Updates from Cedarville University
- Cedarville Developing Cyber Resources for State of Ohio
- Gifts, Letters Connect Students and Nursing Home Residents
- With Social Distancing, Students Plan to Pack 1,000 Christmas Shoeboxes for Underprivileged Children
- Nursing Students Adapt to COVID, Care for Underserved in Dayton
- Pandemic Paramedics: Students Sharpen Emergency Medical Skills
- Two Specialized Master’s Programs Starting January 2021
Cedarville Developing Cyber Resources for State of Ohio
Cedarville University has been named a Regional Programming Center (RPC) of the Ohio Cyber Range Institute (OCRI).
The OCRI, headquartered at the University of Cincinnati, exists to promote the Ohio Cyber Range, a state-funded cloud computing infrastructure that hosts cybersecurity educational materials, labs and exercises.
Access to the range is provided as a free educational tool to Ohio residents. The goal of the OCRI is to leverage the range to further cybersecurity education and workforce development in Ohio.
“A crucial function of the OCRI is developing cybersecurity educational materials to be hosted on the range for K-12 students to use,” Dr. Seth Hamman, associate professor of cyber operations and computer science and director of the Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity, said. “We look forward to partnering with them and to serving the state of Ohio. We are honored to receive this designation.”
“The OCRI-RPCs represent a state of Ohio network of leaders aligned to the mission of the OCRI to advance cybersecurity education, workforce and economic development,” Rebekah Michael, the executive staff director of the OCRI, commented. “Cedarville is certainly a leader in this critical mission as is evident through the powerful degrees they offer, strong student support and workforce development placement programs and their CAE-CO designation from the NSA. We are excited that they are being added to the OCR ecosystem and look forward to a strong collaboration and disseminating their activities across the state.”
Cedarville’s Regional Programming Center will focus on adapting cybersecurity educational materials used at the university, including curriculum for K-12 students Hamman has developed through grants from the NSA.
Cedarville undergraduates will also be hired to work alongside professors to develop the materials, providing them a unique opportunity to learn about pedagogy, accessibility and quality standards. To ensure that the materials are engaging and relevant, Cedarville will enlist the help of local K-12 teachers as well.
“The cyber range is a great tool for teaching kids how to stay safe online and for exposing them to cybersecurity as a potential career path,” Hamman noted. “Having a place [online] where kids can practice cybersecurity for free will allow their cyber interests to take root.”
The pandemic has only exacerbated the growing need for cyber education.
“As a society, we have become more and more dependent on a secure cyberspace, and COVID-19 has accelerated this trajectory,” Hamman said. “Many of the changes the pandemic has introduced are here to stay, such as increases in online education, telecommuting and telehealth.”
Cedarville’s opportunity to contribute to the OCRI’s educational project directly coincides with the goals of its Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity.
“The mission of our cyber center at Cedarville is three-fold: developing cyber leaders in the classroom, shaping cyber education in the academy and promoting cyber awareness in society,” Hamman shared. “Our new role as a Regional Programming Center extends our influence in all three areas.”
Written by Heidie Raine
Gifts, Letters Connect Students and Nursing Home Residents
Despite the restrictions of COVID-19, Cedarville University students are continuing to serve residents and staff at the Xenia Health and Rehab center from afar by sending gift baskets, writing cards of encouragement and praying for the residents.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the team visited the nursing home each Wednesday. Students split into groups and visited each individual resident’s room to sing, pray and talk with them, seeking to share the hope of Christ through their conversations.
“It was discouraging not being able to go see the residents because of COVID-19, but God provided new ways for us to be involved in the nursing home,” said P.J. Gusmano, a senior psychology major who has been involved in this ministry since his freshman year. This semester, the students have used letter writing to continue connecting with those at the home. They meet on Wednesdays, swapping weeks between lifting up the residents’ specific prayer requests and writing them cards.
“Although we cannot see our sweet friends in person, we have been able to let them know that they are thought of and prayed for through sending notes that are personalized for each resident,” said Mya Taylor, a senior psychology major who is in her fourth year of ministry at the nursing home. “My heart behind doing this ministry is to be able to help these residents feel known, heard and encouraged and to share with them the hope that goes beyond this life.”
