Inspire, Winter 2007

30Winter 2007 To find out more about these stories, visit www.cedarville.edu/whatsabuzz and click on “ Inspire Articles.” Professor Honored as Lehrman Fellow Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, director of Cedarville University’s Center for Political Studies, has been named an academic fellow by the Lehrman American Studies Center. Mark traveled to Princeton University in June for a two-week seminar dedicated to the study of American political principles in practice. The seminar, which was sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, involved more than 25 distinguished faculty from around the country and was led by professors from Amherst, Harvard, Notre Dame, Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Yale. Distinguished Speaker Series Features Alumnus Have you ever noticed the name “Otis” while riding in an elevator? With more than 1.2 million elevators and escalators in operation all over the world, Otis Elevator Company is the preeminent leader in the vertical transportation industry. Putting a face to the Otis name is Cedarville University alumnus Randy Wilcox ’81, North and South America area president for Otis. Randy spoke in October as part of the Distinguished Business Speaker Series sponsored by the University’s Department of Business Administration. Schell Grant Benefits Students Cedarville University has been selected to receive a grant from Fifth Third Bank, trustee for the Charles E. Schell Foundation, in the amount of $100,000 to be paid over four years. This grant reflects Cedarville University’s continued commitment to offer students more financial aid options. Fred Merritt, the financial aid director at Cedarville University, estimates that 20 to 30 students will benefit from the loans in the next four years. Though interest-free, the loans carry a moral obligation. Individual recipients are asked to repay their loans to build a rotating loan fund for the benefit of future students. Conference Addresses Sex Trafficking Women at Risk, International recently presented a conference at Cedarville University designed to improve awareness of women enslaved in sex trade. Dr. Susan Warner, associate professor of sociology and conference presenter, noted, “Up to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked illegally across international borders each year. Fifty percent of these are forced into sexual slavery.” Keynote speaker Becky McDonald shared her 36 years of experience working with wounded women around the world. The conference was sponsored by Women of Vision, a CU organization focused on humanitarian aid.