Cedarville University Latest Press Releases

• Pharmacy Center Brings Innovation, Improved Healthcare to Miami Valley
• Students Fly with Success; Place Fourth behind Georgia Tec
• h in Aero Design CompetitionNew Accelerated B.A./M.B.A. Saves Time, Money for St
• udentsCedarville University Sets the Mark for lowest Student Loan Default Rate in Ohio
• Cedarville University and Xenia’s Living Well Clinic Awarded CVS Grant for Diabetic Care
• Cedarville University’s Online MBA Ranked 11th in NationPharmacy
• Students Provide Health Screenings at Homeless Shelter

Pharmacy Center Brings Innovation, Improved Healthcare to Miami Valley

Finding solutions to the most challenging problems in health care is the focus of a new pharmacy initiative at Cedarville University. Through the School of Pharmacy, Cedarville has opened the Pharmacy Innovation Center with a primary focus on improving healthcare in the Miami Valley.

To create the Pharmacy Innovation Center, Dr. Marc Sweeney, dean of the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy, needed seed money to develop the initiative. Fortunately, he didn’t have to look further than his own board of advisors.

Dave and Phyllis Grauer of Dublin, Ohio, have committed $250,000 to establish the Center for Pharmacy Innovation. In addition to this contribution, the Grauers also serve on the School of Pharmacy’s board of advisors, have taught at the school and have funded scholarships for pharmacy students.

The center opened January 1, 2018 and will use professional pharmacists’ expertise to improve healthcare in America. Learn more about the Center by visiting cedarville.edu/PharmacyInnovation

“Our hope is to identify creative solutions to the real issues facing healthcare today so that quality of life is improved," said Sweeney. “With the Grauers’ gift, we hope to attract additional donors who will commit to fostering innovation in pharmacy and health care.”

Dr. Justin Cole, who currently serves as vice chair of pharmacy practice, has been named director for The Center for Pharmacy Innovation. He will work to attract innovators and funding for pilot projects to address issues such as medication nonadherence, rising drug and healthcare costs, appropriate integration of technology, and new drug discovery. The center will collaborate with the Ohio Pharmacists Association, along with other organizations, to develop creative solutions to healthcare issues.

“We want to help professional pharmacists look for and identify areas in healthcare where they can play a key role in optimizing quality, reducing costs, and improving population health,” said Sweeney. “Not only are the president and Congress trying to address those issues, but solutions need to come from within the healthcare system as well.”

Traditionally, pharmacists have dispensed and monitored medications based on a physician’s prescription. “We’re not trying to create new roles in the dispensing process,” said Dave Grauer, an attorney and pharmacist. “But we can help create opportunities for pharmacists to use their drug and cognitive knowledge to further healthcare quality and efficiency.”

“We don’t want to supplant what’s there; we want to support it,” added Phyllis Grauer. “If you look at the environment of primary care physicians, there aren’t enough of them. Their knowledge base is very broad. Pharmacists can add a component to healthcare that can help primary care physicians be more efficient and support them as they work with patients for better outcomes.”

The Grauers cited an example from Phyllis Grauer’s pharmacist-based consulting service to hospice organizations. “At that point in 1999, physicians dispensed brand-name drugs for hospice care and tended not to look at drug therapy costs,” she explained. “We worked with hospice agencies to reduce medication costs, but also to help nurses become more knowledgeable about presenting recommendations to physicians.

“For example, there are three major types of pain,” Phyllis Grauer continued. “Assessing the type of pain is critical in determining which drug is most effective, and that’s the type of information we asked the nurse to assess. Then she would present her recommendation to the physician based on what she saw and the drug that was most appropriate for that kind of pain.”

“Pharmacists can do more with their drug knowledge and communication skills as a member of a team of healthcare professionals to help implement innovative healthcare delivery,” Dave Grauer said.

“We very much want to support Cedarville in any way we can,” said Dave Grauer. “This is a good way to do something new and creative around our Christian faith, the practice of pharmacy and creating opportunities for the future.”

Students Fly with Success; Place Fourth behind Georgia Tech in Aero Design Competition

Cedarville University mechanical engineering seniors brought their newly designed remote control (RC) airplane to the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) International Aero Design East Competition in Lakeland, Florida, on March 9-11. The team finished fourth in the international competition. 

Cedarville’s final ranking is the the best in the university’s history. Georgia Tech won the competition, followed by Pontifical Catholic University (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) and the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio), who beat Cedarville by two points. The University of Michigan placed fifth.

Several national and international teams were unable to obtain a flight score due to the complexity and number of flight requirements. Cedarville flew in all of the seven rounds of competition.
 
