Torch, Summer 2003

TORCH 16 TORCH / Summer 2003 Campaign Reaches $10 Million Mark; Kresge Foundation Issues Challenge Grant T his past spring, Cedarville University’s $12.8 million campaign to build a new fitness center reached the $10 million mark. One consequence of the accomplishment was the issuance of a $600,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich. The challenge is for the campaign to reach $12.2 million by the end of 2003. “We’re grateful to God and to those people who’ve made this possible,” said Dr. Paul Dixon, Cedarville University president at the time of the announcement, “especially the Kresge Foundation. Their $600,000 challenge, we believe, will provide the impetus to reach our ultimate goal in this campaign.” Dixon, who now serves as chancellor, continued, “Our vision is to make the Cedarville experience a valuable, life-changing one. We’ve made great improvements in our faculty and our academic support facilities over the past two decades. This latest facility represents a vast improvement in the whole-person, physical development area. This facility will support the social, physical, and academic development of our students in a manner unlike any other building on campus.” The $12.8 million Fitness-Recreation-Health Center campaign comes on the heels of more than $100 million in facility development on the Cedarville University campus in the past 20 years. The Center, which is being constructed adjacent to the Callan Athletic Center, will open in the fall of this year. Simultaneous renovation of a portion of the Callan Athletic Center will assure the two facilities are compatible and mutually supportive. “The Fitness-Recreation-Health Center,” explained Dixon, “will accomplish several key initiatives for CU, including increasing space for academic programs in the department of exercise and sport science and providing more adequate opportunities for our students’ intramural programs.” The largest portion of the Fitness-Recreation-Health Center will be the recreation area. This 60,000 square foot area will house four courts that can be used for indoor soccer, basketball, volleyball, and other sports. It will also include a 200-meter track that can be used for individual walking and jogging as well as a full indoor track meet. Because of the crowds associated with track meets, bleachers to accommodate approximately 1,000 spectators will be installed. The fitness portion of the Center will include space for free-weights, cardiovascular machines, and aerobic and other exercise areas. The focal point of the fitness area is the 40-foot climbing wall. The health area of the Center is dedicated to students who require short-term health care such as first aid, routine check-ups, and medications. Those needs are currently served by a campus clinic that employs nurses, part-time physicians, and an EMT squad with an ambulance. For a number of years, the clinic has occupied Patterson Hall, a building constructed in the mid-1950s. The new clinic will provide 50 percent more space for up-to-date examination, treatment, and consultation rooms. For more information on the CU Fitness-Recreation-Health Center, or to make a gift or commitment, visit http://www.cedarville.edu/dept/pr/fitrec or mail your gift to Capital Campaign, Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH 45314. news c a m p u s n e w s c a m p u s n e w s campus Southern Baptist Convention CEO Speaks at Cedarville M orris Chapman, chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, spoke in chapel on April 23. He spoke about the Convention’s current emphasis, which is called “Empowering Kingdom Growth” and focuses on Matthew 6:33. Chapman has served as CEO of the SBC Executive Committee since October 1992. Previously, he served as the SBC president from 1990 to 1992 and as pastor of the historic 7,700-member First Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, Texas, for 13 years. A published author, Chapman has spoken extensively around the world.