Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2014

Cedarville Magazine | 17 C Learning to Lead in the Liberal Arts by Thomas Mach ‘88 and Kevin Sims ‘74 Cedarville University began as a college to prepare young men and women for ministry. The Presbyterian founders quickly broadened the school’s focus to include a variety of vocational pursuits as well, all centered on the liberal arts and grounded in the Word of God. When the Presbyterians turned the school over to the Baptist Bible Institute in 1953, they did so on the condition that it remain a liberal arts institution. While Cedarville has grown and expanded its scope over the decades since, its programs still include a liberal arts core curriculum and integrated biblical principles. The liberal arts include the humanities and the sciences —fields that introduce students to general knowledge and develop the basic intellectual skills that are needed to succeed in our society. They were the focus of the earliest universities, long before professional training developed, because of their universal applicability. The liberal arts core courses and major programs enable students to develop skills in communication, information management, problem-solving, and integrating biblical principles with learning. Employment data suggest that today’s graduates will change career paths four to six times in their lives. Cedarville is committed to equipping all of our graduates with the skills needed tomake those transitions. Equally important, while we seek to prepare our graduates for success inmaking a living, we also want to equip them for a life of critical thinking. Repeatedly, Scripture admonishes us to test what we see in the world against the Word of God. A Cedarville education is infused with the liberal arts to encourage students to develop the analytical skills required to discern truth and respond to error. These skills have application as Christians in our private lives, as members in our churches, and as citizens in our society. Well Prepared Cedarville’s faculty members believe in the value of the liberal arts. We want our graduates to be educated individuals, not just trained employees. We recognize that in this economically challenging environment, being well prepared for the workforce is essential. Too often, however, prospective students and their parents believe the myth that only professional and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs prepare graduates for careers. Even more, some think that the path to leadership influence for Christ lies in those same fields. U.S. Census data, a survey by Georgetown University, and a joint study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the National Center for Higher EducationManagement Systems, however, suggest that this is simply not