Inspire, Fall/Winter 2009

42 FALL/WINTER 2009 facul ty voi ce As a new face at Cedarville, I realize I’m a stranger to most members of the University family. So, I’d like to provide some background on who I am and where I’ve come from. But more importantly, I want to explain why I chose Cedarville and why I’m excited about the future of this institution. I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania, where I came to know the Lord as a child. After graduating from Philadelphia College of Bible, I married my high school sweetheart, Sue. We then packed up all we owned in a 4- by 6-foot trailer — it wasn’t much — and moved cross-country to attend Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Three years later, after I earned a Master of Divinity in church history, we headed back to Philadelphia for graduate school. While completing my master’s degree in religion at Temple University, I was invited to join the faculty at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Excited by the prospect, we moved to Illinois, and I began what would become a long career at Moody. In fall 2008, a lot of things seemed to happen at once. Our son, David, announced he was going to ask his girlfriend to marry him; our daughter, Laura, decided to change directions in her art studies at Biola; and I learned of a job opening at Cedarville. It soon became clear that God was moving us to Ohio after years of contented life in Chicago. Through the winter and spring, we discovered how many changes would converge over the summer. Laura extended her semester at Biola to take advantage of a unique art opportunity. I traveled to China for three-and-a-half weeks and taught summer school in June; David got married on June 19; and just five days later the movers packed up our earthly belongings — now almost a full moving van — for the drive to Cedarville! But before any of that happened, we had to make some difficult, but necessary, decisions. What should we discard? What items would we need for a new and very different house? Needless to say, the past few months have been a blur in the Cornman household. We’ve settled into our new home, and I’m starting to learn the acronyms, buildings, and organizational charts of Cedarville. I’ve enjoyed meeting the people here — Shannon, who cleans my office each morning; Kim, who set up my office computer as part of her busy day; Jim, who introduced me to the woodworking specialty stores in the area; and many more. Sue and I also are sensing the heart of Cedarville University and are enthused by what we see and feel here. A Vision for the Future What first attracted us to Cedarville was the strong commitment to God’s Word and the focus on developing a Christian worldview in each student’s life. In the days ahead, I pray that, by God’s grace, we would see a continued commitment to these important hallmarks. Strengthening our Bible minor for each by Dr. Thomas Cornman