Torch, Spring 2000

T he Cedarville College Board of Trustees voted overwhelmingly at its April 2000 meeting to change the designation of the institution from college to university effective September 1, 2000. The possibility of this change has been under discussion and has been the focus of intense scrutiny for more than four years. It is not a change the institution and its administrators have approached lightly, for the name and reputation of Cedarville College extend back to the founding of the institution in 1887. Every attempt has been made to consider every issue related to the change; particular attention has been paid to other institutions that have made similar changes in the recent past. There are too many factors leading to this change to mention in this limited space. The overriding factor was that the designator university more clearly and accurately reflects what Cedarville is as an institution of higher education than does the term college . For example: Cedarville’s academic program offerings, which 20 years ago were limited to a handful of majors and one degree (the bachelor of arts), have now expanded to more than 100 programs of study and six degrees, including the bachelor of arts, the bachelor of science, the bachelor of science in nursing, the bachelor of science in electrical engineering, the bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, and the bachelor of music education. Enrollment growth of the institution has necessitated the adoption of a traditional university management structure, including the creation of four schools and the appointment of deans to lead each school. The certification of our graduate programs by the Ohio Board of Regents was a watershed event in our transition from college to university. Initiation of graduate programs, while no longer a criterion for university designation, was a key factor in this change. The changing of a name often implies the changing of an identity. For some institutions, the change to university was meant to mark a break from the past and a new beginning. Not so at Cedarville. We are grateful that in God’s good providence we have a wonderful heritage, and we continue to build on that heritage. So we are not seeking a new identity, and we don’t need a new beginning. But we do want to be accurate in communicating the nature and scope of a Cedarville education. Our commitment to the distinctives that have characterized Cedarville for decades is as strong as ever. Our mission remains “to provide an education consistent with biblical truth.” Our commitment to the Bible as the Word of God remains absolute, and our doctrinal statement, emphasis on daily chapel, required Bible minor, and priority on practical Christian service as an essential element of a Christian education remain. Cedarville is a teaching institution, and while faculty members do research, their focus is on classroom and individual teaching, mentoring, and ministering in the lives of our students. Cedarville will continue its policy of moderate, managed growth. It is more painful each year to turn away increasing numbers of qualified, motivated students. But we choose not to grow the enrollment at a pace that will adversely affect the intensely personal nature that characterizes the Cedarville experience. The campus is filled with excitement concerning the change to university . The name change more accurately positions Cedarville in the minds of many people as a Christian institution of high quality and broad impact. This, in turn, will help the institution attain one of its premiere objectives: to prepare students to make an impact on their world for Jesus Christ.