Torch, Fall/Winter 2007

#3 in Midwest Continual quality improvements have led to another top- tier ranking for Cedarville University. This year the editors of U.S.News &World Report ranked the University third in the Midwest region. Last year’s ranking was 14 th . U.S. News used peer assessment along with objective factors such as graduation rates, class size, and student/faculty ratio to determine the rankings. “Academic excellence is a significant component of Cedarville University’s mission statement, and we are extremely pleased by this positive, independent evaluation of our quality and value,” shared Dr. Bill Brown, Cedarville’s president. Honored by Alma Mater Cedarville University President Dr. Bill Brown was honored to speak at Dallas Theological Seminary’s 2007 commencement ceremony, held at Prestonwood Baptist Church on May 12. Brown holds a master of theology degree and a Ph.D. from the school. Super Gas Mileage With gas prices on the rise, the pressure to find alternative fuels and improve fuel economy just keeps increasing. To encourage creative research on these issues, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) held its 28 th Annual SAE International Supermileage competition June 7–8 to see which engineering students could come up with the best “supermileage” on their self-designed and self-built vehicles. At the Eaton Corporation Marshall Proving Grounds in Marshall, Michigan, Cedarville’s Gold Lightning II took second place with 1,240 miles per gallon. To put this into perspective, the car could have driven from Cedarville to California on less than two gallons of gas. Going International Dr. John Mortensen, associate professor of piano at Cedarville University, was selected as one of four judges for the Rovere d’Oro International Piano Competition in San Bartolomeo, Italy. The competition took place at the end of July. Mortensen joined judges from Italy, Russia, and Germany. Mortensen was personally invited to participate by Mikhail Petukhov, internationally acclaimed Russian pianist and chairman of the competition’s piano jury. Studying Terrorism The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a nonpartisan policy institute headquartered in Washington, DC, announced that Patrick Oliver, director of Cedarville University’s criminal justice program, has been named an academic fellow for 2007. Oliver traveled to Israel at the end of May for an intensive course in terrorism studies and, in particular, how democracies can defeat the worldwide terrorist threat. Geology Education for the Future Creation geologists and earth science teachers were invited to attend the first Geology Education for the Future conference at the end of July on the campus of Cedarville University. The conference was presented in conjunction with the Creation Research Science Education Foundation of Columbus, Ohio. “Attendees were challenged and encouraged by current research,” shared Dr. John Whitmore, CU associate professor of geology and this year’s conference coordinator. Conference Brings Top Players to CU Nearly 180 researchers, representing top-rated academic institutions like Columbia, UCLA, Emory, and Syracuse, were introduced to Cedarville University as they came to campus for the 19 th annual Ethnographic and Qualitative Research in Education (EQRE) Conference. More than a dozen of Cedarville’s psychology faculty and students joined together in cowriting and presenting papers for submission. Dr. Michael Firmin, chair of the Cedarville University Department of Psychology, explained, “Hosting a long-standing conference of national repute indicates to the world of academe that Cedarville has significant influence in the research world. We are a player and make substantial contributions in this higher education domain.” Visit www.cedarville.edu/whatsabuzz and click on “Torch” to find out more about these stories and what’s going on at Cedarville University! 30 TORCH Best 2008 Colleges America’s