For 天涯海角社区 sport management students, learning extends far beyond the classroom. Recent visits to Citizens Bank Park and Trenton Thunder Ballpark provided opportunities to step into the professional environments they are studying and see sport management concepts in action.

On September 24, students enrolled in the Introduction to Sport Management course attended Philadelphia Phillies College Night at Beyond enjoying a Major League Baseball game, students observed the many elements that contribute to a successful professional sporting event, including venue operations, event management, and the overall fan experience.

A few days later, students in the Sports Facilities Management course traveled to , just down the road from Cairn鈥檚 campus. The visit offered firsthand insight into the management and operation of a professional sports facility, allowing students to connect classroom concepts with the realities of running a live venue.

While each experience provided a different perspective on the industry, both offered something a classroom alone cannot provide: the opportunity to observe the sports business in action. Cairn鈥檚 location in the Greater Philadelphia region gives sport management students access to a wide variety of professional sports organizations and facilities. Experiential learning is a key component of Cairn鈥檚 sport management curriculum, and these settings create valuable opportunities for students to engage with the industry firsthand as part of their academic experience.

Festivities began Friday with Experience Cairn Day, welcoming prospective students and their families to campus, followed by the start of Lil鈥� Sibs Weekend. Friday evening featured the Department of Visual Arts鈥� 10th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition. Alumni and students celebrated a decade of equipping artists with skills, knowledge, and a biblical perspective on the arts. The evening concluded with a concert featuring singer-songwriter , followed by a bonfire and s鈥檓ores at the

Saturday featured a full schedule of activities for alumni, students, and families. The morning began with Coffee with the President, while activities throughout the day provided opportunities for alumni to reconnect. Reunions included Global Missions, Handbells, Chorale, and the 1980s alumni, along with a special recognition of the 1996 Men鈥檚 Soccer Team. Despite rainy weather throughout the weekend, Homecoming activities continued across campus. Amusement rides, games, food trucks, and student-led activities provided opportunities for families and friends to enjoy the weekend together. 

Athletics remained an important part of the weekend, with women鈥檚 volleyball and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer games taking place throughout the day. During halftime of the men鈥檚 soccer game, Cairn Athletics honored former athletes through the induction ceremony. This year, Cairn Athletics honored Rebecca Graber 鈥�18 and Andy Miller 鈥�09 as Athletic Hall of Honor inductees. Graber was a member of the from 2014鈥�2017, while Miller was a member of the from 2004鈥�2007.

From alumni reunions and athletic traditions to music and family activities, Homecoming 2026 provided an opportunity for the Cairn community to come together and celebrate the connections that continue long after graduation. Do you want to be informed about what upcoming alumni events are in store for the year? Connect with us!

Save the Date
Homecoming: Friends & Family Weekend
September 24鈥�25, 2027

Bilotta brings more than 30 years of experience in Christian higher education, including extensive work in academic leadership, program development, faculty development, and digital media communications. Most recently, he served as Dean of Academic Planning and Operations and Chair of the Department of Digital Media Communications at the University of Valley Forge, where he helped grow the department from a single academic program into five undergraduate majors and one graduate program. His appointment also strengthens Cairn’s ability to serve students transferring to the University following the University of Valley Forge’s transition. Bilotta brings firsthand knowledge of Valley Forge’s academic programs, curriculum, and students, providing an important point of continuity for students who choose to continue their education at Cairn.

“Leone brings an unusual combination of academic leadership, program-building experience, and professional expertise in digital media,” said Dr. Adam J. Porcella, Senior Vice President and Provost of 天涯海角社区. “We are particularly grateful for the opportunity to welcome him to Cairn as we seek to serve students coming to us from Valley Forge. His familiarity with their programs and their students will help make that transition as smooth as possible, while his experience will strengthen our Digital Media and Communication offerings for all of our students.”

During his tenure at Valley Forge, Bilotta led university-wide strategic planning, faculty governance, and academic operations while developing new academic programs and strategic industry partnerships. He also played a leadership role in the institution’s integration of artificial intelligence into curriculum and institutional practice.

