My degrees at The Ohio State University (MA) and University of Dayton (PhD) refined my passion to see students grow and learn to love God. I knew God was calling me to use that passion to serve in higher education. So, in 2013, I took the next step to grow my experience and abilities at another faith-based institution in another state. Clara and I moved to PalmBeach County, where I served in several student-facing roles at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), most recently Vice President for Student Development. Clara and I found an incredible local church in Boynton Beach and were blessed with three wonderful children. We had started considering that we might stay at First Boynton and PBA for the rest of my career until, in His providence, God prepared us for change and opened up a door for us to return to this place we love, Cedarville, in 2024. EXTRAORDINARY CALLING People often ask me, “What would make you leave the beautiful weather of south Florida to return to Cedarville?” Really, the answer is easy. My ordinary ministry of helping students learn God’s Word and deepen relationships is extraordinary and life-giving! In my role as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, I use creative venues to help our campus find new students. In every initiative, I rely on what makes Cedarville so special: the ordinary means of God’s Word taking root and Gospel relationships being developed. At the forefront of this work is Cedarville Online. We’re excited to launch online undergraduate programs so we can help students achieve their academic goals with affordable, flexible degrees. But more than that, we’re excited to see new lives transformed through the ordinary means God has been using throughout the history of the Church! While a residential college experience can be an incredible blessing, we know that not every student can or wants to move to Cedarville. Many students can’t come to Cedarville because of financial, health, and life constraints or because God has already revealed work and church callings to themwhere they are today. Now, these students can enjoy an extraordinary Cedarville experience online, complete with the same timeless, ordinary means God has always used: His Word and relationships with other believers. Just like our residential students, students in the online programs have full access to chapel and are taught an excellent curriculum that’s fully integrated with biblical truth. Students can be mentored by faculty and staff and establish the same lifelong friendships with classmates and fellow believers around the world. I love this place. I love what it has done in my life. God has used it to drawme to Himself and embolden me to use my passions to serve others for the Gospel, and it has all been accomplished through the ordinary. I pray that He uses my work to help students grow in the same ways. Dr. Bob Lutz serves as the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Cedarville. He earned his PhD from the University of Dayton. In my role as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, I use creative venues to help our campus find new students. In every initiative, I rely on what makes Cedarville so special: the ordinary means of God’s Word taking root and Gospel relationships being developed. 20
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