people. God has designed them that way. Created with a passion to help others and equipped with God-given gifts, nurses embark upon a very difficult profession that requires them to give of themselves daily. Many nurses burn out because they give with no way of replenishing the well from which they draw. Cedarville University’s nursing program is unique because it teaches our students where to find the well of compassion to serve others. The desire, motivation, and reward for compassionate service find an endless reservoir of strength in our God and a biblical worldview. Our nurses realize that this world is broken. Sin entered the world in Genesis 3, which provides an explanation for the consequences of evil they see on a daily basis and the results of living in a fallen world. Without categories to understand evil, imagine the bewilderment of trying to explain or cope 2 | Cedarville Magazine
with the constant barrage of sickness and unnecessary harm that nurses encounter. Even better, our nurses know that one day this will all be made right. When God created the world, He saw that it was “good.” Humanity messed it up by bringing sin into the world, but we have the promise that one day God will make all things new. Our nurses know that this earth is not our home, and that the evil that currently exists in this world will not remain forever. One day there will be no more cancer, no more gunshot wounds, no more abuse, no more disease, and no more death. Our nurses also know that when they show compassion to the least of their fellow image-bearers, then they have served God well. One day, God will judge all of us by our actions. I have a feeling that more than a few nurses will receive crowns that they will lay at Jesus’ feet. MOTIVATED BY THE SERVICE OF OUR SAVIOR Cedarville University’s School of Nursing is unique because our motivation to serve others flows from our desire to be like our Savior. The Bible tells us in Philippians 2 that we are to have the mind of Christ. Jesus did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped but came to earth as a human being. Fully God and fully man, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the shameful death of the cross. Jesus humbled Himself. Jesus served others. Jesus had compassion on others. Jesus showed compassion to a grieving mother in Luke 7:13. Jesus saw the crowd and had compassion on them, healing their sick in Matthew 14:14. Scripture tells us that Jesus frequently felt compassion for others (Matt. 9:36; Matt. 15:32; Mark 6:34; Mark 8:2; Luke 7:13). When nurses show compassion for someone who has harmed themselves, they reflect the character of Jesus. When nurses serve someone who disrespects them, they reflect the character of Jesus. When nurses do everything possible to help someone only to be rejected, they reflect the character of Jesus. While human nature would cause anyone to want to stop serving and caring when treated unfairly, our nursing faculty and students can reflect upon the nature of Jesus and continue to serve. Following Jesus’ model results in nurses with a bedside manner that reflects endless grace, mercy, and compassion to the patients that they serve. A FACULTY DEMANDING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE If all our students had was the understanding of a biblical worldview and the model of Jesus, they could love, care, and show compassion well, but they might be terrible nurses. To be an excellent nurse, you must have knowledge and you must have the skill to implement that knowledge well. Our School of Nursing teaches a biblical worldview throughout its curriculum, but not at the expense of academic excellence. Wi thout except ional facul ty members who are credentialed at the highest levels and continue to practice regularly, we couldn’t produce students who combine the knowledge with the skill to serve with excellence. Our faculty members make sure our students have learned the necessary content. They make themselves available to our students. They pray with our students. They genuinely care about our students. These amazing faculty members make it possible to produce amazing graduates. That’s why Cedarville Universitytrained nurses are amazing. Former Cedarville President Paul Dixon has said for years that the only way you could explain Cedarville was God and people. God continues to do an incredible work in these cornfields of Ohio. Part of His work is calling gifted faculty members to teach. Another part of His work is calling students to Cedarville who love God, love others, and show integrity in conduct and excellence in their effort. God calls and equips, but the people He uses make this place special. At Cedarville, it's always been about God and people. In our School of Nursing, it’s always been about serving God and serving people well. That’s why Cedarville nurses are amazing! Thomas White is President of Cedarville University. He earned his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The desire, motivation, and reward for compassionate service find an endless reservoir of strength in our God and a biblical worldview. Cedarville Magazine | 3
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More than 40 years ago, God placed a desire to start a Christian nursing p r og r am i n t he hearts and minds of Cedarville University leadership. Then, on e b y on e , He brought godly faculty members to the thencol lege to make it happen. Cedarvi l le Magazine reached out to these founding faculty members to hear about their experiences. The nursing program could not have begun without the efforts of these dedicated faculty, and the School of Nursing owes a debt of gratitude to them for their perseverance and commitment to excellence. Hear from Irene Alyn, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Nursing and founding Chair (IA), Janet Conway, Senior Professor Emerita of Nursing and former Chair (JC), and Mark Klimek, Associate Professor Emeritus of Nursing (MK), as they share their experiences from building this program from the ground up. FOUNDING FACULTY Cedarville Magazine | 5
