Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2020

44 | Cedarville Magazine Cedarville Magazine 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 1-888-CEDARVILLE | magazine@cedarville.edu cedarville.edu/magazine Business is changing rapidly, with technology radically reshaping business strategies. Data, big and small, is a key input into every business decision; every business with a website is potentially a global business, and technology is a continuing disrupter. Most businesses have adopted the practice of affirming every lifestyle regardless of its moral implications and expect their employees to join in various celebrations of unbiblical behavior or, at minimum, to keep their Gospel witness silent in the workplace. Businesses are no longer on the sidelines of cultural debate, but are active participants against a Christian worldview. Many of the most hostile firms are newer entrepreneurial companies that are having an outsized cultural influence. How do we respond to these threats and opportunities? How do we help our graduates both seize the opportunities and counter the threats? First, in the School of Business Administration, we are shaping our curriculum to be more technical in nature. This past year, we transitioned four majors from Bachelor of Arts to Bachelor of Science degrees, and we are continuing to promote our business analytics minor —with the goal of having 50% of our students complete that minor. Our Master of Business Administration continues to add specializations, such as cybersecurity administration, business analytics, healthcare management, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Second, we need to facilitate more Christian-led businesses that will not require workers to “bend the knee” on their faith convictions, and that can also be a significant source of support to the communities where they are based. Further, the leaders of these firms will have a larger opportunity to influence the culture from a biblical worldview. To enable this, we are renewing our focus on entrepreneurship with a revised minor and the alumni-led Beyond Startup Accelerator. In addition to the Accelerator, we are partnering with firms to take on student interns to help create new markets for products and opportunities, ultimately leading to potential spinoffs within a firm, with our students in key leadership positions. Finally, we are looking for ways we can connect more intentionally to stakeholders with value-added experiences — creating our own Christian ecosystem of connections and networking, something we are calling Encore! . This fall we had a series of speakers, in partnership with the School of Pharmacy, on the business of healthcare. Imagine coming back to Cedarville to watch students and alumni pitching their ideas in front of venture capitalists and angel investors, hearing talks from amazing alumni on emerging trends and activities within their spheres, and networking with alumni and students. Our desire is to extend your formative 1,000-day Cedarville experience to 10,000 days. The challenges of today’s world are big, but our God is bigger! We’re putting our full trust in the God of Abraham, who obeyed the Lord and went where He called, to grow and transform the Cedarville School of Business Administration into a transformative influence for the Kingdom in our society and around the world. Jeff Haymond is Dean of the School of Business Administration and Professor of Economics. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. INFLUENCE FOR THE KINGDOM IN CLOSING