A longtime practitioner in music and media production, Bilotta has more than 15 years of experience leading worship and touring with music groups. He has served as executive producer for 17 albums and consults nationally on church audio and production systems. His professional background brings practical, industry-informed experience into the classroom and complements Cairn’s emphasis on preparing students for vocational service. Bilotta earned a Master of Music in Music Education with a concentration in Technology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Westfield State University. Bilotta’s appointment reflects 天涯海角社区’s continued investment in the Digital Media and Communication program and its commitment to providing students with academically rigorous, professionally relevant education within a distinctly Christian context.

The newly formed School of Professional Studies brings together a broad collection of academic programs and departments, including the departments of Business and Technology, Teacher Education, Music, and Graduate Counseling. The EdD and Criminal Justice programs are also housed in this school. Dr. Stephen Dill is serving as the interim dean.

The School of Liberal Arts & Sciences maintains its name in this transition but (in transferring a few programs to the School of Professional Studies) has a renewed focus on the interdisciplinary education found in the liberal arts. Dr. Victoria Aquilone has been appointed as dean ahead of the Fall 2026 semester. The previous dean, Dr. Aneesh Khushman, is serving as the chair of natural sciences.

The School of Bible & Theology (previously the School of Divinity) is also home to Cairn Theological Seminary. The seminary was not introduced in order to offer new programs, as 天涯海角社区 has offered graduate-level Bible education since 1992. This was instead a decision that reiterates and clearly communicates 天涯海角社区’s longstanding commitment to biblical and theological education to prospective students and churches. The Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (Religion), and Master of Arts (Executive Ministry Leadership) are offered through the Seminary. A more robust look at Cairn Theological Seminary will be available in the Fall 2026 issue of , to be released in late October.

天涯海角社区 business students were finalists in the 2025 America250PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC). The DEIC is a multi-round competition that challenges students from Pennsylvania鈥檚 postsecondary institutions 鈥渢o design and develop integrated marketing campaigns that explore solutions to real-life challenges and questions.鈥�

The 2025 DEIC consisted of three rounds, the final round held in person at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA, in October 2025. 天涯海角社区 was one of five colleges invited to the final round. Faculty member Janelle Curtis-Beaman accompanied students Philip Oo, Matthew Mika, Colin O鈥橞rien, and JiEun Oh to Harrisburg to present their campaign.

This year鈥檚 theme was “Miles of Impact: America’s First Superhighway.鈥� Students were challenged to 鈥渄esign and pitch original integrated marketing campaigns that bring the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s story to life.鈥� 天涯海角社区 students presented their campaign, 鈥淲here did you come from, where did you go?鈥� to celebrate 85 years of the Turnpike connecting Pennsylvanians while looking forward to the future of travel. They pitched a user-generated marketing campaign that would employ a statewide scavenger hunt that would encourage users to share experiences that promote connection, heritage, and progress.

天涯海角社区 is proud to offer opportunities for experiential learning like this, giving students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in tactile ways that bolster their resume and give them confidence as they enter the job market. 

There is a growing contingent of 天涯海角社区 graduates for whom 鈥淐airn Special” immediately evokes involving all five senses. It鈥檚 requested like a secret menu item with a flash of a Cairn student ID. Buy a large drink and a large fry, and get an original sandwich or eight-count nugget for free. Today鈥檚 students know the schedule: Monday at Oxford Valley. Tuesday at Langhorne. Thursday at Neshaminy.

The Cairn Special remains the cheapest meal a college student can buy off campus. And while that is attractive, it is not what keeps students coming back. The food is good, and it serves as the foundation for something even better. A Chick-fil-A booth has served as a mainstay for many Cairn students鈥� community building and cheap first dates. And for a select few, it introduced them to a future career as a Chick-fil-A owner-operator.

Chick-fil-A鈥檚 franchisee selection process is extremely competitive. It receives an average of 40,000 applications per year and from that accepts little more than 100, substantiating the claim that it is easier to get into Harvard than it is to be selected to be a Chick-fil-A operator. Despite these slim chances, 天涯海角社区 alumni still represent among the operator ranks. 2026 includes the opening of the fifth owned and operated restaurant by a 天涯海角社区 alumnus.

These four men who have been selected to lead come from various backgrounds and took vastly different career paths toward ownership. The common thread? Their 天涯海角社区 experience was a pivotal moment on their trajectory to Chick-fil-A ownership鈥攆rom business degrees and peer relationships to introducing them to their very first chicken sandwich.

