Cedarville University Updates November 2018
- Simplicity, Intentionality Reflected in Life of Cedarville University Donors
- New Residence Hall, Increased Financial Aid Approved by Trustees
- First WAVE Class Heading for Graduation
- Conference Centers on "Where Life Begins"
- Puppies, Pasta and Prizes at ‘Pupperoni Night’
- Pharmacy Grads Far Surpass National Average on NAPLEX
- Mentoring: Police Training Program Recognized Globally
- Book About Animals That Are Definitely Not Octopuses
Simplicity, Intentionality Reflected in Life of Cedarville University Donors
Simple lives focused on intentionally caring for others characterized Roger and Charlotte Kuriger. These traits, and a special connection with Cedarville University, resulted in the university’s receiving the largest estate gift in its 131-year history this fall.
Charlotte Kuriger passed away earlier this year in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the age of 96. She and Roger Kuriger married on July 3, 1942, and both enjoyed professional careers, Roger as an accountant and Charlotte as a secretary for Simmons Perrine law firm. The Kurigers were faithful members of Calvary Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids for more than 50 years.
After her husband’s sudden passing nearly a decade ago, Charlotte was visited by Nancy Voorhies, senior regional director of development at Cedarville University, and a very special friendship developed. This strong bond forged by a quiet prayer, along with a commitment to helping others and an appreciation for Cedarville’s biblically based education, were the inspiration for Charlotte’s bequest of her and her late husband’s $3.1 million estate to the university.
The funds will be directed to Cedarville University’s graduate nursing program and the undergraduate program in accounting through the establishment of the endowed Roger and Charlotte Kuriger Scholarship Fund. This fund will make a Cedarville education possible for future students who are preparing for careers in advanced practice nursing or accounting.
“We are thankful for the gift from the Kurigers. Their generous gift will be used to equip our students to make a kingdom impact in their professions,” said Thomas White, president of Cedarville University. “The Kurigers’ commitment to sharing the Gospel and serving others reflects our heartbeat at Cedarville University.”
For their many years of support to Cedarville University, Roger and Charlotte Kuriger were recognized posthumously as the Honorary Alumni of the Year during homecoming weekend October 5-7. Their grandniece, Michelle (Murphy) Wiger ‘91, accepted the award on their behalf at the university’s annual Legacy Banquet Friday evening.
The Kurigers’ initial connection to Cedarville University came through Roger’s sister Marie and her husband, Dale Murphy. Dale was a member of the university’s board of trustees for 47 years in the 1950s, and he encouraged the Kurigers to take part in a building campaign, which they did. Throughout most of their married life, the Kurigers, who didn’t have children, were faithful but modest contributors to Cedarville.
Their philanthropic activities, always behind the scenes, connected their passion for serving and loving others, and keeping the Bible central in life. As Wiger reflected after Charlotte’s passing, both Roger and Charlotte were devoted to sharing their faith in Christ and serving their local church. Stewarding their resources toward like-minded organizations, like Cedarville University, made sense.
Charlotte believed her and Roger’s priorities matched perfectly with Cedarville’s mission and purpose. And, with a growing relationship with the university through her personal connection to Voorhies, she chose to continue investing in students’ lives through scholarships.
While Charlotte grew more invested in Cedarville University because of missional goals, there was one day in particular that Voorhies believed was the defining moment for Charlotte’s connection with the university.
In a note written by Charlotte in 2010, she informed Cedarville University of her husband’s passing on August 1. Typical for Charlotte, she inserted a check for $100 in the note. Days later, Voorhies was traveling through the Midwest and chose to spend time with the grieving widow. They spoke candidly about important topics, but it was a prayer offered by Voorhies that bonded the women for life.
“I remember sitting in her assisted living unit, and I asked if I could pray for her,” said Voorhies. “So I prayed for her and asked God to help Charlotte to sleep well.”
Charlotte’s reaction was priceless. “How did you know I haven’t been sleeping well?” she asked.
Voorhies hadn’t actually known, but she’d presumed this was the case since her husband of 68 years had recently passed away.
“At that moment, our relationship deepened,” said Voorhies. That’s why Voorhies was more excited about the developing relationship with Charlotte than with the gift the university would later receive from the Kurigers’ estate. In fact, the size of the gift was a surprise for all.
Now, because of the generosity of a godly couple who believed in Cedarville’s mission and a widow who was touched by the prayer of a caring friend, future accounting and graduate nursing students will be challenged and equipped for vocational excellence and Gospel purpose through their study at Cedarville University. This Kingdom investment will be the Kurigers’ enduring legacy of faithfulness.