The advanced competition requires teams to use an onboard telemetry system that relays flight information to a ground station to aim a weight onto a target from 100 feet in the air. The Cedarville team placed second in the presentation category and third in drop points, how close the weight landed to the target.
 
“This is the top airplane design, build and fly competition in the world, and advanced class is the most difficult measure of student skills at that competition,” said Dr. Timothy Norman, professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering. “We were competing against schools that had doctorate programs in aeronautical engineering. For Cedarville to place fourth in the world in the east competition reflects Cedarville’s excellent engineering department.”
 
Mechanical engineer seniors who competed were Jacob Danna (Syracuse, NY), Logan Delk (Brookville, OH), Jordan Denen (Xenia, OH), Christian Hopkins (Milton, DE), Nathan Jaquish (Bellbrook, OH), Rebekah Jensen (Chugiak, AK) (team captain), Wesley Kimmel (Madison, CT), David King (Warrenton, VA), Philip Kline (Myerstown, PA), Anna Parkinson (Port Orchard, WA), Heather Reitmeyer (Shohola, PA) and Mark Watt (Bedford, OH). They designed and tested the RC plane during fall and early spring semester.
 
“Multiple organizers of the competition complimented Cedarville’s excellent problem-solving skills and positive influence on other teams. Our students functioned as a cohesive team, despite some technical issues,” continued Norman. “The Cedarville students worked together to solve problems that arose; it was encouraging to watch. Students were even offered opportunities for employment at the competition. I am very pleased with these students for displaying all we have instilled in them over the past four years.”   
 

New Accelerated B.A./M.B.A. Saves Time, Money for Students

Cedarville University has the reputation of preparing its students for the workforce. In the most recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey, 97.5 percent of Cedarville’s recent graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of commencement.

Cedarville University is now building on this success by providing undergraduates with accelerated pathways to completing both their bachelor’s degree and an M.B.A. in four or five years.

In these new accelerated pathways, students will be able to complete their undergraduate degree while simultaneously completing MBA prerequisites and two master’s level courses. Then, they can complete their MBA online within 12 months.

These plans not only save students time and money, but they also increase graduates’ employment options in the marketplace and provide the opportunity for higher earning potential immediately.

For now, students working toward a bachelor’s degree in communication or psychology are eligible for this dual combination. The university expects to add accelerated pathways to the M.B.A. from its English, music, science, math and intercultural studies programs in the near future.

“These programs allow students interested in a liberal arts education to add a recognized, career-focused professional degree,” said Dr. Janice Supplee, vice president for marketing and communications and dean of graduate studies. “These graduates will combine the excellent communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that employers are seeking with professional preparation that is applicable in multiple settings and industries.”

As an example, Supplee cited music business, industrial psychology, human resources, event management, and business communication as career fields that would directly benefit from combining an appropriate undergraduate degree with an M.B.A.

Although the academic process is accelerated, the B.A. and MBA programs themselves remain unchanged.

“The academic rigor and quality are maintained in these new pathways,” said Supplee. “One of our goals is to make graduate education more accessible to students, which we believe the B.A./MBA degree will do.”

Cedarville University Sets the Mark for lowest Student Loan Default Rate in Ohio

A low student loan default rate demonstrates many things, including the quality and reputation of a university’s education and the character of its students. It should come as no surprise that, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Office, Cedarville University has one of the lowest student default rates in Ohio.
Among traditional four-year colleges, Cedarville University's 1.11 percent student loan default rate is the lowest in Ohio.Case Western Reserve University (1.61%), the College of Wooster (1.81%), Denison University (1.90%), and the University of Dayton (1.92%) round out the top five lowest rates.

According to the national report, 84 institutions based in Ohio reported 132,677 students entered repayment on student loans. And, 12,936 students--or 9.6 percent--defaulted on those loans.

Two specialty schools, Northeast Ohio Medical University and Methodist Theological School in Ohio report a 0.00 percent student loan default rate, and Mount Carmel College of Nursing's rate is 0.88%.

“We prepare students so they are positioned well when they graduate and are able to find jobs in their fields,” said Kim Jenerette, executive director of financial aid. “The quality of Cedarville University, the quality of the students, and the working relationship between our students and loan servicers all contribute to our low default rate. We have a low default rate because our students have integrity.”

According to the most recent data provided by the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Office reported 633 Cedarville University students entered in the repayment process. Just seven students--1.11 percent--defaulted on their loans.

“I do believe that Cedarville is a good risk-reward balance. We have a high retention rate, a high graduation rate and a high professional placement rate. That speaks to the quality of a degree from Cedarville,” said Jenerette.