Q: As founding faculty, why do you think it was important to start a nursing program at a Christian college like Cedarville? MK: In the early 1980s, there were few Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) programs in evangelical Christian colleges and universities. There were only a couple in which the curriculum and conduct were grounded in biblical truth. IA: In many healthcare settings, nurses provide outstanding physical care, but due to time constraints or excessive patient care loads or lack of knowledge or interest, they do not focus on emotional or spiritual care. Unlike unbelievers, Christian nurses have the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit to enable them to provide spiritual care, as well as physical care. JC: From my perspective, nursing at a Christian university is a ministry for Jesus Christ. We are able to meet people in often vulnerable situations and provide comfort, care, and listening ears as Christ did in the Gospels. Q: What obstacles or risks did you have to overcome as the nursing program was getting started? MK: A major obstacle early on was that Cedarville’s culture was decidedly and strongly liberal arts focused. A professional degree program did not fit much of the academic structure and process already in place. Now, years later, the strong liberal arts tradition is a strength of the current program. JC: The biggest obstacle was convincing the faculty that nursing was a scholarly endeavor. Since nursing was the first professional discipline at a liberal arts institution, we had to convince several long-standing liberal arts professors that nurses needed this type of education. Q: How did you see God’s hand at work as the nursing program began? MK: I saw God’s hand move in the eagerness of the local, nonreligious healthcare community to facilitate the establishment of the program. Institutions that had no interest in the Gospel became some of our greatest champions. Nothing could explain that except God at work. JC: God always provided the faculty with the appropriate clinical specialty just at the right time for teaching courses. Area hospitals and physicians were very supportive of a baccalaureate nursing program for the Miami Valley, and they gave spaces for clinical experiences and helped us to obtain needed equipment and supplies. Q: What type of culture did you try to create in the early days of the program? IA: All the faculty were Christians committed to educating Cedarville University students to use nursing as a ministry for Christ. We would say to our students, “It’s not about me, and it’s not about you either. It’s about Christ.” MK: From the very beginning, we followed Dr. Alyn’s lead in creating a culture of nurture and high expectations. We set the bar high for ourselves and the students, but we were quick to nurture and enable students and each other to meet those goals. Q: What made Cedarville’s nursing program stand out among other programs? MK: I think the most unique essence of the School of Nursing 6 | Cedarville Magazine
EQUIPPING FUTURE NURSES TO SUCCEED In 2021, after 38 years of service, Mark Klimek retired, having impacted thousands of Cedarville University nursing students. In his retirement, however, he is continuing to impact countless students from all across the country. During his time at Cedarville, Klimek became known nationally for his National Council Licensure E x ami n a t i on (NCL EX ) r e v i ew resources. The NCLEX is the national examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States, implemented in 1982. He started small in 1986 by inviting students to review material and learn how to take the exam. Within a couple of years, Klimek had 30–40 students who wanted to meet with him in larger groups. He started writing materials for students to study, which led to two published books on the subject. His business grew by word of mouth, and he now has 2,300 to 2,500 students a year who take his seminars in locations across the country. at Cedarville is that it is grounded in God’s Word. When we first developed the school philosophy and mission, we threw out the secularly tainted definitions of core nursing concepts such as human, illness, wellness, care, life, and suffering and defined them biblically. That foundation is singularly distinguishing even within other evangelical schools. JC: Additionally, the B.S.N. degree was identified as stronger preparation than other nursing degrees. Many hospitals and clinics in the local area are eager to employ Cedarville graduates and state they are the best nurses at their facility. Q: What are your favorite memories from your time at Cedarville? JC: I remember in the early days the very limited classroom and laboratory space for teaching students. Mark and I would often carry mannequins and supplies across the campus to be able to teach the students. MK: I remember carrying the life-sized simulation mannequins from a Founders Hall closet across campus to the old library, losing body parts all along the sidewalk. JC: But my best memories are of the many relationships with students and faculty. I often meet or hear from a graduate and recall the times in class and clinicals with them. It is my joy to hear about what