New Residence Hall, Increased Financial Aid Approved by Trustees
A new residence hall to accommodate recent record enrollments, increased financial aid designed to help incoming Cedarville University students make college more affordable, and celebration of the largest estate gift in the university’s 131-year history were key items addressed by Cedarville University’s board of trustees at its October meeting last week.
In addition, the trustees approved 16 new faculty members, welcomed a new trustee, and reviewed the initial phase of a comprehensive 10-year master plan.
Additional Student Housing - With Cedarville University having just welcomed two record freshman classes in a row, the trustees approved the construction of a 63,000-square-foot, approximately 300-bed facility to address the housing needs. The hall will provide private lounges on each wing for men and women, as well as a central lounge on the first floor. It will be located near the current apartment-style facilities and close to the athletic complex.
“Our residential philosophy is oriented around discipleship,” said Jon Wood, vice president for student life and Christian ministries. “This building continues our model of life-on-life discipleship in a residential community. The indoor and outdoor spaces associated with this residence hall will be built with community and spiritual growth in mind for the student body.”
This three-story building will be constructed by the Danis Corporation, and it will include four handicapped-accessible private rooms and a resident director’s apartment. The building, furniture, and infrastructure are expected to cost $13.3 million with no debt incurred for the project. The new hall is planned to open for the start of the 2019-20 academic year.
Increased Student Financial Aid - Continuing its efforts to increase affordability and accessibility for students, the trustees approved several increases in freshman academic scholarships for 2019-20. Academic scholarships for fall 2019 freshmen will range from $9,000-$20,000. While benefiting students, this year’s modest changes in financial aid opportunities also ensure the university maintains a healthy discount rate for long-term sustainability.
First WAVE Class Heading for Graduation
Since summer 2015, Cedarville University has welcomed incoming freshmen who want to get a headstart on college requirements during the WAVE program. Now, the first tide of WAVE students will graduate at Cedarville’s commencement next May.
WAVE, created by The Cove, Cedarville’s academic enrichment center, is designed to help students jump-start college life. A typical day in the summer program involves lectures and workshops on academic skill sets, strengthening academic concepts and introducing students to faculty and staff at Cedarville; a chapel service; goal-setting and strength-identifying sessions; and an evening activity.
Kim Ahlgrim, director of The Cove, and Deidre Sizer, tutoring and office coordinator, directed the first year. Dan Case, assistant director of homecoming and alumni programming, is the current director of WAVE.
“No matter who you are, there is going to be an adjustment coming into college,” said Case. “We want to help students work on academics, but also get comfortable on campus, develop study techniques and meet other students in their class. Year after year, we enhance the program to make it even more impactful to students, and this coming year is no exception.”
Senior political science major Kristen Cochran, from Springfield, Ohio, has been a dean’s list student every semester and believes the challenges she overcame through WAVE helped her transition to college and positioned her well for academic achievement.
“There were so many days that I wasn’t sure I was going to pass,” said Cochran. “But Kim and Deidre were amazing and were always cheering us on. That went a long way, and I completed the entire requirement within the two weeks. I’ve looked back on that experience every semester since. After I conquered the two-week course, I knew I could accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. My experience during WAVE has motivated me to do my very best and excel even in the most challenging classes I have taken at Cedarville.”
Along with their classes, WAVE students hear from a professor or staff member each morning. Jeff Reep, director of career services, spoke on how to prepare for their career while in college. Dr. Greg Couser, senior professor of Bible and Greek, spoke to the students about how spiritual growth needed to be their foundation.
The students go on several adventures to learn about the surrounding area. This included trips to Young’s Jersey Dairy farm, Kings Island amusement park, local coffee shops and some of the many hiking areas within a few minutes of campus.
“WAVE reminds me what a privilege I had to be taught the starters of college. Some kids come into college not knowing what to expect, confused on how to study properly and haven’t been encouraged yet by faculty or advisers to pursue their dreams,” noted Andriana Polsdorfer, senior broadcasting and digital media student from Columbus, Ohio. “Instead, we learned to trust each other, form friendships and rely on each other to get through the two weeks of WAVE and eventually our 1,000 days of college.”
After graduation, Polsdorfer is considering an internship with the Christian band For King and Country and hopes to work in video production one day. She’s also developing her wedding photography skills and may start a business. Above all this, however, her one dream in life is to be the best wife and mother to the family God gives her.
