Cedarville University December 2019 Updates

• Community Christmas Celebration on December 8
• Attorney General Selects Cedarville Professor for Opioid Prevention Committee
• Pharmacy Professor Receives “Oscar” of His Profession
• Professor’s First Book to be Published in U.S. and Europe
• Social Work Professor’s Nonprofit to be Honored at the Statehouse
• A First for the Bengals: Female Season-Long Athletic Training Intern
• PRSA-East Central District Honors Cedarville University's Newsroom with 2019 Diamond Award
• Honoring Canine Warriors With Air Force Museum Show
• The Gift of a Family Portrait at Christmas

Community Christmas Celebration on December 8
Cedarville University will host its 20th annual Community Christmas Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 8, in the Dixon Ministry Center’s Jeremiah Chapel. The doors will open at 5 p.m., and the concert will start at 6 p.m. More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the annual Christmas program.
 
The concert will include performances by the Cedarville women’s choir, jazz band, men’s glee club and orchestra. In total, there will be nearly 300 students participating in the concert. There will also be a special duet by faculty member’s professor Beth Porter and Dr. Mark Spencer.
 
The concert will also include a message from Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White about the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ and a  retelling of birth narrative by alumni Ann Procter accompanied by alumna Britney Roberts on the harp.
 
“God has gifted us with the ability to be musicians,” said Bruce Curlette, professor of music and organizer of the concert. “It is our opportunity to share our skills as a Christmas gift to the Cedarville community at large.”
 
There will also be congregational singing throughout the concert, which will conclude with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah.”
 
The concert will also be live-streamed at https://www.cedarville.edu/Event/Christmas-Live.aspx.
 
Attorney General Selects Cedarville Professor for Opioid Prevention Committee
Dr. Beth Delaney, associate professor of nursing at Cedarville University, has been named a member of the Ohio Attorney General’s Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE).
 
“It has been an unexpected honor to be a part of the SCOPE committee,” said Delaney. “My hope is more lives will be saved from the difficult challenges of substance use disorder, and we will see a healthier Ohio.”
 
SCOPE launched in June of this year and is tasked with finding substance abuse prevention strategies. The committee is comprised of field experts in medicine, nursing, pharmacy practice, human relations, prevention, behavioral economics, data analysis, epidemiology and medical anthropology.
 
“Our hope is that this multidisciplinary group can continue to better understand what is happening by looking at the research evidence and make recommendations to Attorney General Yost,” said Delaney. “We will also hope to  be better equipped to help individuals to prevent substance use disorder from ever happening.”
 
Along with teaching, Delaney is a family nurse practitioner at the Dayton Physicians Network, focusing on oncology, cancer survivorship, palliative care and hospice. She also serves as board chairperson for HerStory house, a women’s addiction recovery house, and on the leadership team for the recovery ministry at A House of Prayer in Xenia, Ohio. Delaney is a graduate of Xenia High School.
 
Pharmacy Professor Receives “Oscar” of His Profession
Dr. Douglas Anderson, Cedarville University professor of pharmacy practice, has been named a 2019 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) fellow.
 
"Being named an ACCP fellow is like getting an Oscar for career achievement," said Anderson.
 
ACCP is a clinical pharmacy professional organization. The honorary title “fellow” is bestowed on people who have achieved a high level of practice and research throughout their careers.
 
Anderson has spent 25 years in academia teaching future pharmacists. He has published numerous peer-reviewed publications and, as a researcher, he has attracted more than $700,000 in grant support.
 
Anderson has also been a member of ACCP for 25 years. He has served on numerous committees and is currently serving on the ACCP Task Force on Medication Access, which will produce a white paper about improving medication access.
 
To become an ACCP Fellow, a current ACCP fellow must nominate a candidate for the title. Anderson was nominated by his professor, mentor and life-long friend, Dr. Chuck Seifert, executive associate dean of Texas Tech University’s School of Pharmacy.
 
Anderson also acknowledged Dr. Steve Hamilton, professor emeritus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, a former professor and mentor, as instrumental in helping him achieve this recognition.
 
“Chuck and Steve were people that I saw as a student and admired what they did and how they approached pharmacy. I wanted to emulate them both,” explained Anderson. “They are both big influences on my career through their advice and guidance. They have been great friends and mentors.”
 
