Cedarville University

Some of the biggest names in Christian music, including For King and Country, Lecrae, Crowder and Danny Gokey, have been captured by the lens of Matthew Black, a junior broadcasting, digital media and journalism major at Cedarville University. Black's journey as a performance photographer began in 2023 with a last-minute opportunity to photograph Winter Jam in Tampa, Florida, near his Spring Hill home. Black continues to balance his studies with a blossoming freelance career, fueled by his dedication to capturing the perfect shot. With his many concert experiences, Black has seen his work featured by artists on major social media platforms and in marketing campaigns.

Students at Cedarville University have been named to the Dean's Honor List for the Fall 2024 semester. This recognition requires the student to obtain a 3.75 GPA or higher for the semester and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours. Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation's top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.

Students at Cedarville University have been named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2024 semester. This recognition requires the student to obtain a 3.50 GPA or higher for the semester and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours. Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation's top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.

Most students choose a college based on academic quality and affordability. Avonlea Brown, meanwhile, a senior broadcasting, digital media and journalism major at Cedarville University, was driven by a different question: What university would help her see the world? Having grown up in Southwest Harbor, Maine, a tiny community just outside Acadia National Park, Brown did not discover her love for travel until her junior year in high school. Brown's first international excursion, a mission trip, took her to Namibia in Africa.

Overcoming the cultural divide for international college students is the focus of a social media campaign run by a group of students at Cedarville University. Through Instagram, five students have created a space that allows international students at Cedarville to share their voices and foster a deeper sense of community while they are thousands of miles away from their home and families. Nationally, nearly six percent of college students in the United States come from international cities, according to a report from Forbes. These international students face the struggle of navigating a new culture in addition to managing classwork and making new friends.

A baby shower for a birthing manikin is a unique event, but the Cedarville University School of Nursing used this creative opportunity to support New Path Pregnancy Resource Center. The event celebrated Cedarville's new birthing simulator, Victoria. The manikin was added to Cedarville's family of simulators in the spring to provide more real-life experience for nursing students. "We don't often get a new simulator, so it's fun to celebrate," said Nate Kincaid, assistant professor of nursing and the initiator of the event. "This is a great opportunity to celebrate our new manikin and also honor our community."

Whether on the gridiron or on the pitch, it was a summer of football for the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) students at Cedarville University. Six aspiring athletic trainers were in the facilities of NCAA Division I schools or on the sidelines with major league teams. Two of these future trainers, Lauren Barnes and Jacob Bonville, share their summer stories on the latest Cedarville Stories Podcast. Lauren had the thrill of working with the nationally ranked Penn State football team, while Jacob gained experience with Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew.

Cedarville's main street comes alive on the first Saturday of every month as residents and the college community gather for Sidewalk Saturday. Each event features a fun assortment of activities, including line dancing, food trucks and local vendors. In booths lining the sidewalks, students from the Cedarville University Entrepreneurs (CUE) student organization market their products and gain hands-on experience as business owners. In August of 2024, Dr. Kary Oberbrunner, assistant professor at Cedarville University and Berry Chair of entrepreneurship, and William Woods II, a sophomore marketing student from Seward, Pennsylvania, and the president of CUE, contacted Revitalize Cedarville, a local organization dedicated to fostering community engagement. Both groups agreed that the student businesses would add value to the Sidewalk Saturday events.

As Cedarville University forensics teams excel in competitions across the country, their dedication to speech and debate transcends winning - it exemplifies their commitment to positively impacting others. Last month, Cedarville's forensics team won its competition at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. The team triumphed over schools like Ohio University, the University of Akron, Marshall University and Grove City College. Ellia Torlone, a junior communication major from Delaware, Ohio, won first in prose interpretation. Eliana Boerner, a freshman communication major from Cincinnati, Ohio, took top honors in persuasive speaking and earned second place in informative speaking. Spicer Wadman, a junior physics major from Hillsboro, Virginia, won first in poetry interpretation. And Laura Ball, a freshman special education major from Salado, Texas, was number one in rhetorical criticism.

