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Cedarville Magazine
Dr. Thomas White Articulates Vision at Inauguration
On October 4, Cedarville inaugurated its
10th President, Dr. Thomas White, as part
of the 2013 Homecoming celebration. The
ceremony opened with prayer, worship,
Scripture reading, and a video greeting
from Dr. Paige Patterson, White’s mentor
and a member of Cedarville’s Board of
Trustees. In a heartfelt tribute, White’s
father, Dr. Jerry White, Pastor of Casey
Creek Baptist Church in Chesnee, South
Carolina, exhorted his son to surrender
to God in every area of life. He then read
Proverbs 3:5–6 from a Bible that had
belonged to White’s grandfather.
Nearly four decades of leadership
at Cedarville were represented in the
participation of former Presidents Dr.
Bill Brown and Dr. Paul Dixon. Dr. David
Jeremiah ’63, a current board member and
son of the late former President Dr. James
T. Jeremiah, brought the inaugural address
from the book of Joshua.
Jeremiah read from Joshua 1:1–9, where
God instructs Joshua to “be strong and
very courageous” and also to keep “this
Book of the Law” always on his heart and
on his lips. Jeremiah challenged White
saying, “The one thing that will keep you is
your commitment to this Book. It was to be
Joshua’s passion and the center of his life.
Doing
what is written inside it is the only
way to grow in the knowledge of God.”
Lorne Scharnberg, Chairman of
the Board of Trustees, presented the
presidential medallion, saying, “The
Trustees’ unanimous vote reflects our deep
confidence in your ability to provide strong
academic and Christ-centered leadership
for this new chapter at Cedarville. As
you assume the office of President, you
have been given the sacred trust of this
institution and its heritage. You can be
assured of our prayers and best wishes as
you undertake this honored position.”
White signed Cedarville’s doctrinal
statement, the first time in University
history that has been done during an
inauguration ceremony. Dr. James Hilton,
Lead Pastor at The Journey at First Baptist
Church in Orange City, Florida, then
offered a prayer of dedication for White,
and Stephanie Armstrong, a personal
friend of White and his wife, Joy, prayed
specifically for Joy.
White focused his remarks on three
“ongoing battles for Christian higher
education” that frame his vision for
Cedarville: theological drift, ministerial
neglect, and financial bondage.
White affirmed the importance of
Cedarville’s doctrinal statement and
pledged to maintain a strong Bible minor,
a strong chapel program, and biblical
integration in every classroom. He restated
his goal to increase international missions
opportunities for students and equip them
for ministry at home. “Cedarville students,
faculty, and staff will be producers, not
consumers, in both society and the local
church,” he said. “We will train students for
ministry, as they are ultimately, regardless
of their vocation, to be servants in their
local churches.”
Addressing the rising cost of higher
education, White pledged to take steps
to make the Cedarville experience more
affordable and accessible for students while
minimizing their debt, including freezing
tuition costs for the upcoming academic
year. “We must take the hard road because
it is the right road,” he said. “Join me in
praying for the Lord to provide scholarship
money and endowment to offset costs
so we can have a greater impact for the
Kingdom of God today and students
who are free to go wherever God may call
them tomorrow.”
The audience applauded as White
made it clear that his goal is to position
Cedarville University to make an eternal
Kingdom impact for Christ. “I don’t want
us to just exist and look back 20 years from
now and say, ‘We’re still here.’ I want to
do something so amazing that everybody
says, ‘What happened there?’ and the only
answer can be, ‘
God
happened there.’”
White concluded his address citing the
words of Cedarville’s second President,
Wilbert Renwick McChesney, who wrote
in 1915: “We pray not for lighter tasks, but
for greater strength; not for conflicts to be
shunned, but for courage and wisdom to
meet them.”
Dr.Whitewas joinedbyhiswife,Joy,andtheirchildren,
Rachel and Samuel.
Campus News