they are doing in using nursing as a ministry in their lives. Q: What are your hopes and prayers for the Cedarville School of Nursing for the next 40 years? JC: I pray that the nursing program will remain true to the biblical foundation upon which it was built. As the School of Nursing expands, it is vital to maintain the Bible courses, liberal arts foundation, and strong academic focus on nursing as a ministry for Jesus Christ. MK: I pray that the administration, faculty, and students never abandon the centrality of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. I pray that they will continue to see themselves as blessed servants who use nursing as a ministry for Christ. IA: Pray without ceasing. Keep focused on your mission. Trust God; He provides. Unlike unbelievers, Christian nurses have the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit to enable them to provide spiritual care, as well as physical care. Cedarville Magazine | 7
40 years of nursing 1979 Preliminary study for a nursing program undertaken and a consultant engaged 1982 Certificate of authorization approved by Ohio Board of Regents to grant the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree 1983 First students enrolled in clinical nursing courses 1980 Board of Trustees authorizes the planning for a school of nursing 1980 Coordinator of the nursing program feasibility study appointed 1981 Application for nursing program approval submitted to the Ohio Board of Regents & the Ohio Board of Nursing Education 1981 Irene Alyn appointed founding chair of the Department of Nursing. as a Ministry for Christ timeline 8 | Cedarville Magazine
“ There is no question that my nursing education at Cedarville shaped my professional practice as a novice nurse. More importantly, however, it cemented an indelible connection between my personal and professional life. That connection is made by character, a character formed and framed by faith in Jesus Christ. Devon M. Berry ’95, Ph.D. Director for the School of Nursing at Sam Houston State University “ I am so blessed to have received my nursing education at Cedarville University in an unapologetically Christian environment where my professors poured into me as a Christfollower first and as a nursing student second. They led me, through their example, to become the most well-prepared and caring nurse that I could be. I cannot imagine what my life would have looked like had Cedarville not announced their brand-new B.S.N. degree in 1982. I am forever grateful to have been a part of the inaugural class. Cheryl (Clayton) Kielich ’85 Utilization Review Specialist Nationwide Children’s Hospital 1986 Received initial accreditation from the National League of Nursing (NLN) 1992 Irene Alyn visited Togo, West Africa, to establish nursing student missions trip 1993 First nursing mission trip to Togo, West Africa, led by Lois Baker 1993 Received full Re-Accreditation from National League of Nursing (NLN) 1985 First graduates (30) receive the B.S.N. degree. 1992 Engineering/Nursing/Science (ENS) Center opened. 40 years of nursing Cedarville Magazine | 9
“ Caring for patients and families during health crises is spiritually, mentally, and physically challenging. At Cedarville, I had professors who cared about me and modeled what it looks like to meet those challenges with grace. Throughout my career, I've looked back and been grateful to learn the science and art of nursing from a Christian worldview. Corinne Porter ’05, M.S.N. Missionary in Cambodia Nursing Professor, Health Science University in Phnom Penh 2002 Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) granted B.S.N. Program Accreditation 2011 Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program launched 2011 Full CCNE B.S.N. Accreditation granted for 10 years 2012 Department of Nursing met university criteria and granted School of Nursing designation 2007 Janet Conway appointed Chair, Department of Nursing. 2012 Health Sciences Center (HSC) opened. timeline 10 | Cedarville Magazine
“ My time at Cedarville not only prepared me to provide excellent clinical care to my patients, but also shaped the way I view my role as a nurse. Each professor emphasized that nursing is not just a job, it is a chance to minister to people during some of their most vulnerable moments. This perspective has kept me going even on my hardest days and has made me so grateful for the intentional biblical integration that was central to my education at Cedarville. Abby Tomlinson ’14, M.S.N. ’22 Registered Nurse, OB Services West Chester Hospital 2016 Full CCNE M.S.N. Accreditation granted for 10 years 2021 Full CCNE B.S.N. Accreditation granted for 10 years 2022 Board of Trustees authorizes Doctor of Nursing Practice program offering proposal 2015 Angelia Mickle appointed Dean, School of Nursing. 2013 First graduates receive the M.S.N. degree. 40 years of nursing Cedarville Magazine | 11
CEDARVILLE SCHOOL OF NURSING: THEHANDSANDFEETOF JESUS For 40 years, Cedarville University’s School of Nursing has been educating compassionate and competent Christian nurses. Throughout the years, with increased enrollment, expanded program offerings, and new facilities, one thing has stayed the same: The School of Nursing prepares its graduates to use nursing as a ministry for Jesus Christ, across the country and around the world. SCHOOL THEME VERSES Undergraduate — For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ – 2 Peter 1:5–8 graduate — He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8 NUMBER OF ALUMNI 2,409 Bachelor of Science in Nursing 253 Master of Science in Nursing of 2021 nursing graduates were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation at places like: §Kettering Health Network §Dayton Children’s Hospital §Miami Valley Hospital §Vanderbilt University Medical Center §Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital §IU Health Methodist Hospital §OSU Wexner Medical Center §Nationwide Children's Hospital CAREER PLACEMENT RATE 100% 12 | Cedarville Magazine