The editing and publishing industry is highly competitive, especially for recent college graduates. To secure a position in this industry often requires experience and connections with other professionals in the industry. For two Cedarville University alumni, securing editing and publishing positions shortly after their graduation in 2024 was a testament to their hard work, dedication and the impact of Cedarville's revised editing and publishing minor. Emily Vest and Brianna De Man were among the first graduating class to have completed the revised editing and publishing minor. These revisions provided the students with a broader education for entry into the editing and publishing industry.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - Time marches on, but important moments in history permanently mark the landscape where they occur. For 30 Cedarville University students who traveled in the Deep South on the Civil Rights Tour from October 16-20, they felt the emotional echos of the past as they visited the sites of America's battle for civil rights. Led by Dr. Patrick Oliver, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Robert Clark, assistant professor of history, this trip immersed students in American history as they walked across Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the same bridge where civil rights marchers endured the beatings of Bloody Sunday in 1965.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - A shoebox at Christmas brings heartfelt joy to the young children who receive a box from Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. Each year, hundreds of thousands of shoeboxes are packed through this international campaign that brings joy through gifts to those who receive a box. Cedarville University's student-athletes believe strongly in this mission.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - For the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy, diversity is more than a difference in skin color. It encompasses the variety of experiences and perspectives every individual brings to the table. This is a vital component in providing quality health care because a diverse group of people can best serve a diverse community. This year's P1 class, the first-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students, has a population of 47.4% non-white students, with a 41.34% average for the last five years. Students across the program come from places like India, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and from all corners of the United States.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - Cedarville University's athletic training students will put their excellence on display by competing against other Ohio athletic training students in the Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association's (OATA) annual symposium and quiz bowl. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Upper Arlington High School in Arlington, Ohio. Fifteen Cedarville students and two faculty members will learn from symposium presentations before students compete in the quiz bowl to test their knowledge of athletic training. The quiz bowl winner will advance to the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association's (GLATA) competition and face off against the winners from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - A shared mission and location are responsible for a growing relationship between Cedarville University and Answers in Genesis (AiG). These two unapologetically Christian organizations, located less than 100 miles apart, share the common goal of upholding Scripture's authority. Cedarville is one of only three Christian universities recognized as an official Creation College partner with AiG. Creation Colleges embrace biblical authority and a young Earth view of creation. The Creation College designation helps Cedarville attract students who are looking for a university that teaches every subject through the lens of the Bible. It also provides for a perfect internship partnership between the two organizations.

Cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship is sweeping across Cedarville University as student entrepreneurs from diverse majors create innovative solutions that break traditional boundaries. Daniel Ormsbee, a senior mechanical engineering and molecular biology major from Cedarville, Ohio, combined his passions for bioengineering and entrepreneurship to create his revolutionary company, Nutrafuel Bioworks. On September 27, his game-changing innovation won the $1,250 first place award at "The Pitch" competition hosted by Cedarville University's Robert W. Plaster School of Business.

Few college students can say that they are the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for a multimillion dollar company. But that's exactly what Ben Hutton can say as he leads the marketing for CoinHub Media, an online business for coin collectors. Hutton, a junior marketing major at Cedarville University, was selected for this position by his friend, Blake Alma, a 23-year-old entrepreneur and the CEO of the company. The decision by Alma to step back from his multimillion dollar business became a life-changing opportunity for Hutton.

National defense policy in the United States, as designed and implemented by the Department of Defense (DOD), is complex and ever-changing. When Brad Hoffman had the opportunity to engage experts in this field, he pursued a partnership with the American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) Summer Honors Program. Hoffman, a senior political science major at Cedarville University from Reading, Pennsylvania, was selected by AEI. He was a member of the program in Washington, D.C. titled, From Capital to Combat: Understanding America's Defense Policy. AEI is a leading public policy think tank in Washington, D.C., dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential and building a freer and safer world.

From theatrical productions to the silver screen, Sight & Sound Theatre is transforming the way faith-based stories are told. The opportunity to transform the culture through Christian movies is what motivated Parren Carnahan, a senior broadcasting, digital media, and journalism major from Cedarville University to intern with Sight & Sound's productions office earlier this year. The Rochester, New York, student believes this experience has instilled in her a greater passion to work in the Christian movie industry.

Led by a professor who has seen poverty firsthand, the seniors in the Cedarville University School of Nursing experienced a poverty simulation that opened their eyes to hard realities and instilled greater compassion for the poor in their communities. The simulation, held every August for the Care of Populations course, consisted of groups of tables to replicate homes, businesses and a homeless shelter. Students were grouped into families, playing the roles of the homeless, parents, grandparents, children, single mothers, elderly widows, and immigrants who struggled to speak English. The students quickly realized that language, mobility and illness caused barriers to working, caring for families, managing finances and getting help when needed.

