by Mark D. Weinstein<\/p>\n
Cedarville University will extend its Christ-centered educational mission to Florida with a new location in Clearwater, bringing its biblical worldview education to students in the Tampa Bay region. The university plans to begin offering classes Jan. 4, 2027.<\/p>\n
With Florida\u2019s growing population and families seeking higher education grounded in biblical truth, Cedarville\u2019s Clearwater location will provide students with a new opportunity to pursue a Christian university education without leaving the state.<\/p>\n
Cedarville will initially offer a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies at the Clearwater location, providing Florida students access to the biblically faithful, academically excellent education the university is known for. Florida students will complete a Bible minor and benefit from a flexible blend of in-person and online learning. The application for admission opened October 2.<\/p>\n
Cedarville\u2019s Clearwater location is expected to help meet that need. Through a five-year joint venture with Calvary Church Clearwater, the university will establish a presence in the Tampa Bay region and build relationships with churches, families and prospective students.<\/p>\n
The university also plans to build on existing connections in the region, including relationships with Christian schools, local churches and alumni. Cedarville\u2019s history with Florida students and families provides a foundation for its work in Clearwater.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to expand that mission to students in the state of Florida. We want to serve the churches and support the expansion of God\u2019s Kingdom in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
– Dr. Thomas White, President Cedarville University<\/p>\n
Cedarville will initially operate under a provisional state license as it launches the biblical and theological studies program. The university will work to demonstrate the program\u2019s effectiveness and meet state requirements as it pursues annual licensure. Additional academic offerings may be considered as the Florida location develops.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were approached by various church leaders about opening a location in Clearwater and prayerfully sought the Lord\u2019s direction,\u201d said Dr. Thomas White, president of Cedarville University. \u201cAfter careful review and extensive discussion with Florida stakeholders and state officials, we believe now is the time to bring Cedarville to Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
White emphasized that the expansion is rooted in the university\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason for this step is our mission. We stand for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to transform lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority,\u201d White said. \u201cWe are thrilled to expand that mission to students in the state of Florida. We want to serve the churches and support the expansion of God\u2019s Kingdom in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cedarville\u2019s connection with Florida students is already strong. Nearly 500 Florida high school students participate in the university\u2019s dual-enrollment program, taking college courses while still in high school. A Clearwater location will create another pathway for students to continue their Cedarville education closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorida is one of the nation\u2019s fastest-growing states, with increasing numbers of high school graduates,\u201d said Dr. Bob Lutz, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. \u00a0“At the same time, through our alumni and relationships with local churches and Christian schools in Florida, we have heard a strong desire for a faithful Christian university in the area\u2014one committed to biblical authority and academic excellence. We seek to serve these churches, schools, families and students well as we establish Cedarville in the Clearwater area.”<\/p>\n
Learn more about the planned Florida location at cedarville.edu\/Florida<\/a>\u00a0and Cedarville University in general at cedarville.edu.<\/a><\/p>\n Cedarville University<\/a>, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> residential and online programs<\/a>\u00a0across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,542 students, it is among Ohio’s largest private universities and is ranked among the nation\u2019s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal\u2019s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Mark D. Weinstein Cedarville University will extend its Christ-centered educational mission to Florida with a new location…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-417278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}