MEET THE SCHOOL OF NURSING LEADERSHIP Angelia Mickle, D.N.P., RN Dean, School of Nursing Kimberly Higginbotham, D.N.P., RN Assistant Dean, Director of Graduate Programs Susanne Lefever, M.S., RN Assistant Dean, Director of Undergraduate Program FACULTY 21 Full-Time FacultyMembers FIRST GRADUATING CLASS 1985 484 Undergraduate students ENROLLMENT 168 Graduate students ACCREDITATION AND LICENSURE The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing programs at Cedarville University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (ccneaccreditation.org) and have full approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Ohio Board of Nursing. MISSION STATEMENT The School of Nursing models nursing as a ministry for Christ through education, service, and scholarship resulting in transformed lives. Cedarville Magazine | 13
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (B.S.N.) Get to Know Our Nursing Programs The nursing major at Cedarville is a four-year program that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. The School of Nursing seeks to produce graduates who demonstrate mastery in four primary areas: godly living, care, culture, and information management. Graduates deliver care based on knowledge from the Bible, the art and science of nursing, the biological and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. MAJOR §Nursing – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) MINOR §Cross-cultural Nursing PROGRAM DETAILS §Credit hours: 129 (including general education and major courses) §Terms: 16-week semesters §Program delivery: On campus §Completion time: Typically eight semesters but can be completed in three years DEGREE FEATURES §Christ-centered – Students graduate ready to provide compassionate, Christ-centered care to meet the physical and spiritual needs of their patients. §State-of-the-art simulation labs – Students experience realistic, life-sized simulators to develop their clinical judgment and decisionmaking in a safe, true-to-life clinical setting. §Clinical experiences starting freshman year – Starting with the first year, students begin clinical experiences at highly recognized healthcare facilities in the surrounding area, allowing them to care for a variety of patients in diverse settings. §Medical missions opportunities – Junior nursing students can participate in short-term medical missions clinical experiences with a faculty member or RN in a variety of locations. If you know high school students who would benefit from Cedarville's biblically focused nursing program, encourage them to apply: cedarville.edu/apply. 14 | Cedarville Magazine
Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) – online Cedarville University’s online, distinctly Christian graduate nursing program prepares its graduates for advanced nursing practice. The M.S.N. degree provides in-depth study for nurses to expand their knowledge of healthcare delivery, clinical expertise, nursing leadership, use of evidence-based practice, and academic scholarship grounded in biblical truth. IN-DEMAND CONCENTRATIONS §Family Nurse Practitioner §Nurse Educator §Pediatric Nurse Practitioner §Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Improvement Also offering graduate certificates in Nursing Education and Nursing Leadership, plus an M.B.A.- M.S.N. combined degree option. PROGRAM DETAILS §Credit hours: 41–44 §Terms: 7-week or 14-week courses §Program delivery: Online §Completion time: Seven semesters PROGRAM FEATURES §Convenient – Flexible completion options allow students to learn in an interactive online community, without having to relocate. §Exceptional faculty – Low student-to-faculty ratio with mentoring, highly qualified professors. If you're ready to advance your career with an M.S.N., apply at: cedarville.edu/gradapply. Due to the legacy of faithful donors, generous scholarships are available to new and continuing M.S.N. students who have financial need. Call graduate admissions at 937-766-8000 to learn more. Cedarville Magazine | 15
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When Stephen Sandlund ’05, M.S.N. ’13 treats injured, traumatized, or sick patients in hospitals around the globe, he is constantly aware of how the Great Physician wants to work in the midst of his service. As Denise Martin ’87 serves her young patients and their families at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, she invites future nurses from Cedarville’s School of Nursing to observe and learn how their careers can have eternal significance. Over the course of 20 years, Lois Baker, Senior Professor Emerita of Nursing, tirelessly led teams of nursing students to Togo not only to care for physical needs, but to see patients’ lives transformed through using nursing as a ministry for Christ. These stories represent hundreds of sacrificial servants who are graduates and faculty of the Cedarville School of Nursing. FAITHFUL ON THE FRONTLINE Stephen Sandlund ’05, M.S.N. ’13 serves as a nurse practitioner with his dad’s family practice office and in the emergency room at Genesis Hospital, both in Zanesville, Ohio. While he regularly goes the extra mile to serve his patients, he also goes the extra thousands of miles to treat the shellshocked, the wounded, and the seriously ill as part of a Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief team. This summer, he spent a month in Chernivtsi, a city in western Ukraine, serving refugees running from the horrors of war and treating locals with long-term healthcare needs. SACRIFICIAL SERVICE BY CLEM BOYD Stephen Sandlund ’05, M.S.N. ’13 (pictured in back wearing green) and his team serve in Ukraine. Cedarville Magazine | 17
