Torch, Summer 2003

18 TORCH / Summer 2003 Baker Named Faculty Scholar of Year D r. J. Wesley Baker, professor of communication arts, was named the 2003 Cedarville University Faculty Scholar of the Year in April. After receiving the award, he gave a chapel presentation titled, “Scholarship of Integrity.” Baker earned his B.A. from Bob Jones University, his M.A. from the University of South Carolina, and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He has taught at Cedarville University since 1977. Baker has received several awards for his outstanding teaching. He was the recipient of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership in 1989; was named the Outstanding College Teacher of 1991 by the Speech Communication Association of Ohio; was the Cedarville University Faculty Member of the Year in 2000; and that same year was given an Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology Award by the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. In 2001, the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education presented him with The Faculty Excellence Award. He has served as a radio broadcaster in full-time and part-time positions and has had major supporting roles in three Christian films. He has been a board member of the Springfield Arts Council for five years, serving one- year terms as president-elect and president. As a scholar, Baker has had numerous articles published. He has presented more than 50 invited papers and seminars to such groups as the Council of Independent Colleges Presidents Institute, Chief Academic Officers Institute, and National Information Technology Workshops; the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges; the Southwestern Ohio Consortium for Higher Education; the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities; the Speech Communication Association of Ohio; the Intercollegiate Religious Broadcasters; and the Christian Communication Scholars Colloquium. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the SBC Ameritech Faculty Development Technology Program. 107th Commencement Celebrated C edarville University held its 107th commencement ceremony on May 10, with a record 667 students receiving degrees. In addition, a number of special awards were presented: the President’s Trophy, the Faculty Scholarship Award, and a doctor of divinity degree. The President’s Trophy, the highest honor for a graduating senior, recognizes leadership, ministry, community and campus involvement, athletic performance, and academic achievement. The 2003 recipients of the President’s Trophy were Joel D. Estes (top) ,a preseminary Bible major from Worthington, Ohio, and Jyoti Philip (left) , a chemistry major from Westwood, N.J. Christina R. Schut (right) , an adolescent and young adult integrated life science education major from Hudsonville, Mich., received the Faculty Scholarship Award. This honor is given to graduates who maintain a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout their college careers. Alistair Begg (left and bottom) , senior pastor of Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, received a doctor of divinity degree from the University. This came in recognition of Begg’s international ministry of teaching and evangelism. Begg, who was born in Scotland, spent the first 30 years of his life in the United Kingdom. Following graduation from theological college in London, he served in two Scottish churches, first as an assistant pastor at Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh, and then as pastor of Hamilton Baptist Church, Glasgow. Begg has been at Parkside Church since September 1983. The daily speaker on the national radio program “Truth for Life,” Begg is the author of the Moody Press titles, Made for His Pleasure, Lasting Love: How to Avoid Marital Failure, What Angels Wish They Knew, and The Hand of God.