For Greene County News
CEDARVILLE – Cedarville University will come to life on Friday when 830 freshmen and 103 transfer students drive onto campus to move into their new residences. The annual move-in weekend is the launch for the university’s 128th year.
The students will begin their Cedarville University experience on that day with a lot of fanfare — and assistance with moving luggage into rooms — from returning students, faculty, and staff. New student registration runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Getting Started features a mix of orientation sessions, activities and workshops for new students and their parents. It’s an exciting time for everyone involved as a new crop of freshmen begin the next stage of life.
A highlight to the weekend’s activities is the annual “Jacket Jaunt” that takes place 5 p.m. on Saturday. This tradition, which began in 2014, is when the new students gather around the university’s clocktower near Cedar Lake and walk together as a group from the Stevens Student Center to the Dixon Ministry Center. Faculty, staff, students and families align themselves along the path cheering for the new students.
In addition to familiarizing themselves with campus, students will also get the chance to interact in small groups, explore extracurricular opportunities and participate in several fun activities.
But the excitement isn’t just limited to students. Even faculty and staff members who have called Cedarville home for decades still look forward to the start of a new year.
“Each year, I get to enhance existing relationships and build new ones,” said Dennis Flentge, Ph.D., chair of the department of science and mathematics. “Students bring a certain level of excitement with them that spreads through the campus. Part of that excitement is the anticipation of what God is going to do in their lives.”
Flentge is entering his 36th year at Cedarville and, although he has seen thousands of students pass through his classes, still finds joy in watching their development.
“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing students mature intellectually and spiritually,” he said.
His sentiments are shared by another long-tenured faculty member. Murray Murdoch, Ph.D., senior professor of history, is entering his 51st year of teaching at Cedarville and also notes that the students are what drives him to this day.
“Early on I dedicated my life to Christian education and that calling still reverberates today,” he said. “We’re called on to invest in the lives of our students and instill in them a Biblical worldview, which is more important today than ever before.”
The excitement isn’t just limited to the first weekend of the year, as the progress made by students throughout the year also brings enjoyment for faculty.
“Seeing students flourish is very rewarding,” said Angie Mickle, D.N.P., interim dean of the school of nursing. “There are moments for each student when things click, and witnessing those moments are the most enjoyable.”
More information on Getting Started, including a digital guide for mobile devices, can be accessed at http://www.cedarville.edu/gettingstarted.