“Quite a few of the refugees were just stoic,” Sandlund shared. “But as you began treating them, they warmed up to you and told stories about how they ran from their homes and only took a suitcase of clothes, how they drove through shelling and gun fights and almost got shot themselves.” One patient who lived close to the Russian border shared with Sandlund that she had been taken from Ukraine and her captors attempted to force her to switch her citizenship. She escaped and made the 10-day journey to the hospital in Chernivsti. “She was frustrated and confused,” Sandlund said. “She could not understand why people who lived so close to Ukraine were now shooting at them and shelling them.” This was not Sandlund’s first time with Samaritan’s Purse. He served previously in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019, where he was part of a team attempting to head off an outbreak of the Ebola virus, and in 2017, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces retook the city of Mosul from the Islamic State. “We were the only trauma hospital on the east side of Mosul, so we saw everything,” Sandlund recalled. “Shrapnel, amputations, lacerations, burns, gunshots. Even though we had good security, that was the most dangerous place I’ve been.” And while one such trip might be enough for many, Sandlund senses the Lord drawing him to disaster relief in the future. “Cedarville helped me form this outlook on the world,” he noted. “From a lot of the chapels I went to and throughout the Bible, we are called to lay down everything, to follow God above all comfort. I have good jobs and can make a decent income, but am I living out my faith and following God to the ends of the earth, reaching people in need who are spiritually open?” BLESSED TO INVEST Nursing is a demanding profession. It requires a combination of care and compassion, strong problem-solving, a strong health science knowledge base, and the ability to respond quickly and confidently. The application of that heart, mind, soul, and spirit to the profession can be draining and challenging. But Denise Martin ’87, who serves as a continuity of care coordinator and discharge planning nurse at Dayton Children’s Hospital and as an Adjunct Nursing Skills Lab Instructor at Cedarville, has also mentored countless Cedarville School of Nursing students, who have benefitted firsthand from her skill, devotion, and mentorship. In addition to practicing as a Registered Nurse, Martin serves as a liaison between Cedarville’s School of Nursing and clinical sites in the community. In this role, she ensures the students’ clinical objectives are met at different hospitals. Martin also coordinates the externship program at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Here she watches students put the pieces of clinical care and academic knowledge together to begin thinking like a nurse for the first time. 18 | Cedarville Magazine
She sees them anticipate patient needs and show compassion as Christ did. “I tell my students that my job is to help prepare them for professional practice and to set them up for success,” she said. “Watching them care with compassion and advocate for their patients in the clinical setting is so rewarding.” Martin invests in her students because of a higher calling. “Nursing is the platform the Lord has entrusted to me to use as ministry,” she explained. “I love being able to walk alongside our students and graduates as they care for their patients, some at the most vulnerable times of their lives, and be able to encourage them. “Hav ing former s tudent s become my professional peers and watching them is both humbling and a blessing.” CAREER FOR CHRIST After Irene Alyn established the crosscultural nursing minor, Lois Baker served as the coordinator for 20 years. She led Cedarville nursing students on missions trips to Togo to provide healthcare to the underprivileged. She went the extra mile in teaching every student the most important lesson of all: Nursing is a ministry for Christ. “I saw Togolese patients transformed because students used nursing as ministry for Christ,” she said. “You go to Togo, and you see people who have so little, and we have so much. It really embeds in your mind how you have this opportunity to give to those in need. Yet, we have this incredible multicultural population in America. You don’t have to just go to a foreign country to use nursing as a ministry for Christ.” According to Baker, students were prepared to arrive in Togo and immediately begin serving. “The missionary staff are tired; our students were not just to look and observe,” she said. “They knew how to give medicines, start an IV, and help in surgery. They were prepared to get dressed, get their shoes on, and get right in the middle of everything.” Before traveling to Africa, students were taught about common diseases, such as malaria and typhoid, that are not typically found in the United States; about culture, such as not approaching a Togolese patient with the left hand, which was considered dirty; about the people, whether they were friendly to strangers and friendly to Americans; and about the nature of public health and the rate of vaccination. “You can still show the love of Christ, without knowing the language,” Baker said. “We were able to see the unbelievable happen. Complex surgical patients who should not have survived. Babies with an APGAR of zero, and you’re crying out to God, ‘Use my brain, my eyes, my fingers; use what I know to help this baby.’ “Our students didn’t go to be changed, but to see that those receiving care were changed. Because nursing is a ministry for Christ.” Sandlund, Martin, and Baker answer the “why” behind nursing education. It is not merely a profession; it is not just a calling. It’s a sacrifice for Jesus Christ. Clem Boyd is Director of Public Relations for Infinity Concepts and former Managing Editor of Cedarville Magazine. Our students didn’t go to be changed, but to see that those receiving care were changed. Because nursing is a ministry for Christ. Cedarville Magazine | 19