So far, the team recently sent a fall-themed basket to the nursing home’s nurses, doctors, nursing assistants and receptionists. “The activities director told me that they were very thankful and had not been expecting the blessing of the basket,” said Lia DeCoste, a senior nursing major who has also been involved in the ministry since her first year at Cedarville. “We’re planning to send baskets for Christmas, Easter and at the end of the year.”
The team has been greatly encouraged by their times of prayer together. In addition to praying for the residents, the team also prays for those who are impacted by COVID all over the world. “Prayer has been very beneficial to the growth of our team,” Gusmano said. “We have been more intentional and have learned to trust God and his ways more than ever before, and even though we are not physically allowed to be at the nursing home, we know that God is still working there.”
By Brianna Coffey
With Social Distancing, Students Plan to Pack 1,000 Christmas Shoeboxes for Underprivileged Children
It will look a little different, but Cedarville University’s Operation Christmas Child student organization isn’t letting COVID-19 stop them from hosting its annual packing party for students on November 6 from 4-8 p.m. in the Alumni Hall in the Dixon Ministry Center.
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that distributes gift boxes to children in more than 100 countries worldwide. They are delivered by trained pastors and community leaders who share the gospel with every child who receives a box.
This year, Cedarville students are required to sign up for specific time slots to ensure they can observe COVID-19 6-foot distancing protocols while they pack boxes.
But even with a different event this year, the co-leaders of the organization, Sarah Maue, a junior linguistics major from Homer Glen, Illinois, and Elizabeth Devine, a junior early childhood education major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, still want to meet their goal of 1,000 packed boxes.
“This is an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel with hundreds of children,” said Devine. “And it is a good opportunity for college students since it does not take a huge amount of time, even during our hectic schedules.”
To make this event happen, Maue and Devine’s team have organized coin drives throughout the resident halls on campus to raise funds to purchase items that go in the boxes. They also have received generous donations from students, faculty and sometimes local businesses.
Next semester, the team will continue to meet once a month to pray for the boxes and those who receive them. At these meetings, the team will also begin writing hundreds of personalized notes to put into next year’s boxes.
Written by Nicole Hackett
Nursing Students Adapt to COVID, Care for Underserved in Dayton
Cedarville University’s seven-year partnership with the Dayton Life Enrichment Center (LEC) has a new look in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In previous years, two groups of Cedarville’s nursing students rotated through the LEC each semester to provide a Nursing Care of Population clinical course. Now, because of COVID-19, eight students are rotating through the LEC each week to provide the course instruction.
“The LEC is an inner-city community center, and we serve the underserved in the city of Dayton,” Jeff Sorrell, executive director of the Dayton LEC said. “Each person comes with a unique set of challenges and problems, and so our goal is to come alongside people, find out exactly what their needs are and how we can help them overcome and end up with changed lives.”
In addition to teaching the clinical course, the nursing students are also sorting items in the LEC Choice Food Pantry, assisting shoppers at the pantry and performing health screening measures for the LEC clients.
The LEC has also become a center for meal production, as they are partnering with Set The Banquet Table (Miami Valley Meals), consolidating the meal preparation and distribution process for the entire Dayton area. Cedarville students are involved in assisting in the main food pantry which supports meal distribution. The LEC distributes food to a dozen nonprofits every week in the Greater Dayton area, and at one point during the year, thousands of meals were coming through the LEC in a given week.
“It’s important for nurses to come during this time to see how the community comes together during a time of crisis to help those who are in most need,” Sorrell said. “The Cedarville students bring a level of caring to people who have been marginalized and forgotten about. They also bring their faith with them to share with those who need hope.”
Cedarville students are also starting to reach out to all of the food banks in the area, as well as researching where residents can get a flu shot. “Our students have acted as communicators for the LEC to collaborate with other community organizations to help them know what is happening with the status of COVID-19,” Dr. Beth Delaney, associate professor of nursing, said.
Cedarville students are also working on researching what other facilities are doing should the flu season and COVID-19 become more of a problem in the winter months. They’re trying to help the leaders at the LEC gather information that will help them be even more prepared should there be an increase in COVID-19 cases that impact the Dayton community.