Cedarville University and Xenia’s Living Well Clinic Awarded CVS Grant for Diabetic Care
 
Living Well Ministries Clinic in Xenia, Ohio, in conjunction with Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy, has been awarded a $20,000 CVS Pharmacy Health Foundation Grant to provide free health care to patients with diabetes and hypertension.
 
Joshua Cernetic, executive director of the Living Well Clinic, and Dr. Douglas Anderson, chair and professor of pharmacy practice, applied for the grant in September 2017. The grant application process took three months.
 
The grant will be used to fund a specialized diabetic and hypertension study and to offer a weekly Friday diabetic clinic for patients in financial need. Only 25 clinics nationwide received the grant.
 
“The grant will allow Living Well Clinic to purchase the supplies, educational materials and equipment needed to properly care for patients,” said Cernetic.
 
“Working on the hypertension and diabetic study together creates a partnership between Cedarville University and Living Well. We can use our resources and expertise to help provide excellent and free care to the patients at Living Well,” noted Anderson. “Multiple Cedarville faculty, including Dr. Mark Pinkerton and Dr. Andrew Straw, both assistant professors of pharmacy practice, will provide care for patients at the clinic. If you know of a diabetic patient who is in need of high quality medical care, please refer them to the clinic.”  
 
Living Well Ministries was founded in 2010 and their clinic began in January 2012. The clinic provides no-cost health care to the medically needy of Greene County.
 
“Last year, we provided care during 425 office visits, which resulted in more than $1 million of free health care being provided,” Cernetic said.
 
For more information about the clinic, or to schedule an appointment, call 937-372-7177 or email the clinic at livingwellclinic.org/contact-us.
 

Cedarville University’s Online MBA Ranked 11th in Nation
 
Cedarville University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is ranked among the top programs in the United States according to Best Value Schools, an online college planning and ranking resource.
 
Cedarville University was ranked 11th by Best Value Schools. The ranking included 75 universities and took into account each school’s cost of attendance, program quality and student feedback.
 
Students can complete the MBA program in one or two years, and can choose a generalist MBA or concentrations in operations management or healthcare administration. The university has plans to add several new concentrations as the program grows.
 
Although Cedarville University’s MBA is mostly online, the program includes a variety of hands-on activities that reflect real-world situations. Students participate in projects, case studies and simulation exercises, which help them learn how to solve problems in the business world.
 
The factor that sets Cedarville University’s MBA program apart from many others is a focus on biblical integration and a Christian worldview.
 
“The course material is very similar to any other university’s MBA. But there are two things that students come away with because of the Christian distinctive,” explained Daniel Sterkenburg, assistant dean of business administration graduate studies. “One is the biblical integration foundation. The second is that students are often making connections with other professional Christians and can share current issues they are having at work from a biblical worldview.”
 
Cedarville University’s MBA courses address ethical issues in the business world from a biblical perspective. “We ask students to evaluate their ethics,” said Sterkenburg. “We give them ethical dilemmas, and they need to try to solve those ethical dilemmas using biblical standards and how God would view the situation.”
 
Best Value Schools’ favorable ranking of Cedarville University’s online MBA program further affirms that Cedarville University continues to provide high-quality, affordable education that extends into its online graduate programs.
 

Pharmacy Students Provide Health Screenings at Homeless Shelter

As students in the Cedarville University school of pharmacy learn new information and skills, they also look for new ways to use their training to serve the community. For some, that has meant developing a partnership with a local homeless shelter to serve the individuals staying there.
 
On Wednesday, April 18, professional pharmacy students from Cedarville will provide  free health screenings at Bridges of Hope, 1087 W. 2nd St, Xenia, Ohio. In addition to basic blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, the students will counsel individuals about medications they take and how to use them correctly.
 
The event will be the group’s second time conducting free screenings at Bridges of Hope, and is part of what they hope will be a long-term relationship with the shelter.  
 
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US. It’s one of those diseases that is very preventable if you know about it and can start taking care of it,” said Christy Varghese, a  first-year pharmacy student helping lead the effort. “That’s why I think it’s really important to be able to give people these opportunities for a free screening.”
 
Student efforts are also focused on providing service that fits with real needs in the community, said Varghese. That is why, for their first event at Bridges of Hope in March, the group provided information about medications and how to use them correctly. They also brought opioid disposal bags and flyers with information about drug dropoff boxes to provide safe ways for people to dispose of extra or unwanted medications.
 
“Especially in these communities, their life is really hard. I think it’s important to show them that there are places where they can get help and there are people who do care,” said Varghese.