Professor’s First Book to be Published in U.S. and Europe
Andrew Graff, assistant professor of English at Cedarville University, will release his first book, “Bread and Fish,” in fall 2020.
 
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt picked up the rights this summer to publish “Bread and Fish.” Gallmeister, a French publisher, has also purchased the rights to publish a translation, meaning Graff’s book will be released in the U.S. and Europe.
 
Graff started writing “Bread and Fish” five years ago in Wisconsin, where he was raised on a farm. His vision for the story line originated there. The sights, sounds and smells of Wisconsin inform the atmosphere of his book.
 
According to Graff, the idea for the book came from a night in the dead of winter. He was lighting a fire with old notes from his college years. He stopped to read an essay, “The Nature and Aim of Fiction,” by Flannery O’Connor, which challenged him to immerse a reader into a scene with at least three of the five senses.
 
“That night I wrote a scene of two boys walking their bikes down a gravel road, clover growing in the ditches and a blackbird clinging to a cattail stock,” said Graff. “Those boys eventually became Bread and Fish.”
 
Bread and Fish, the two main characters in the book, are on the run from a crime they didn’t commit, which sends them on a journey through the Wisconsin backwoods. Graff shared that his faith is represented thematically in the book, with the boys running toward a way to be fathered.
 
After four drafts of the book, Graff began to share it with agents. The book was passed around between adult fiction and young adult fiction editors. “This happened at least four times, but eventually the work was given to Maggie Cooper, who loved it and became my agent,” explained Graff. “We worked on edits for two months, and she quickly sold it to an editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.”
 
Graff is excited and thankful for the opportunity to see his book published. “What did I do to make the process happen?” asked Graff. “I can honestly say, ‘Nothing.’ It came out of nowhere. But I will add this: I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
 
“Bread and Fish” will be published next fall and available online and in bookstores nationwide. More information about Andrew Graff can be found here.
 
Social Work Professor’s Nonprofit to be Honored at the Statehouse
For Sandi Wagner, the social work lessons she teaches at Cedarville University have a real-life, real-time expression in her efforts on behalf of homeless and addicted women in Xenia, Ohio. And now she’s being honored for it.
 
Wagner, instructor of social work at Cedarville, is the co-founder of the nonprofit, Her Story. Her Story will be awarded the Addiction Policy Forum’s Innovation Now Award by the state of Ohio for its work as a temporary housing facility for women struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and contemplating change. The ceremony will be held Oct. 30 from 12-3 p.m. at The Ohio Statehouse.
 
In 2016, Wagner was approached by Whitney Caudill, president and co-founder of Her Story, to develop a nonprofit for bridging the gap between when a homeless woman seeks help with drug and alcohol abuse, and when she is able to get into a long-term inpatient substance use treatment center. Her Story was developed from the story of a mom that Caudill had been working with who wanted to recover but a lack of resources prevented her from entering inpatient treatment.
 
From this, Her Story was developed. Wagner and Caudill worked from 2016 to 2018 to raise funds and walk through policies to develop their nonprofit. Her Story does not receive federal or state grants, which allows them to tailor care to the specific needs of their clients.
 
Her Story’s private facility was formerly a foreclosed house that was purchased by a donor and renovated through funds raised from the community. This allows clients to be removed from the toxic environment that has supported their poor decision making. Her Story is fully supported by the community that surrounds the facility.
 
Wagner explained that women in need of inpatient substance abuse treatment often have long wait times that prevent them from getting help at the point they are contemplating change.  This is a critical time for women who need to be removed from their toxic environment. Her Story provides a facility that allows women to be fully supported in that waiting time.
 
“We wanted it to be a space that a woman could detox that felt very peaceful,” Wagner noted. “We didn’t focus solely on her as a person but also about the environment, we wanted the woman to feel valued.”
 
Since the doors have opened, Her Story has housed 31 women. From those women, 26 residents have graduated from the program and entered an inpatient treatment facility, like Safe Harbor House in Springfield.
 
“It’s very unique,” noted Wagner. “Other than a hospital setting, we are one of the only agencies that provide in-between care in Ohio.”
 
Her Story has just begun but wants to grow with time. The facility can currently house four residents because of zoning regulations.
 
“We are praying and dreaming to see ways that Her Story can grow,” said Wagner. Right now most women hear about Her Story through referrals from local jails, police officers and family.
 
