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5-10-2024
Residence Halls Named to Honor Faithful Service of 50-Year Residence Halls Named to Honor Faithful Service of 50-Year
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2024
CONTACT: Mark D. Weinstein
Executive Director of Public Relations
937-766-8800 (o)
937-532-6885 (m)
@cedarvillenews
Residence Halls Named to Honor Faithful Service of 50-Year Faculty
Members
CEDARVILLE, OHIO - At its annual May meeting, Cedarville University’s board of trustees honored the
service of several long-standing faculty members — 50 years or longer — by unanimously naming
residential facilities after them. Trustees also approved the appointment of 10 new faculty members for
the 2024-25 academic year and affirmed a new six-year pathway for its Doctor of Pharmacy program.
With the construction of Cedarville’s most recent residence hall nearing completion, trustees approved
the naming of the women’s hall after Dr. Pamela Diehl Johnson and the men’s hall for Dr. Murray
Murdoch. The common area between the residential rooms will be the Phipps Center, named to honor
Dr. James Phipps.
This new residence hall is the seventh housing facility built at Cedarville University in the past six years.
It will provide housing for 348 students; 174 women students will live in Diehl-Johnson, and 174 men
students will live in Murdoch Hall. The previous six residence halls provide rooms for 648 students.
Diehl Johnson served at Cedarville University from 1974 until her death on February 14, 2024. She was
the dean of undergraduate studies, senior professor of kinesiology and allied health and the associate
head tennis coach.
During her 50-year career, Johnson was recognized as one of the foremost authorities in the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) women's tennis. She was inducted into the NAIA Hall of
Fame in 2004, the National Christian College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2008 and Cedarville
University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Murdoch, who retired last year after serving on the faculty for 56 years, earned his doctoral degree in
history from Northwestern University. The distinguished professor of history and government impacted
thousands of college students and was key in developing Cedarville’s history and government
department.
As the chair of the department, he became well known for his course on social movements, reflecting a
lifelong desire that people of all races find an open and loving reception in Bible-believing institutions.
With his insistence on treating all people with dignity and honor, Murdoch founded the Civil Rights Bus
Tour, a 2,000-mile journey during Cedarville’s fall breaks that visits historical landmarks, including the
Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” voting march, and 16th
Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four young girls were killed in a 1963 bombing.
Outside of the classroom, Murdoch was Cedarville’s men’s tennis coach. His teams recorded 563 wins
during a stellar 29-year career that included 88 consecutive dual-match victories — both records at the
university. Under his leadership, Cedarville’s men’s team claimed 23 NAIA District titles and 23 Mid-Ohio
conference championships. In 1989, his team finished eighth at the NAIA national tournament.
Phipps joined the Cedarville faculty in 1968 and served the university for 55 years, including 36 years as
the chair of the department of communication. Cedarville’s development of communication programs
can’t be explained without direct references to Phipps.
“He’s too humble to say it, but I tell everyone: You can’t tell the story of Cedarville Communication
without talking about Dr. Phipps,” said Derrick Green, current department chair. “He built us.”
Phipps’ expertise was in historical rhetoric, political rhetoric, storytelling, leadership, persuasive theory,
interpersonal communication theory, and communication ethics. In addition to teaching, Phipps served
the Village of Cedarville for 16 years as mayor, and he was the voice of Cedarville athletics for 32 years.
Trustees also named a second townhouse on campus, built in 2013, Gromacki Hall in memory of the
former distinguished professor of bible and Greek, Robert Gromacki, who taught at Cedarville for 50
years.
Gromacki authored 16 books, including a widely used New Testament Survey textbook. He also is known
for writing theological publications on “The Virgin Birth,” “Salvation is Forever,” and “The Holy Spirit.” In
the 1992-93 academic year, Gromacki was awarded the Faculty Scholar of the Year.
Business Building Completion
Trustees toured the recently completed $40 million Lorne C. Scharnberg Business and Communication
Center (SBCC) that will open for classes in August. The new building is part of Cedarville’s $175 million
strategic plan campaign, of which $156.6 has been committed.
The SBCC is the fifth building to be constructed as part of the One Thousand Days Transformed
campaign, which commenced in 2021. The facility will house the Robert W. Plaster School of Business,
department of communication, the center for the advancement of cybersecurity and the Barry Center
for Free Enterprise.
