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“Our people are in demand,” Leightenheimer added. “With what
they’re getting in the classroom and what they’re getting to apply here,
they graduate with a high knowledge and skill level. I’m so thankful
for our graduates and their willingness to partner with us.
“God has blessed us with an amazing network.We stay in touchwith
our grads as much as we can, and they let us know about internships,
they hire, they come back and share. I can’t think of a time someone
has been asked to help our program or students and refused.”
Back to You, Mr. L
In the end, it comes back to Leightenheimer and his willingness
to not just instruct, but invest.
“I have the privilege of working with students from freshman year
to senior year,” Leightenheimer said. “I meet with our leadership team
for the radio station every week. We talk about the business of the
station and I do leadership training with them, but I also have the
privilege of talking with them through all kinds of issues just because
we spend a lot of time together. My office is right here with them.”
Leightenheimer takes his student radio crew on a “boot camp”
at the beginning of each school year. Last fall, they camped in West
Virginia and rafted on the New River. He also takes them to the
Christian Music Broadcasters Momentum Conference
in Orlando every fall. “They get to learn with
professionals from professionals, and get to
network, too,” he said.
Leightenheimer approaches his work with
students humbly. “I get to spend a lot of
time with them, and we build relationships
and trust,” he said. “God’s given me the
opportunity to be here for them when they
have questions or need direction, even after
graduation.”
As Managing Partner for one of
Nashville’s premier talent agencies,
Houser works with big names in a high-
powered industry. But he remembers how
Leightenheimer reached out to himwhen he
was a hurting and lost freshman. “When I
came to Cedarville, I was struggling with the
loss of my dad and had deep questions about
my faith,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the
wayMr. L poured intome at that pivotal life moment.
He’s a spiritual role model and caring mentor with an
open door. He finds ways to be a ‘fan’ of his students in
the right moments.”
“Being a part of the lives of students is a
privilege God has given me,” Leightenheimer
said. And it’s that sincere, self-deprecating,
and honest stewardship of his role at Cedarville that
may be Mr. L’s greatest legacy.
Clem Boyd
is Managing Editor of
Cedarville Magazine
.
by Joy McBride ’11
“You could have a real future
in radio!” Professor Jim
Leightenheimer was the first
person to ever say that to me.
I was one of those students
who had no idea what I
wanted to do with my life, but I
fell into the broadcasting and digital media
major at Cedarville. Working at Resound
Radio, the on-campus radio station, started as just a favor
for a friend. However, Mr. L saw something in me that I did
not even see in myself. He told me that I was a natural on the
air, and he helped me to hone my skills. I had never imagined
radio to be an actual career option until he pointed me in
that direction.
The classes I took in my broadcasting major prepared
me so well for an actual radio job! I will never forget Mr.
L making us do “exactly three-minute” impromptu
speeches in front of the entire Media Performance
class. I got so nervous that I ended up crying in front
of everyone, but now impromptu speaking is a skill that
I use every day to be successful at my job. He expected a
lot of us, like a father would from his children, because
he wanted us to grow to our full potential.
Students cannot help but rave about Mr. L, withmany
considering him more like family than a teacher. We all
knew that he truly loved us and if we needed help with
a serious problem, needed guidance, or just needed to
relieve some stress by jumping in the leaf piles in his
backyard, he was there for us. I wanted to be the best
that I could be, not just for me, but to make him proud.
Mr. L used his connections to get me an internship with
WAY-FM radio. After only a few weeks of interning, I was
hired to a full-time position as the local morning show co-host
in Fort Myers, Florida. I have since been promoted, and I am
now the national afternoon show host for theWAY-FMRadio
Network in Nashville, Tennessee. I talk to more than a million
people every day, and it all started at Cedarville University.
Stepping into my dream career right out of college was
possible because of the incredible education that I received,
the holistic shaping of my mature Christian worldview
through my Bible minor, and the care of a professor who
took me under his wing. I owe my entire career to Mr. L, and
Cedarville is lucky to have him. He believed in me before I
believed in myself.
Joy McBride ’11 — or Joy Summers as she’s known to her radio
listeners — is the WAY-FM afternoon show host. She lives in
Franklin, Tennessee.
MR. L
BELIEVED
IN ME
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Cedarville Magazine