Marcia (Knaus) Williams ’94, M.S.N. ’14, serves as Assistant Professor of Nursing and Clinical Placement Coordinator at Cedarville. She also works as a Nurse Practitioner at Horizons Women's Healthcare and Family Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. 20 | Cedarville Magazine
In 2011, the Cedarville University School of Nursing (SON) welcomed its first Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) cohort of approximately 20 students. Just 11 years later, we welcomed 168 new and returning students to the M.S.N. program in the specialization areas of Family Nurse Practitioner, Global Public Health Nursing, Nurse Educator, Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Improvement, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. This exciting growth reflects expanding opportunities in the nursing profession and Cedarville’s passion to equip the next generation of nursing leaders. PURSUING ADVANCED PRACTICE: INSPIRING GRADUATE EDUCATION BY KIMBERLY HI GG INBOTHAM ’ 93 Cedarville Magazine | 21
The SON’s mission is to model nursing as a ministry for Christ through education, service, and scholarship, resulting in transformed lives. The SON graduate faculty members have embraced this mission and are steadfast and committed to preparing nurses to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives and careers with graduate education grounded in biblical truth. We see the future of graduate nursing education at Cedarville University as a time for growth, a time to flourish, and a time to extend the reach of the Gospel through competent and compassionate care beyond the B.S.N. level through advanced nursing practice. Graduate nursing education equips students to improve patient and population health outcomes in a complex healthcare landscape. We equip our graduate students with advanced nursing practice skills to meet gaps in healthcare services and critical nursing faculty shortages. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who provide a comprehensive and holistic perspective to healthcare with an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the NP workforce to continue to grow by 28% over the next 10 years. And we want to do our part to meet current healthcare needs and equip NPs to use their practice as a ministry for Christ. Our nurse practitioner graduates are meeting a healthcareaccess need by providing primary care services for rural communities and vulnerable populations across the country and globally. Our nurse educator graduates are prepared to educate the next generation of nurses. Graduate nursing students at Cedarville extend Kingdom impact through direct care practice, academia, evidence-based practice, public policy, and leading health systems. A current graduate student enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner and Global Public Health area of focus, Abby Tomlinson ’14, M.S.N. ’22, has had the opportunity to work with a former Cedarville B.S.N. alumna with the Centers for Disease Control on a longitudinal research study. She has also traveled overseas to care for vulnerable populations in Kenya while fulfilling clinical requirements. Andrea Roberts ’14, M.S.N. ’22, was selected for an NP fellowship and is chair of the Nursing Governance Council at her place of employment. Mary Shaw, M.S.N. ’19, is a vital part of the care provided through a local health department improving the health outcomes for the community. These are just a few examples of Cedarville M.S.N. graduates who are living out the School of Nursing mission and using their graduate education to make a difference for Christ. What’s next for graduate nursing at Cedarville? We are exploring new areas of focus and pursuing external approvals to launch a Doctor of Nursing Practice, approved by our Board of Trustees last May. There are exciting days ahead! Nurses encounter people seeking care at vulnerable times with physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Preparing graduate nursing students to provide holistic care from a biblical foundation has been and continues to be a priority in the SON. We desire to equip graduate nursing students to be a light in a hurting world and care for all patients with competence and compassion. Kimberly Higginbotham ’93 is Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing and Director of Graduate Programs. She received her D.N.P. from Vanderbilt University. We are exploring new areas of focus and pursuing external approvals to launch a Doctor of Nursing Practice, approved by our Board of Trustees last May. 22 | Cedarville Magazine
Cedarville Magazine | 23 I DECIDED tomake nursingmy ministry for Christ. AMANDA (WOLFE) MINOR ’07, M.S.N. ’13 FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER SERVING IN WOMEN'S HEALTH Momentous doors open with a graduate nursing degree from Cedarville. Apply today! CEDARVILLE.EDU/MSN