“WAVE was a picture of the tight-knit community on campus,” said Cochran. “People from so many backgrounds became a family during those two weeks, and that was a brief glimpse into what my next four years would be like. It confirmed that Cedarville was definitely the right choice.”
Cochran hopes to to live in Washington, D.C., and work for a conservative think tank where she can marry her faith with her interests in public policy. She hopes to be a light in the dark world of politics and make it her ministry. Eventually, she hopes to work at the federal level, perhaps as a policy analyst.
Conference Centers on "Where Life Begins"
Cedarville University will host the annual LifeTech Conference on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Stevens Student Center event rooms. The conference is open to the public.
LifeTech is made up of engineers and software developers seeking technological advances to assist the pro-life movement. The conference is an opportunity for speakers to present on topics such as abortion, cloning and euthanasia.
“The goal of the conference is to provide a forum so those who are pro-life can share their ideas and the information they have learned to promote further discussion for the pro-life cause,” explained Nick Kallis, Cedarville biblical studies major from Hilliard, Ohio, board member of LifeTech and president of Cedarville Students for Life.
LifeTech is excited to welcome back Dr. Derek Doroski, associate professor of biology and director of the pre-engineering program at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, as the keynote speaker.
“I’m excited to help develop the understanding of when life begins,” noted Doroski. “I plan to show that it is usually fertilization while explaining how cloning, twinning and any unusual case can be explained.”
Also speaking at the conference is Kallis; Dr. Katrina Furth, adjunct professor at Marymount University and an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute; Hugh Owen, founder and director of the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation; Father Larry Gearhart, pastor of Immaculate Conception in North Lewisburg, Ohio; and Sean Martin, national church outreach director of the Human Coalition.
The cost of the conference is $50 for adults, which includes continental breakfast, snacks and lunch. Students are welcomed to join for free, but expected to pay $25 if they would like lunch. Register online, or same-day registration will be available at the door.
Puppies, Pasta and Prizes at ‘Pupperoni Night’
Puppies, pasta and prizes, oh my! The Cedarville University student organization K9s at the ’Ville will host its annual ‘Pupperoni Night’ fundraiser November 9 at 6 p.m. in the Stevens Student Center (SSC) Event Rooms.
‘Pupperoni Night’ features a litter of 4 Paws for Ability puppies, a photo booth, raffle prizes, trivia, a 4 Paws service dog demonstration and food. The menu includes an Olive Garden buffet of meat and meatless spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, gluten-free pasta, house salad and breadsticks. Various desserts and Chick-fil-A beverages will also be provided.
All proceeds from the event will support 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit organization in Xenia, Ohio. 4 Paws trains and places service dogs with children who have autism, diabetes, seizures, hearing loss, loss of mobility and other issues, and with disabled veterans.
“With the money raised at this event, we are able to contribute to a child or veteran getting their service dog!” said Emily Akins, K9s at the ’Ville president.
K9s at the ’Ville will sell tickets through November 8 in the lower SSC for $5 per adult and $3 per child 10 and under. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $8.
K9s at the ’Ville collaborates with 4 Paws to foster, socialize, train and place service dogs. The group volunteers regularly at 4 Paws in Xenia and some members train puppies for a semester.
“The best thing about K9s at the ’Ville is the ability to bring dogs to campus for the students to learn from and enjoy,” said Akins. “We love educating the students who ask to pet our service dogs in training about 4 Paws for Ability and K9s at the ’Ville.”
Pharmacy Grads Far Surpass National Average on NAPLEX
The 2018 class of Cedarville University Doctor of Pharmacy graduates has achieved a 96.77 percent pass rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), exceeding the national average.
Cedarville’s 2018 pharmacy class consisted of 34 students. Three graduated with distinction (a GPA of 3.9 or higher) and six with high distinction (a GPA of 3.95 or higher).
Passing the NAPLEX is a prerequisite for becoming a licensed pharmacist.
The goal of NAPLEX is to measure a pharmacy candidate’s knowledge and skill as accurately as possible. The Cedarville University School of Pharmacy prepares its students for this national test by providing a rigorous, four-year doctoral curriculum followed by a review session before graduation.
“Learning that I had passed the NAPLEX provided a small semblance of the relief that Israel must have felt after crossing the Red sea,” said Dr. Neal Fox, 2018 pharmacy graduate from Beavercreek, Ohio. “To pass over and to have the way shut behind, never to have to return.”
“I am very pleased with the performance of our graduates,” said Dr. Marc Sweeney, founding dean of the school of pharmacy. “As a new pharmacy program, it’s encouraging to see those statistics. Prospective students can see that we prepare our graduates well. This is one piece in producing high-quality pharmacists.”
