Cedarville Magazine, Spring/Summer 2015

“An EducationThat Works.” I really like that phrase. I like its double meaning. You see, at Cedarville University we have an education that works, in both senses of the phrase. Our process of education works, and the education that students receive means they get jobs where they work. What makes our education work? Let me share three characteristics that distinguish our educational process from most other universities. Academic Excellence: First, we educate our students well for their profession. Most students arrive at Cedarville with a God- given desire for a particular vocation. In order to meet their career goals, they must be well equipped to work in their fields as unto the Lord. Our job placement rates are about 10 percent higher than the national average, with 96.8 percent of our 2014 graduates either having a job or enrolled in graduate school within six months. When you factor in the variety of majors we have and how hard it is in some fields to find work, that statistic says something important about the quality of an education at Cedarville. Companies continually seek out our graduates because they have experienced firsthand the quality of a Cedarville education. Check out a few of the programs that had 100 percent placement last year: • Accounting • Athletic Training • Exercise Science • Computer Engineering • Computer Science • Electrical Engineering • Industrial and Innovative Design • Journalism • Marketing • Middle Childhood Education • Social Work • Special Education – Intervention Specialist • Technical and Professional Communication • Worship In fact, 58 of our 77 majors reported 100 percent placement, a statistic reinforcing the idea that a Cedarville education truly works. The Liberal Arts Advantage: Second, we educate students to think well, write well, and communicate well. We are a liberal arts university, not a technical school. Students in our engineering, business, nursing, pharmacy, and other professional degree programs learn more than just a particular set of skills, as important as those skills are. They learn to analyze, critique, think, and communicate well, which places them in a unique position to excel in their careers. Many students earn a degree, but the ability to think, write, and communicate well distinguishes our students as leaders in the workplace. For example, our engineering students consistently win the technical report section of the Intercollegiate World Championship of Solar Boating, regardless of how well the Cedarville boat performs any given year. Why? Because they have learned how to convey their ideas clearly, thoroughly, and engagingly about the work they’ve done. Producing well-rounded students is more important than you may realize. With the average person changing careers fairly frequently in his or her life, we must equip students to be lifelong learners and adapters. These skills teach them how to fish rather than giving them one catch, and that provides preparation for a lifetime of success. For theWord of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ: Third, we educate the student with a biblical worldview. Sometimes in our world, we have the impression that only pastors or missionaries are in ministry. As such, that relieves the obligation on everyone else to “do ministry.” Such a view is grossly flawed. Christ commands all followers to take up their cross and to fulfill the Great Commission. We want students to see their vocation as their mission field. Each internship should be treated as significantly as one would approach a missions trip. God places each person in a mission field. The mission field may not be filled with huts or people who speak other languages. The mission field might be a local school, a laboratory, a hospital, or a local church. God may call a student to use those business, engineering, nursing, drama, athletic, or English skills among unreached people groups in an area where pastors and missionaries cannot obtain visas. In every job opportunity, we should ask where we can best use our gifts to impact the kingdom of God. Our Bible minor equips every student to do just that. With courses that address personal spiritual disciplines, teach the Old and New Testament, and teach theology from a biblical foundation, every graduate leaves Cedarville looking to be involved in God’s great mission by strategically planting themselves where they can do the most good for God’s kingdom purposes. An eternal purpose provides meaning for life far beyond material rewards and provides contentment that money cannot buy. Add it i ona l ly, our admi s s i ons requirement that students provide a narrative of when they placed their faith in Christ, along with a biblical worldview taught in every class, chapel every weekday, discipleship groups, a required Bible minor, and a godly faculty all instill values into our students that employers desire. The best workers don’t steal from you or cheat you on work hours. The best workers serve those around them and work as unto the Lord. This eternal motivation produces a different caliber of employee. A Cedarville University education is an education that works. Our graduates live life well for the Gospel and for King Jesus. In the remainder of this magazine, you will learn about several of our programs that exemplify an education that works. You will meet highly qualified broadcasting professionals, award-winning engineers, and premed students being trained in cutting- edge facilities. Through all of our degree programs at Cedarville University, we are providing an education that puts students to work, not simply for this world, but for the world to come. Thomas White became Cedarville’s 10th President in 2013. He received his B.A. from Anderson University (South Carolina) and both his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author and editor of numerous publications and is a contributor to Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, Volume 4 , released November 2014. Follow @DrThomasWhite Website: drthomaswhite.com 58 OF OUR 77 MAJORS REPORTED 100 PERCENT PLACEMENT, A STATISTIC REINFORCING THE IDEA THAT A CEDARVILLE EDUCATION TRULY WORKS. Cedarville Magazine | 3