As a faith-based organization, Her Story believes that faith in God is a crucial component in recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. Every morning starts with devotions, and clients are required to attend an AA meeting 5-6 times a week, including faith-based meetings, like Celebrate Recovery. Although it is not a requirement to be a Christian, all women entering the program are aware of the faith-based aspect of  the program.
 
Many residents make faith decisions through the work of Her Story. Wagner explained that Her Story follows up to see if patients are still in sobriety after leaving. “We want them to know that they are not on their own and that we fully support them, even after they leave,” said Wagner.
 
Wagner was approached last year to adjunct at Cedarville University as a social work professor. After teaching in the spring, she was approached to consider filling the vacancy within the social work department as an instructor of social work.
 
“I am able to provide practical examples of what I am doing to my students,'' said Wagner. “Incorporating your faith in social work is huge.”
 
“Eventually it would be neat to use Her Story for the classroom,” she added. “I can see not only getting social work students involved but also nursing and pharmacy students.”
 
For more information about Her Story, visit https://www.herstoryhouse.com/.
 
A First for the Bengals: Female Season-Long Athletic Training Intern
Kelsey Howell, a Cedarville University senior athletic training major from Allen Park, Michigan, is the first season-long female athletic training intern in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals. She is serving during the 2019-20 season.
 
“Females working in athletic training is nothing new,” said Paul Sparling, longtime head athletic trainer and the director of sports medicine administration for the Bengals. “Women now represent the majority of entry-level athletic training students. They have earned the right to take advantage of every opportunity that men have had over the years. Ultimately, it comes down to if they have the personal skills and physical endurance to do the job in a setting that is virtually 100% male.”
 
“Without question, Kelsey has proven that she has all the tools and skills necessary to be successful in this setting. The right candidate is the right candidate, regardless of their gender.”
 
Sparling noted that the Bengals had not hired a female intern before this season because their facilities were never designed for coed athletic trainers.
 
“It had nothing to do with a sense that females can’t handle it,” said Sparling. “The question was if we had the ability to utilize their skills and give them the opportunity to truly be an integral part of the medical team, considering the physical layout we have in our facilities. I felt we owed to whomever we considered to be sure that we could make whatever accommodations we determined to be necessary, to be sure it would be a positive experience for all. Kelsey has reaffirmed that we made the right decision and even made me ask myself why we waited for so
long to hire a female intern.”
 
Interning for an NFL Team like the Bengals is a coveted position. Sparling receives 250-300 applications each year for internship positions. The team brings on a total of four season-long athletic training student interns every season.
 
Sparling intentionally limits candidates to be considered from a select group of local colleges and universities, which allows the interns to work with the team from April through the end of the season, instead of only for training camp. The interns are also students who are personally approved and recommended for consideration from the head of their school’s athletic training program. The schools can also use the opportunity as a selling point for the schools in recruiting prospective athletic training students.
 
This year, three female athletic training students were in the mix for consideration. Sparling, however, noted Howell’s background as a missionary kid who lived in Tanzania, East Africa and China as a factor that distinguished her from other candidates.
 
On the job, Howell enjoys seeing all aspects of athletic training, including creating rehab plans and treatments, taping before games and practices and taking inventory and ordering supplies. But one of her favorite experiences is working with injured players during practices and receiving guidance from the Bengals' staff.
 
“The Bengals’ staff allowed me to develop circuit training for injured players to do during practices,” said Howell. “I was able to help run the training to make sure that the players were doing the exercises correctly.”
 
“I have been so thankful to work with the staff here,” she continued. “They don’t just make me do work; they take the time to teach me. And when I do mess up, they help me learn what I did wrong and what I can do better next time.”
 
Cedarville athletic training students have interned with the Bengals six straight years. Mike Weller, Cedarville’s associate professor of athletic training, connected with the Bengals when he taught at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio, and continued that connection when he joined Cedarville’s faculty.
 
“Cedarville students are definitely prepared for what they were going to do here,” commented Sparling. “Mike knows what we need here, and understands the demands of the position, and clearly has confidence in the competency of his students he recommends. It is very clear that Cedarville has a great athletic training program.”
 
