Torch, Spring 2002

Spring 2002 / TORCH 13 got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for Him, and when they found Him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons (Mark 1:35-39). This is one of my favorite passages in the Gospels. Jesus went off to a solitary place where He prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for Him. They found Him and in essence said, “Hey, what are you doing here? Everyone is looking for you. What are you doing praying? Isn’t that a waste of time?” Jesus said, “Let’s go somewhere else. Let’s go to the nearby villages. I’ll preach there. By the way, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’ve come to pray. That’s why I am all by myself so I can do this.” We will never manifest the compassion of Christ unless we begin to develop the prayer life of Christ. Out of all that is in the Gospels on prayer and Jesus, there is one passage that is truly the classic. John 17 is called the “High Priestly Prayer.” After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do. And P ending Ohio Board of Regents’ approval, Cedarville University will begin to offer a computer engineering program leading to a bachelor of science in computer engineering (BSCpE) degree in the Fall 2002 semester. The new degree joins Cedarville’s currently offered and ABET- accredited bachelor of science degrees in electrical engineering (BSEE) and mechanical engineering (BSME). Cedarville has long had a strong computer and digital elective track in its BSEE degree program. “Growth projections, both in jobs available and employers’ future needs, are still high throughout the engineering specialties,” said Dr. Larry Zavodney, chairman of the Elmer W. Engstrom Department of Engineering, “but they are the greatest in computer engineering.” “We have been considering this additional program for several years,” he explained, “but we held off until the change to semesters in 2002 would occur and until we had all of the program resources in place. We will bring two new engineering laboratories on line this fall and another when this fall’s entering freshmen begin their senior design classes in 2005. Although two of our electrical engineering faculty have Ph.D. degrees in computer engineering, we will also hire a third computer engineering professor this fall. More will be added later.” Cedarville also offers a computer science degree. “Although computer engineers take some computer science classes, and computer science students take some computer engineering classes, there is a difference,” Zavodney said. “The difference between computer science and the new computer engineering program is in their emphases. The computer science curriculum is aimed primarily at producing expertise and proficiency in software programming and development. The computer engineering curriculum is more hardware and computer systems design-related.” “Cedarville’s engineering programs have developed rapidly and impressively. We began our program in 1990 and graduated 24 students in 1994,” Zavodney explained. “Today, we have 300 students. Engineering and computer science are the fastest growing programs on the campus. Adding computer engineering will cause another significant growth spurt.” “Our students compete exceptionally well in national and international design competitions,” Zavodney related. “In 2000, our students placed first in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Supermileage Competition and came home with eight of 11 trophies in SAE’s Micro Baja Competition. Last spring,” he continued, “of 16 engineering schools with ABET-accredited programs in the state of Ohio, Cedarville was one of only two schools whose graduates achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. In fact,” he emphasized, “Cedarville is the only school that has twice had a 100 percent passing rate in the last four years. Our graduates have consistently outperformed the average pass rates for the FE exam in the state, and the state has consistently outperformed the nation.” Cedarville University Plans to Offer Computer Engineering