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Cedarville University without a nursing program? Without it, the past 40 years might have been a science desert. But an oasis of growth began in 1982 when the first class of nursing students arrived at Cedarville College. Since that time, Cedarville has grown in its number of professional and healthcare programs, become a university, and seen its enrollment climb from 1,800 to over 5,000. "If you ask, what would Cedarville be today without nursing,” said Paul Dixon, who was in the fourth year of his presidency in 1982, “you pretty much take out most of our major science programs and what makes Cedarville have its identity as a conservative Christian liberal arts institution.” Engineering came next with programs in electrical, mechanical, computer, and, most recently, civil, plus computer science and cyber operations. Now the proliferation of healthcare programs continues to put Cedarville on a plane uncommon among Christian universities. "As we started with nursing, and then all the sciences that followed, it gave Cedarville a special niche,” Dixon said. “And I argue all success in business or higher education or churches, you have to have your niche. And we did.” BY J EFF G I LBERT ’ 87 Cedarville continues to carve a broader healthcare niche. A natural supplement to the bachelor’s degree was the addition of a master’s degree in 2011, with four concentrations. Nursing is the largest Cedarville Magazine | 25
major on campus with nearly 500 students, but that’s just the beginning. Cedarville educated pre-pharmacy students for many years before beginning a pharmacy program in 2009. The first seven-year class of Doctor of Pharmacy students graduated in 2016. “Pharmacy was built on the premise that Christian healthcare providers — both nurses and pharmacists — should meet patients’ medical needs as well as spiritual needs,” said Jeffrey Bates, Dean of the School of Pharmacy. “We have worked to collaborate in the classroom and in practice so that nurses and pharmacists learn to work well together to help patients.” Bates said this collaboration among the healthcare professions is amplified even more with the start of the Master of Athletic Training this past summer and a master’s degree to become a physician assistant (PA) scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023. Evan Hellwig, Dean of the School of Allied Health, started at Cedarville as its first athletic trainer in 1986 and has witnessed the maturation and birth of all the healthcare programs. “It was specifically a change of course as an institution to say we're going to do this thing called professional programs, and nursing is the one that we're going to do because everybody was looking for a Christian college that did nursing,” Hellwig said. Hellwig is an example of a student interested in healthcare who couldn’t find what he wanted at Cedarville in the 1980s. He attended his freshman year before leaving for Mankato State in Minnesota to pursue a bachelor’s in athletic training. He believed in everything else about Cedarville, so he came back. Now Hellwig oversees a school that has developed the master’s degrees in athletic training and PA studies as well as three bachelor’s degrees (allied health, exercise science, and sport medicine) that feed naturally into the master’s programs. When athletic training education was mandated to move to the master’s level, Hellwig and program director Mike Weller knew what had to be done if Cedarville was going to continue an athletic training program. Fortunately, nursing and pharmacy had already proven that Cedarville could create graduate programs in healthcare. “When it came time for both the Master of Athletic Training and the physician assistant program, it was so easy to just look across the lake at the Health Sciences Center and the pharmacy program, and to look over at what nursing was already doing in graduate education, and say, ‘This is not new, this is not different,’” Hellwig said. “This is exactly who Cedarville is.” Jeff Gilbert ’87 is Assistant Professor of Journalism at Cedarville University. 26 | Cedarville Magazine
PA PROGRAM ACHIEVES ACCREDITATION MILESTONE BY CAROL INE TOML INSON ’ 22 In September 2022, ARC-PA (the professional accreditor for PA programs in the U.S.) granted AccreditationProvisional* status to Cedarville University’s PA (Physician Assistant) Studies program. Cedarville plans to enroll its first cohort of 30 students in May 2023. ARC-PA grants Accreditation-Provisional status to qualified programs that meet its high professional standards for PA education but have not yet enrolled students. Cedarville’s 24-month, full-time Master of Medical Science in PA Studies (M.M.Sc.-PA) will be divided into two phases: a didactic year and a clinical year. Courses during the didactic year will build upon previous undergraduate education and prepare students for their clinical year, focused on giving them relevant professional experiences. The rigorous and fast-paced curriculum maximizes learning and provides hands-on opportunities to obtain the knowledge, skills, and professional experience necessary to care for patients well as a PA. This accelerated but intense program allows students to enter healthcare practice more quickly. The second floor of the recently completed expansion to the Callan Athletic Center houses the new PA program. This brand-new facility provides classroom and lab space to facilitate both didactic and hands-on learning necessary to equip highly skilled medical practitioners as well as collaboration and meeting spaces. With a biblical foundation in every area of the program, Cedarville PA graduates