Inspire, Fall/Winter 2011

Setting Our Sights on a N ational S tage Over the course of my nearly 30-year relationship with Cedarville, I have had the opportunity to interact with three presidents. I was either a student, staff member, or senior administrator for all but three years of Dr. Paul Dixon’s presidency. During my years as a counselor, I shared an office area and an administrative assistant with Dr. James T. Jeremiah, our chancellor at the time. And now I have had the privilege of working very closely with our current president, Dr. Bill Brown. Each man brought a vision for Cedarville that was right for the time, and each president built upon the previous man’s vision. Dr. Jeremiah labored to rescue a school that was in deep financial trouble with a very limited enrollment. He grew the school, gave it a vision for strength in the sciences, and took it through the process of achieving accreditation, a controversial decision at the time. Dr. Dixon was an evangelist and a builder. He raised well over $125 million and led a team that built most of the campus that we enjoy today. Near the close of his presidency, he reached out to Southern Baptist churches and broadened the base of our constituency. He frequently encouraged his administrative team to “have a broad view of the Kingdom.” He was relentless in his commitment to growth, quality, and most of all, reaching people for Jesus Christ. Today, Dr. Brown continues the legacy of strong leaders as he guides Cedarville into the future. Two related themes that summarize Dr. Brown’s vision are “Christ- centered” and “cultural engagement.” In his inaugural address, he stated that he came to Cedarville because he believed that Cedarville is uniquely positioned to become one of the leading Christ-centered universities of this century. In recent months, Dr. Brown has led our administrative team through a process of developing a strategic map toward making this a reality. Shaping How Cedarville Is Seen The strategic map includes a vision for national leadership in the health sciences and professional programs like business and engineering, aggressive development of online and graduate education, intentional growth in diversity, and a carefully crafted plan to expand Cedarville’s national reputation. There are hundreds of thousands of committed Christian high school students in the United States, and even more around the world, who have never heard of Cedarville. Others may know of Cedarville but perceive us to be disconnected from the major issues and challenges facing the world. If we are to become one of the premier Christ-centered universities in this century, we must be intentional about For years, Cedarville has been a leading Midwest university. As we look to the future, our vision is to become one of the premier Christ-centered universities in the nation. by Dr. Carl Ruby ’83 18 FALL/WINTER 2011