Cedarville Magazine Spring-Summer

27 / 40

There are several ways you have
invested in Cedarville. What is the
Theta Rho Epsilon Scholarship?
PM – Kevin and I started the scholarship
about 10 years ago. It’s an annually funded
award that Cedarville administers. The
fund isn’t about OPE; recipients don’t have
to be members.
KP – As Paul and I talked about this award,
it seemed that students who already do
well, coming come out of high school with
a 3.5 or 4.0 grade point average, get most
of the scholarship money. I was the kind
of student where the grade on my final
marketing exam determined whether or
not I would march in commencement.
We wanted to do something for the
average students, the ones who might
struggle in school, but who want to do
well and finish. There are a lot of students
who are academically and economically
average. They come from modest homes,
but perhaps their parents’ income is “just
enough” to preclude them from getting a
lot of financial aid. Those are students who
could use a little encouragement.
What are your goals for this
scholarship fund?
PM – I hope the students who receive it are
encouraged and, as their careers take off,
maybe they’ll remember that somebody
gave to help them. Maybe they’ll become
givers, too.
KP – The scholarship isn’t a huge amount;
it’s something a lot of alumni could do.
I would like to see this idea duplicated,
whether it’s OPE guys giving to this fund
or alumni starting their own scholarships.
I would like to see other men become
intentional about their giving and think,
“Who could I encourage with this gift?”
Where do you see OPE going from
here?
PM– Now that we’re “old guys,” we can give
students career guidance and introduce
recent grads to friends in our professional
networks. Some of that is happening now,
but that’s in early stages. Over the next 20
years, as we add more OPE alumni, and
as Kevin and I become really old guys, I
think more of that networking will happen.
The primary areas of growth are helping
students move toward the next step and
being there for them as career and family
mentors.
KP – Paul and I, along with the other
founders, want to help where we can. We
talk to students a lot about mentoring. But
when we’re at the OPE retreat and telling
our “old guy” stories, we make it clear that
connecting with us isn’t what makes OPE
great. It’s about developing relationships
and relying on one another so they know
exactly who they can call at any time to say,
“I’m struggling, I need encouragement.”
PM – What began in OPE is now
multigenerational. My son turns 13 this
year, and we are celebrating with OPE guys
who are bringing their sons to talk about
what it means to be a Christian man. These
men are my brothers. They are my son’s
spiritual uncles. They are family.
Paul McGrady ’93 is a partner at Winston
& Strawn, LLP, headquartered in Chicago,
and is Global Chair of the law firm’s
trademark practice.
Kevin Parliament ’93 is the Global IT
Director for IAC Group, an international
automotive supplier in Luxembourg.
Carol Lee ’96 is the Publications Manager
for Bethany Christian Services in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, and a freelance writer.