Cedarville University Keeps Up Their Good Work
- Cedarville Named Most Affordable Private College in Ohio
- Cedarville Tops in Ohio in Pharmacy Research Competition
- Cedarville Named Best Christian College in Ohio for Law-Related Degrees
- Cedarville Named one of the Best Colleges for Women
- Refreshed Logo, Website Focus on Cedarville's Mission
Cedarville Named Most Affordable Private College in Ohio
Cedarville University is the most affordable private college in Ohio, according to a recent report from Money magazine (a subset of Time). Cedarville is ranked No. 15 nationally.
The ranking is based on tuition rates, financial aid packages and student debt upon graduation.
Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, topped the list. Other colleges named on the list were Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University and Stanford University. Cedarville was the only school in Ohio to make the list.
“This kind of study benefits the university by showing potential students and their families that a Christ-centered education is affordable,” said Scott Van Loo, vice president for enrollment management.
Van Loo stated that Cedarville’s commitment to minimal tuition increases and annual reviews of financial aid packages keep Cedarville affordable.
“Our mission is to offer excellent learning, and that doesn't have to come with a high price,” said Van Loo. “Some families dismiss private schools because of their cost, and we hope Cedarville’s commitment to being affordable allows more families to consider Cedarville.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
Cedarville tops in Ohio in pharmacy research competition
The Cedarville University School of Pharmacy earned top honors among Ohio schools of pharmacy, and was named among the best in the nation, in the 2017 American College of Clinical Pharmacy Clinical Research Challenge.
Cedarville competed with 81 other teams from around the nation, making the top eight for the first time in school history. The contest consisted of three phases: research article review and questions, an initial proposal for pharmacy-based research and an in-depth research proposal including application of research findings.
Joining Cedarville University as a finalist included the Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of California, San Diego, University of Texas, University of Washington and Western University of Health Sciences.
“Getting to this level says a lot about the time and dedication our students put into the project, as well as the preparation they had during their research and statistics courses,” said Dr. Emily Laswell, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville University and team adviser.
Cedarville’s research proposal focused on the best way for pharmacists to work with patients and other health care providers to decrease hospital readmission rates for patients with heart failure. “Their research focused on interdisciplinary care as well as motivational interviewing, which encourages and promotes internal motivations for change in patients,” Laswell said.
Other Ohio-based schools of pharmacy that participated include Ohio Northern University, Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy, University of Findlay, University of Cincinnati and University of Toledo.
“We’re a new school of pharmacy, and we’re already making great strides in research,” said Dr. Marc Sweeney, dean of the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy. “Schools of pharmacy are evaluated by the research they do, and we’re gaining external recognition in this area.”
“The students' success in this competition shows prospective students they can expect a strong education in areas of research and statistics at Cedarville,” Laswell added.
Cedarville Named Best Christian College in Ohio for Law-Related Degrees
Christian Universities Online (CUO) recently named Cedarville University as the top Christian school for law-related degrees in Ohio. CUO assembled its 2017 Top Ten Christian Law School list based on reviews of majors such as political science, government and criminal justice.
Cedarville University offers three law-related programs — bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, political science and prelaw. The criminal justice program requires an internship to round out a student’s education. Political science students are encouraged to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., during their college experience, while the prelaw program is designed to prepare students for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and for the rigors of a law school education.
Liberty University topped the national list, while Regent University is ranked No. 3 and Wheaton College is No. 6. Cedarville University is ranked No. 10 nationally.
“The faculty in the department of history and government are committed to teaching students in a way that prepares them for law-related professions,” said Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, chair of the department of history and government and professor of political science. “We know students will be well-prepared if we are demanding, and we have high expectations of ourselves and the work of our students. This ranking speaks to the quality of our faculty and our students.”
Courses in the history and government department require students to analyze, evaluate and make compelling arguments in a way that honors Christ. Smith believes students who study history and government at Cedarville University will then be able to communicate their thinking, both verbally and in writing.
“This recognition of our law-related programs provides evidence that we are effectively preparing students for lifelong leadership and service from a biblical worldview,” said Dr. Patrick Oliver, associate professor of criminal justice and former chief of police of Cleveland, Ohio. “We believe the combined field experience and terminal degrees of our faculty enhances the quality of student learning. There is also an understanding of what is needed to succeed in the field. Our philosophy is to have comprehensive academic programs to prepare students to serve in a variety of law-related jobs.”