Pharmacy Accelerated Pathway
The pathways to receiving a doctor of pharmacy degree from Cedarville’s 15-year-old School of
Pharmacy now include a six-year pathway, after approval by the trustees. The pathway to completion
reinforces key concepts and creates a more integrated curriculum for the students. The physics
prerequisite has also been removed from the admissions requirements for all new PharmD students,
reflecting changes in pharmacy education across the country.
New Faculty
Trustees interviewed each candidate and approved the following new faculty appointments:
Jason Alligood, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology. Alligood earned a doctoral degree in systematic
theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master’s degree in bible and theology
from Midwestern Baptist. His bachelor’s degree in bible and student ministry is from the Moody Bible
Institute. Before joining Cedarville’s faculty, he was the teaching pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in
Peoria, Illinois.
Jill Bevan, M.S.N., assistant professor of nursing. Bevan earned a Master of Science in Nursing
Education from Capella University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a Registered Nurse diploma
from The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Prior to joining the Cedarville faculty, Bevan was
an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University.
Andy Blakenship, M.A., assistant professor of mathematics. Blakenship earned a master’s degree in
mathematics from Marshall University, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Cedarville University
and a bachelor’s degree in integrated mathematics education from the University of Rio Grande. Before
joining the Cedarville faculty, Blakenship was an administrator and pre-calculus teacher at Ohio Valley
Christian School.
Beth Cappelletti, Pharm.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Cappelletti earned a Doctor of
Pharmacy degree from Temple University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Chestnut Hill College.
Before joining Cedarville’s faculty, she was a compounding pharmacist at Gateway Pharmacy Custom
Prescriptions in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
Jessica Geyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology. Geyer earned her doctoral degree in biology from
the University of Dayton and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cedarville University. Before joining
Cedarville’s full-time faculty, Geyer was an instructor of biology at Cedarville University.
Sean O’Donnell, Ph.D., assistant professor of geology. O’Donnell earned his doctoral and master’s
degrees in geological sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. His bachelor’s degree in geology is
from Cedarville University. Before joining the Cedarville faculty, O’Donnell was a geoscience engineer for
OffWorld, Inc.
Douglas Schaak, D.A., professor of English. Schaak earned his doctoral degree in English from Idaho
State University and master’s and bachelor’s degree in English from Butler University. Before joining the
Cedarville faculty, Schaak was an associate professor of English at Multnomah University.
Cary Shaw, Ed.D., assistant professor of education. Shaw earned his doctoral degree in educational
theory and practice from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in general education from Elmira
College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Cedarville University. Before joining the
faculty, he was the Head of School at Twin Tiers Christian Academy.
Sarah Wallace, M.S., assistant professor of allied health. Wallace earned her master’s degree in allied
health education from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from
Russell Sage College. Before joining the faculty, Wallace was a physical therapist at Graceworks Lutheran
Services in Centerville, Ohio and an adjunct faculty member in Cedarville's School of Allied Health and
Psychology.
Elizabeth Wright, Ph.D., assistant professor of linguistics. Wright earned her doctoral degree in Arabic
language, literature and linguistics from Georgetown University. Her master’s degree is in Arabic
language and her bachelor’s degree is in languages from Georgetown. Before joining the faculty, Wright
was an adjunct professor of Arabic at Cedarville University.
Commencement
Trustees officially recommended the conferral of 995 degrees at the 128
th
annual commencement
ceremonies that took place Saturday, May 4, in two separate programs. This class included 846
undergraduate and 149 graduate students and represented a 4.6% increase from last year’s class.
About Cedarville University
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is a Baptist university with undergraduate programs in
arts, sciences, and professional programs, and graduate programs. With an enrollment of 5,456 students
in 175 areas of study, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio and is recognized
nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, and high graduation and
retention rates. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu
.
Photo Cutlines:
1. RESIDENTIAL VILLAGE -- The 348-person residence hall at Cedarville University will be completed and
ready for students for the 2024-25 academic year in August. This new facility will be part of a larger
Residential Village that is planned for further residential growth at Cedarville.
2. A WORK IN PROGRESS -- This residence hall, located on the western edge of Cedarville University's
campus, is nearing completion. Students will move into the 348-person hall in August.
Photos by Mark D. Weinstein