Building community through athletic competition is the heart of a new ministry program at Cedarville University. Using the game of basketball, Cam Arminio, associate director of career services, seeks to use the sport as a tool to build and deepen relationships among Cedarville students. It is his hope that this ministry will lead to developing deeper connections and opportunities for gospel-centered conversations. Arminio played collegiate basketball for Otterbein University near Columbus, Ohio. With his combined interests in basketball and Christian ministry, the new initiative is a slam dunk.

There's a gender gap in the workforce that Cedarville University's Women in Business (WIB) organization is trying to address. According to 2024 data from the Pew Research Center, women make up nearly half (47%) of the U.S. workforce while occupying only one third (35%) of the highest paying positions. Moreover, only 11% of top executives are women. With more women attending college in America - 54% of students at Cedarville University are female - Cedarville's WIB organization is focused on preparing students for careers in business. As women step into these spaces, Cedarville faculty and staff are coming alongside them with opportunities for them to become servant leaders in a male-dominated career field.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - With a love for puzzles, a knack for critical thinking and a fascination with true crime, Hannah Hempel from Hartland, Michigan, is a natural fit for a career in forensic science. Hempel, a senior at Cedarville University, is majoring in forensic science and rounding out her preparation for a job in law enforcement with minors in criminal justice and neuropsychology - a combination that helped her land internships with the Forensic Investigation Research Station and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - In a world where courtroom battles seem to leave little room for faith, Cedarville University mock trial team members are honing their legal skills and proving Christian principles and legal excellence can go hand-in-hand. Cedarville's mock trial team members learn how to meld their Christian faith with the skills of a successful trial lawyer. This is the mindset of Greg Thompson, professor of criminal justice and the team's inaugural coach.

The Heartland International Film Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying festival held annually in Indianapolis, Indiana. During its 32-year history, Heartland has introduced 10 Oscar- winning short films and screened hundreds of films created to inspire conversation, ignite imagination and demonstrate the triumph of the human spirit. This year, from Oct. 17-20, Cedarville University students will attend the festival for the first time. Professor Sean O'Connor, assistant professor of broadcasting, digital media and journalism (BDMJ), will take students to experience the environment, to learn to review movies and to watch some films that have rarely if ever been screened before.

Boarding not a time machine but a bus, Cedarville University students will step into the past and visit sites of America's struggle for civil rights. On October 16-20, students from the Civil Rights in America: Tour class will embark on a five-day trip to see where pivotal moments that shaped civil rights in America occurred. Before the tour, students will have spent eight weeks in the classroom hearing in-depth lectures on American civil rights from historical, political and legal perspectives.

An attempt to remove the Cedarville University physician assistant (PA) program's accreditation failed after the national convention of the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) voted to drop a proposed resolution. The resolution in question, titled "Inclusivity in PA Education," was proposed by the New York Society of PAs, and it would have kept faith-based institutions like Cedarville from having admissions criteria in line with their mission and beliefs.

Recent United Way data highlights that one-third (32%) of Generation Z desires to make a lasting impact and be advocates for their communities. For Elizabeth Kollmar from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, a senior broadcasting, digital media and journalism major at Cedarville University, documentary filmmaking is a powerful outlet for her to inspire and build relationships with others. In May 2024, Kollmar embarked on a 10-week internship with Samaritan's Purse in Boone, North Carolina, as their broadcast creative intern in the broadcasting department. Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that offers spiritual and physical aid to people suffering from war, poverty, natural disasters and disease worldwide. While there, Kollmar had the unexpected opportunity to aid in a disaster relief response to Hurricane Beyrl in Housten, Texas.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO -- The Cedarville University School of Pharmacy is partnering with Prasco Laboratories, the leading U.S. based pharmaceutical company to offer a novel work-study program where Cedarville's pharmacy students can partner with Prasco's call center to serve the community, hone their communication and problem-solving skills and learn about pharmacovigilance. This work will be managed at Prasco's call center in Mason, Ohio. Pharmaceutical companies are required to perform pharmacovigilance, an important concept involving the surveillance of the safety and efficacy of drug products approved by the FDA. Call centers are a key part of pharmacovigilance, allowing providers, patients and caregivers to ask questions or report concerns.

CEDARVILLE, OHIO - Most often actors take center stage in a theatrical production, but they are just one part of a collaborative effort to bring a story to life through the smallest of details. Keely Heyl, a 2013 graduate of Cedarville University who majored in theatre, is a master of the details. After graduating from Cedarville, she received a master's degree in production design and technology from Ohio University and has worked to develop her craft in theatres across the country. As an accomplished professional in the areas of properties and scenery, Heyl is helping bring the Cedarville University fall production of "The Secret Garden" to life in her role as the designer and creator of specialty puppets.