will be able to treat the whole patient, physically and spiritually, and use their vocation as a ministry for Christ. The journey to this PA program started several years ago as an idea. At an alumni gathering in Virginia Beach, Jason Grahame ’98 approached Cedarville’s President, Thomas White, asking if Cedarville had ever considered starting a physician assistant graduate program. Grahame was a PA professor at another university at the time, and his inquiry could not have been more timely: Cedarville administration had just begun the conversation surrounding the program, and a market demand study had been initiated. The road to accreditation officially began in 2017 and included completing a full feasibility study, forming a PA advisory council, undergoing a financial analysis, developing curriculum, and achieving multiple levels of internal and external approvals. The Board of Trustees authorized the development of the PA program in May 2019, with a plan to enroll the first cohort in May 2022. The COVID pandemic delayed the launch by one year. University leadership invited Grahame to serve as the inaugural program director, and he subsequently hired the remaining faculty and staff to make the program possible. With Grahame’s vision and determination, and the Lord's faithfulness in answering prayers and meeting specific needs, the program pursued and has achieved all necessary milestones to welcome its first class. Cedarville’s PA program is now accepting applications through CASPA (the centralized application system for PA programs) for its inaugural May 2023 cohort. Visit cedarville.edu/PA to learn more about the program and the application process. Caroline Tomlinson ’22 is Managing Editor of Cedarville Magazine. This accelerated but intense program allows students to enter healthcare practice more quickly. * Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation- Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-cedarville-university. Cedarville Magazine | 27
PRESIDENT’S SERMON SERIES In his yearly sermon series, Cedarville's President, Thomas White, is walking through the Psalms, encouraging the Cedarville community to find peace and refuge in the goodness of God. He is, indeed, good, and His steadfast love endures forever! Watch chapel messages at cedarville.edu/TheLordIsGood. Join the University family in chapel at 10 a.m. each weekday via the livestream broadcast at (cedarville.edu/chapellive) or Facebook Live (cedarville.edu/facebook). Past messages are also archived at cedarville.edu/chapel. Jan. 10–11 Global Outreach Conference Zane Pratt Vice President, Global Training International Mission Board Richmond, Virginia March 13–14 Trevin Wax Vice President of Research and Resource Development North American Mission Board Nashville, Tennessee March 22–23 Philip Miller Senior Pastor The Moody Church Chicago, Illinois March 15–16 Matt Carter Vice President of Mobilization North American Mission Board Houston, Texas 28 | Cedarville Magazine CHAPEL NOTES
WATCH CHAPEL VIA LIVESTREAM 10 A.M. EACH WEEKDAY Facebook.com/Cedarville/live YouTube.com/CedarvilleUniversity cedarville.edu/chapellive FALL BIBLE CONFERENCE – BRIAN WHITE We kicked off the fall semester with the annual Fall Bible Conference with speaker Brian White, Lead Pastor at Harvest Bible Church in Carmel , Indiana. He challenged the student body to consider what it means to truly surrender to Jesus Christ. A disciple of Jesus surrenders to Him as Savior and Lord, takes up the Savior’s mission, recommits to follow even after failure, and lays down the things and the thinking that keeps them in charge. White ended the week in Revelation, encouraging us to let the truth of eternity shape how we worship Jesus today. D.A. CARSON Cedarville welcomed renowned author and theologian D.A. Carson to the chapel stage. D.A. Carson spoke from Colossians 3 and Genesis 39 during his two days on campus. He encouraged students to take hold of their identity in Christ. Those who are in Christ both died and rose with Him, and thus can only find their identity in Him. Carson reminded us that persistent temptation can tear down the walls of conviction if we do not see our sin properly. Sin is committed against God, and we should be more concerned about how the Lord views us than how we are viewed in the eyes of man. ALISTAIR BEGG Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, v i s i ted Cedarv i l l e University September 7-8, preaching from Judges 6 and 7. He recounted the story of Gideon and reminded us it is often a great temptation to believe in ourselves rather than trust in the God who created us. But the servant of God must rightly understand who God is. Gideon exhibited man’s lack of faith and reminds us of God’s steadfast faithfulness and sufficiency. It is only when we realize our own inadequacy that we truly discover the sufficiency of God. WAYNE GRUDEM Wayne Grudem, well-known theologian, author, and economics specialist, spoke to Cedarville students about the dangers of socialism and the importance of a free market economy. Many people do not consider the theological elements within economics; Grudem reminded us that the earth belongs to the Lord, and we are called to steward it and its resources well. Socialism limits the freedom to practice stewardship, which is ultimately dehumanizing. Free market capitalism, on the other hand, promotes the biblical values of integrity and truth, allowing mankind to flourish on earth. Watch the entirety of Fall Bible Conference or any of these chapel messages at cedarville.edu/chapelarchive. Cedarville Magazine | 29 CHAPEL NOTES
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