Mentoring: Police Training Program Recognized Globally
He was Cleveland, Ohio’s first African-American chief of police. He has appeared on CNN as an expert source. And now Dr. Patrick Oliver, director of the criminal justice program at Cedarville University, is being recognized around the United States for his mentoring program for minorities aspiring to law enforcement leadership.
The Mentoring Potential Chief Executive Officers Program, led by Oliver, received detailed recognition in the September 2018 Police Chief magazine, a publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The publication is distributed to 152 counties.
Oliver founded the mentoring program for aspiring chief executive officers (CEOs) for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). His biblical mentoring model prepares law enforcement executives for leadership positions and improves their chances of effectively leading a law enforcement agency. Furthermore, the program’s primary goal is to help minorities aspiring to law enforcement leadership to overcome professional development and career progression challenges.
Since 2008, 26 individuals have graduated from the program, and 15 (58 percent) have become CEOs of law enforcement agencies. All but two graduates have been promoted or appointed to a higher rank after entering the program (88 percent). Every graduate who has pursued a law enforcement CEO position has been successful in getting hired.
This two-year program has three major components: classroom instruction, a mentor assignment and a written professional development plan.
Mentoring is conducted by experienced police executives with at least three years’ service as a law enforcement CEO or chief. The mentor provides coaching and instruction about effective personal attributes and competencies in law enforcement leadership to the protege. Several graduates have returned to be mentors, because they want to give back to the program that helped them.
In addition, the program focuses on areas such as team building, strategic planning, human resource management, developing organizational statements, policy and procedure development.
“When the proteges tell me they got the job, I feel like they are one of my kids — I feel the pride of a dad. That makes the time and investment into this program worthwhile,” explained Oliver. “It is by far my greatest professional accomplishment; there’s nothing like it. All honor and glory is to God for the success each these individuals has achieved. There is nothing that I have done to make this program succeed the way it has. God has blessed it because it teaches the biblical principle of stewardship to every protege. They are taught that every professional assignment is a ministry and to do it all for the glory of God.”
Book About Animals That Are Definitely Not Octopuses
First, it was a pastime that looked like a side gig. On closer inspection, the side gig began to look like a marketing campaign. Then the marketing campaign started looking like a publishing deal. Like the subject matter of his latest creative endeavor, Gabe Pyle’s T-shirt/merchandise/book project keeps morphing into something no one could see before.
Pyle, a 2012 industrial design graduate from Cedarville University and professor at the International Center for Creativity (ICC) from Dayton, Ohio, recently published his first book, “Fourteen Animals (That Are Definitely Not an Octopus).” The children’s book was officially released September 17.
As an artist, Pyle followed in his brother’s footsteps and started designing T-shirts in his free time. When Threadless, an online T-shirt and accessory design and sales platform, hosted a competition with the prompt, “disguise,” Pyle began to research ideas. He had recently viewed a Pixar special on the creation of Hank the octopus from “Finding Dory,” and this prompted experimenting with the ideas of octopuses. An hour before the deadline for the contest, Pyle submitted his design: “Twelve Animals (That Are Definitely Not an Octopus).”
Pyle won the Threadless contest and his design became part of the official catalogue for the company. Soon, the website was selling notebooks, mugs, bags and other accessories with the “Twelve Animals” on them. The design took off and showed up on several blogs, websites and octopus fan pages. A publisher representative from Familius Publishing noticed the design and approached Gabe about a book idea.
A few months and two more animals (that are definitely not octopuses) later, the book was complete. It is now sold at numerous bookstores and online retailers.
"This book is a direct reflection and showcase of Gabe's personality and talents,” said Jim Stevenson, president of the ICC. “He sees funny, creative and simple things that other people simply overlook, and then presents them in such a personal and approachable way. His talents have impacted so many students at the ICC over the years, and now, with this book, a much larger audience gets to enjoy what we do every day."
After enrolling at Cedarville University as an art major with an interest in engineering classes, Pyle was asked to be a member of the first class of industrial design majors. After graduation, Pyle became a teaching assistant at the ICC while studying online for his master’s degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 2015, he became a full-time instructor at his alma mater, the ICC.
“The ICC inspires creativity in their employees,” said Pyle. “I see my future as an author fitting right in with my career as a professor. I hope to stay with the ICC for a long time.”
Pyle already has plans for new characters and book ideas. He’s currently playing with characters in a series called, “Down Undies” which will feature Australian animals in underwear.