PRSA-East Central District Honors Cedarville University's Newsroom with 2019 Diamond Award
Cedarville University received a Diamond Award for its "Newsroom Expands Cedarville University's Media Footprint" entry from the East Central District of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-ECD). The Diamond Award is presented to public relations practitioners who have successfully addressed a communication challenge with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

Cedarville's entry communicated the strategy and development of a campus newsroom, which has increased Cedarville's visibility and enhanced the university's image and reputation through media interviews and marketing videos. The 42nd annual competition drew more than 120 entries from 17 chapters from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Western and Northwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The district represents more than 2,750 PRSA members.

Earlier this year, Cedarville University was awarded PRism and the "Best of Show" awards for the newsroom plan from the Public Relations Society of America (Dayton chapter). Cedarville's PRism entry received the highest PRism score -- 98 points out of a possible 100 -- to receive the "Best of Show" honor.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the PRSA-EastCentral District and to know this award is the result of the selflessness and unity of the marketing and communications team at Cedarville University," said Mark D. Weinstein, executive director of public relations, who was notified of the award by John Palmer, APR, PRSA-EastCentral Diamond Awards Committee Chair. "As a member of the marketing and communications team, it's clear to me that my colleagues own their roles well and we're able to see the larger picture of what we're trying to achieve through our specific work. I am thankful for my colleagues and for the work they do to advance the mission of our great university."

Cedarville is averaging 190 interviews annually from the campus newsroom with regional media in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. The facility has also allowed individuals to interview with the media from Fox News, CNN, K-LOVE and with stations in Chicago, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and southern Florida.

Honoring Canine Warriors With Air Force Museum Show
 
Retired Cedarville University professor of studio art James Mellick is bringing attention and honor to “Canine Warriors” through his wooden dog sculptures on display now through January 31, 2020, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
 
The exhibit, “Canine Warriors – Courage and Sacrifice, Always Beside You,” showcases eight wounded warrior dogs and four canine war dogs that each took Mellick around 160 hours to create. The sculptures will be on display during normal museum hours.
 
“The Air Force museum understands the important place and love that dogs hold in our culture, especially the military working dogs and the police dogs,” explained Mellick. “It is our wish that these dogs will raise awareness of the needs of wounded veterans who have made mental and physical sacrifices on our behalf, and be a catharsis of healing and relief of buried emotions and depression.”
 
Mellick has made wood carvings since 1976. In 1985 he began to tell stories specifically through dog sculptures, after first carving dogs to act as “scare-deers” to keep deer from coming into his garden.
 
Mellick continued to carve dog sculptures during his time at Cedarville while also teaching drawing, 3D design, sculpture and printmaking. He was awarded the 2012-2013 Faculty Scholar Award and helped plan and develop the current 3D and printmaking studios in the Alford Annex.
 
Once he retired from Cedarville in 2014, Mellick was inspired from news stories of veterans returning to the states with injuries. He decided to start a project that would portray the wounds and needs of our veterans and found that telling their story through dogs would work best since he had experience sculpting dogs. These dogs became the Wounded Warrior Dogs Project and have been touring across America since 2015.
 
The sculptures will be showcased around the country in 2020, including at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia; and Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
The Gift of a Family Portrait at Christmas
This Christmas season, Cedarville University photographer Scott Huck, along with staff and student volunteers are giving the gift of Christmas portraits to families, regardless of their financial resources. The photographs will be taken Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Clifton Avenue Church of God in Springfield.

Thousands of photographers, hairstylists and makeup artists in more than 70 countries and every U.S. state will participate in the event, which involves finding people in need, taking their picture, printing their picture and then delivering it free of charge. Help-Portrait, founded by award-winning photographer Jeremy Cowart, is leading the worldwide campaign.

“Help-Portrait allows local photographers to invest in their communities and give back by giving away portraits to those that might not otherwise be able to pay for portrait sessions,” said Huck, who has volunteered with the event for 11 years.

In 2009, Huck got involved with Help-Portrait in Dayton by contributing to an event. While looking for opportunities to expand Help-Portrait in the Miami Valley, he partnered with Springfield Promise Neighborhood to provide and host a Help-Portrait event in Springfield in 2013. Last year, Huck hosted the first-ever Help-Portrait in Cedarville, Ohio.

“I am grateful to be part of something that means so much to families in the Springfield community,” said Lydia Wolterman, a junior graphic design major who has volunteered for two years. “To give this gift of a portrait to families during the holiday season, most who have never even had a portrait taken before, has always taught me to be grateful for my own family and to never take for granted something even as small as taking a picture with your loved ones.”