Cedarville graduates are working in a wide range of law-related fields. They serve as prosecutors, public defenders, federal, state and local government employees and in private law practice. Cedarville students have enrolled at the most prestigious law schools in the United States, including Harvard, University of Chicago, University of Virginia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Indiana University.
Cedarville Named one of the Best Colleges for Women
Women’s Choice Award, the only college guide specifically for women, by women, recently named Cedarville University one of the best colleges for women in the nation and second best in Ohio.
The new ranking is published in the 2017-2018 edition of the Women’s Choice Award – Her Guide to America’s Best Colleges. The guide offers helpful insight and advice to female high school students and their parents or counselors when searching for the college that best fits their needs. The ranking system is based on criteria that women identified as most important to them.
Johns Hopkins University topped the list. Other schools listed include Yale (fifth), Stanford (18th), Liberty University (43rd) and Moody Bible Institute (93rd). In all, the guide scored 1,600 universities and named Cedarville No. 122 overall, and second in Ohio. Case Western Reserve University is listed as the best in Ohio.
“Women have long been in the majority in our student body and as such, have many opportunities for significant ministry and leadership roles throughout the campus,” said Pam Johnson, Cedarville’s dean of undergraduate studies. “This recognition is a delightful encouragement that affirms our scriptural view and understanding of women as we seek to prepare them well for what God has called them to do.”
She added, “The faculty and staff of Cedarville University strive for excellence in all they do as they seek to honor the Lord through the education and educational environment they provide for all of our students.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
Refreshed Logo, Website Focus on Cedarville's Mission
Distinct. Clear. Intentional. When you think of Cedarville University’s logo rebranding, those are ideas Janice Supplee, vice president for marketing and communications, hopes come to mind.
Cedarville’s marketing and communications team redesigned the university’s website and refreshed its logo during the past six months. The purpose of this work was to make the university’s identity and purpose distinct, clear, and intentional.
“The website is our virtual front door and the logo is our visual identity,” Supplee said. “These two significant branding projects are part of our overall commitment to ensuring every element of our communication very clearly articulates and demonstrates our passion for biblical truth and academic excellence.”
Changes to the logo are subtle. The basic design — a classic Greek pillar with a sunburst on top — is unchanged. But look closely and you’ll notice that the three vertical channels running the length of the column have a crossbeam. Combined with the curved base, remaining from the original logo, and the picture is clear: three crosses on a hill.
Before the redesign, the sunburst stood alone on top of the pillar. But now there’s an open book — the Bible — laying on top with the light flashing out from its pages.
“We had the crosses before, but people didn’t always see them,” Supplee said. “The new design makes our focus on the Gospel clear. The pillar itself is a widely used symbol of academic excellence, but with the sunburst on top of the Bible, the idea that Scripture is the source of truth and illuminates and guides our path is more clearly conveyed.”
“This is a pictorial representation of our tagline — ‘For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,’” she continued. “This is who we are as an institution.”
The logo upgrade came at the same time Cedarville launched a new website. Visitors to cedarville.edu will first notice a continuous loop of video vignettes at the top of the homepage, portraying different aspects of the Cedarville experience. Photography is peppered liberally on the new site, making it more visually engaging, and numerous videos depict ministry, campus life, basic facts, and core principles of the university.
“Our goal with the website was to transform it from focusing on an internal audience to an external one,” Supplee said. “Right from the homepage, we’re telling the Cedarville story; we’re explaining who we are.”
The website is also restructured with future students in mind. The old site was built around university departments. To learn about a specific major, visitors had to know the department it was under. The new site is program-centered, allowing visitors to explore majors without knowing departments.
The website upgrade also prominently features a hallmark of the Cedarville experience – chapel. “Based on focus groups with faculty, staff and students, one of our consultants observed that chapel is the embodiment of our brand,” Supplee said. “So we’ve really tried to make it as easy as possible for people to find and share chapel content on the site.”
Cedarville.edu has also been updated to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so those who are visually impaired will find it much easier to navigate.
These initiatives help strengthen Cedarville’s distinct position in an extremely competitive higher education marketplace.
“With both the rebranded logo and the new website, Cedarville is boldly declaring its identity ‘for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,’” Supplee said. “We can’t be all things to all people, so we need to be crystal clear about who we are, to attract students looking for the college experience that we offer.”
