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GIVING TIME
Faculty members at Cedarville know that time inside the
classroom is just the beginning of forming relationships with
their students. To make a difference — a real, lasting difference
— professors spend time outside of class, and it may not be
during regular office hours.
Stephen Boalt ’62 transferred to Cedarville University with a
passion for music. He played the trumpet but dreamed of being
a vocalist and ultimately serving as a music minister. Something
always held him back from being the singer he wanted to be.
Enter Richard Cooke, Boalt’s trumpet and vocal instructor at
Cedarville, who served on the faculty of the music department
from 1958–1962. After spending time with Boalt, Cooke
determined something was restricting his throat.
Using his personal time outside of class, Cooke drove Boalt
to a specialist in Columbus who diagnosed the problem and
provided corrective surgery to remove growths from Boalt’s
throat. “Following the surgery and a period of healing,” said Boalt,
“I was able to sing like never before, with a three-octave range in
full voice.” He has since gone on to record nine full orchestral solo
albums with some of the greatest musicians in the world. And it
all began when a professor took the time to dig deeper.
Beth CramPorter, current Chair of the Department of Music
and Worship, is impressed — but not surprised — by Boalt’s
story. That same legacy of mentoring continues with the music
department today. “Mentoring students is one of the highlights
for faculty at Cedarville. We take this very seriously in our
department,” she said.
Mark Tucker ’07 was a senior when he discovered the value
of having a professor willing to go above and beyond to help a
student. Tucker was interested in learning a skill outside of his
electronic media major, but couldn’t afford to take an extra
course. His adviser, Clark Greer, an Assistant Professor of
Communications from 1999–2007, gave up several hours a week
to meet with Tucker and teach him Adobe Photoshop.
“He and I met regularly and worked our way through the
tutorial, from page one to nearly the end,” Tucker explained. “By
the end, Iwas able tomaster the software and achieve amarketable
skill, all without adding to my debt.” Jim Leightenheimer ’80,
Associate Professor of Communications, confirmed Tucker’s
recollection of Greer. “Dr. Greer definitely spent significant time
not only with Mark, but with other students pursuing research
interests,” he recalled. “My colleagues and I still value these
mentoring relationships as some of the best things that we are
able to invest in here at Cedarville,” Leightenheimer continued.
Looking back at her four years at Cedarville, Lauren (Hanna)
Sterrett ’06 recognizes that the time April Crommett, Associate
Professor of Exercise Science, spent with her outside of the
classroomwas as important —or even more important — as the
time they spent inside the classroom. Sterrett recalled trips with
Crommett to two national exercise science conferences as pivotal
in helping her choose a career path. “We had hours to discuss
the most fitting career choice for me,” Sterrett explained. “My
education was expanded far beyond the classroom.”
When it was time for Sterrett to investigate graduate schools,
Crommett went along with her to visit two programs, helping
her reason through a tough decision. Years after
Sterrett’s graduation from Cedarville, Crommett
witnessed her master’s thesis defense from the
graduate program she helped her enter. “She
still sends me notes and gifts of encouragement
nine years later,” Sterrett shared. “I am so
thankful for her investment inme.” Crommett
remembered Sterrett as a student with
great energy and charisma. “It was easy to
come along beside her and encourage her
dreams,” she recalled.
Jamie (Widman) Koser ’11 asked Sharon
(Klopfenstein) Christman ’92, Professor of
Nursing, to mentor her during her final year
in the nursing program. The two met together
regularly throughout that last year. “Looking
back now, I realize how much our regular meetings were a
sacrifice to her,” Koser recalled. “Often, we’d meet in the later
afternoon and her two young kids would be around.” Koser was
an “out-of-the-box thinker” who always had big questions,
Christman recalled. “It was a pleasure to meet with her
regularly to talk about God, life, and nursing,” she added.
SHARING TALENT
As with any professional field, experience brings insight
and perspective that can make your work more enjoyable
and your end results outstanding. Instead of holding
onto that prized knowledge, Cedarville’s professors
share it freely. Boalt recalls his time spent in class with
James T. Jeremiah, Cedarville’s then President, fondly
and with deep appreciation. “I knew that I didn’t
have the means to attend seminary like some of my
classmates,” he explained, “so I made the most of the
classes taught by Dr. Jeremiah.”
He was riveted by courses such as Bible
Doctrine, Baptist History and Polity, Systematic
Theology, and others, soaking up every bit of
knowledge he could glean from his esteemed
professor’s compassion and powerful ability to
teach. “These classes put some tools in my tool
kit for serving the Lord in later years,” he said.
It was Jeremiah who recommended Boalt for
his first ministry position, setting the course
for a lifetime of service in music evangelism,
preaching and singing in 35 countries,
traveling two million air miles, and reaching
countless souls for Christ.
Koser described Christman as being able to
“teach the socks off any subject.” Her greatest
lesson, perhaps, was teaching students to have
confidence in themselves as superior nurses
because they were Christian nurses. “She
explained to our class that because we have
the power of God in us, we have the ability to
see, hear, feel, smell, and sense things that other
nurses cannot,” Koser explained. “I was shocked,
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