Written by Lauren McGuire
Pandemic Paramedics: Students Sharpen Emergency Medical Skills
For the past 55 years, the Cedarville University Emergency Medical Services (CUEMS) has offered 100% student-run emergency care to sick and injured members of the campus community. Cedarville’s EMS team was the first collegiate emergency medical service in the nation.
Today, the CUEMS students are still on mission, serving classmates, faculty, staff and visitors, even in the midst of COVID concerns and protocols.
In the wake of COVID-19, the use of personal protection equipment, or PPE, has increased. Members wear glasses, masks and gloves on each call and are notified if the patient has contracted COVID, which requires them to wear an N-95 mask, goggles and a gown.
The fully functioning CUEMS squad mainly consists of medical students in nursing, pre-medical, pre-physician assistant and physical therapy programs. Each CUEMS member must pass an intensive semester-long Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training course prior to serving on the team. The team generally receives two to five calls each week and has gotten about 30-40 calls so far this semester. A few times a year, the squad receives a call from mutual aid to assist with a Cedarville township emergency.
“Since I am a nursing student interested in emergency nursing, taking the EMT class was a way to get my foot in the door of emergency medicine and to practice my skills on Cedarville’s campus,” said sophomore nursing student Rachel Whittles, who joined the team in 2020. “It is an amazing opportunity to use my health and emergency medical knowledge to give back to Cedarville University.” In addition to offering her medical services, Whittles has also learned to drive the CUEMS ambulance, a skill that will serve her well in the field of emergency medicine.
Being a member of the CUEMS team helps students apply their skills and to explore the field of emergency medicine. “Serving on the team has helped me grow an interest in emergency medicine,” said Whittles. “It wasn’t until I took the EMT class that I really considered it as a career path.”
Being a part of CUEMS also teaches the importance of teamwork within a medical context. It is vital that the team members learn to communicate information that is integral to each individual patient in order to meet their specific needs and provide an even continuum of care.
Serving during a pandemic has given the EMS squad the opportunity to learn how to best protect themselves and their patients using appropriate protocols, such as extra PPE and special regulations. “We take our temperature every time we go into the garage and before we go on a call,” said Whittles. “The pandemic has made us extra cautious to keep our patients safe.”
By Brianna Coffey
Two Specialized Master’s Programs Starting January 2021
Cedarville University will offer two new online Master of Arts programs, one in worship and theology and the other in biblical leadership. Both programs are expected to start in the spring 2021 semester.
These programs will join the existing Master of Ministry and Master of Divinity degrees available through the school of biblical and theological studies.
“The addition of the new Master of Arts degree programs allows us to provide excellent, flexible and affordable ministry training in three specific areas of ministry concentration,” said Dr. Trent Rogers, interim dean of the school of biblical and theological studies.
“We have found that many of our students have particular ministry contexts already in mind when starting the Master of Ministry program,” said Rogers. “We wanted to adapt our offerings to help meet their needs.”
The new degrees, both 36-credit hours in length, will also provide an opportunity for partnerships with other Cedarville programs. The school of business administration will partner with the school of biblical and theological studies to offer the biblical leadership degree, and the department of music and worship will help facilitate the worship and theology degree.
The programs have in common a set of five three-hour classes that cover topics such as evangelism, discipleship, doctrine and theology.
Students in the Master of Arts in Biblical Leadership then take 18 hours related to principles of biblical leadership, how to lead organizations and project management, and finish with a capstone researched leadership project.
In the Master of Arts in Worship and Theology, students will take 18 hours specific to the program covering teaching and preaching, biblical foundations of worship, and worship leadership, among other subjects. The degree concludes with a capstone researched worship project.
Cedarville’s existing Master of Ministry program is completely online and designed for students who serve as teachers, small-group leaders or ministry team leads or for those who desire to increase in their knowledge of the Bible.
The Master of Divinity degree is an on-campus program for those considering a professional ministry role, such as senior pastor, associate pastor, youth pastor, Christian education director or camp director. Mentoring, guided weekend ministries and internships are built into the program.