Alex Crawford 鈥�17/G鈥�17
Rochester, NY

The Fall of 2013 is when Alex began to study Bible and business at 天涯海角社区. It鈥檚 also when he had his first Chick-fil-A sandwich. Chick-fil-A was a staple of his Cairn experience. While he was inspired by the culture (and the food!), he did not take a direct path to franchising. Alex interned with a local Geico office in his final semester at Cairn. He was then invited to join their Emerging Leaders program after graduation. This began a career that would require his family to move several times. Alex and his wife, Lindsey (McCulloch) 鈥�17, moved five times as Alex moved up the Geico ranks. Their family eventually settled in Buffalo, NY, where Alex sat at the helm of the corporation鈥檚 customer service.

Alex is a lifelong New Yorker hailing from Long Island, but despite being back in his home state, the freezing temperatures of Western New York were a significant adjustment. The Crawfords did, how ever, quickly warm up to and fall in love with the people and culture of the area. Instead of seeing Buffalo as a transplant location for Alex鈥檚 career, they saw it as a place where they wanted to plant deep roots for their family.

While Alex wanted to stay in Western New York long term, that did not mean he wanted to stay with the corporation that originally brought him there. He enjoyed his work at Geico, but he ultimately decided to pursue a dream he had considered for several years: to own and operate a Chick-fil-A. He saw this career path as 鈥渢he clearest alignment of my MBA and Bible degrees.鈥�

Deciding to apply was just the start. Over the course of two and half years, Alex participated in several phone interviews; flew to Chick-fil-A headquarters four times for in-person meetings; and participated in a stress test, where he was thrown into a Chick-fil-A during the lunch rush to see how he would react and adapt. Chick-fil-A has high standards for the character of their operators, so extensive interviews with applicant references are central to the selection process. Among his professional references were Dave Heffernan, the owner of two of Cairn鈥檚 local Chick-fil-As, and Dr. Tony Hurst, part-time faculty member at Cairn.

Many operator-hopefuls work full-time at a Chick-fil-A location for years before submitting a franchisee application. Alex was not in that position, but he understood the advantage of direct team member experience. In the midst of interviewing, he decided to get a part-time job at a local Chick-fil-A. He worked one, eight-hour shift before he got the call to open a store of his own.

Alex is part of the 20% of Chick-fil-A operators who were selected outside of the CFA leadership development program. This minority position has several somewhat obvious challenges: He was selected to be an operator with out an intimate knowledge of every part of the menu, without the experiences of running a shift during a peak mealtime or navigating the challenges of being short-staffed. But at the same time, his experiences at Geico translate directly to some of the most important qualities of any Chick-fil-A operator: excelling in customer service, leading by serving, and using data-driven approaches to innovate and adapt to challenges. And since he
did work one shift, he already had a name tag.

Chick-fil-A Citygate opened in Rochester, NY, on February 5, 2026. The business of selling chicken and waffle fries is still brand new, but his seasoned leadership has him well-positioned to lead his team to serve his community well.

Brad Burkholder WWC鈥�06/鈥�09
Harrisburg, PA

When Brad graduated high school, he decided to leave his home in Lebanon, PA, to commit to a year at Wisconsin Wilderness Campus. This year of studying the Bible in the great outdoors was what Brad describes as 鈥渢he best year of my life,鈥� and it set him on a trajectory that would give him a career and the opportunity to return to his Central PA roots.

Upon finishing his year at WWC, Brad chose to continue his studies on the main campus as a business major. It was here in Langhorne that he first became acquainted with Chick-fil-A. In his undergrad years, he attended three Chick-fil-A grand openings. These events combined two of his favorite things: camping out in a tent, and free food.

The hard-earned free meal coupons on top of the Cairn Special student discount meant that Brad had every reason to spend an above-average amount of time at Chick-fil-A Oxford Valley Road. Through these visits, he built a relationship with the store鈥檚 owner, Dave Heffernan. Seeing that Brad was a business major, Dave suggested the obvious: Brad should pursue a career with Chick-fil-A. Brad was not interested in that: 鈥淚 said, 鈥業鈥檓 not doing fast food.鈥� I just like eating it.鈥�

This opposition did not last more than a few months after graduation. The summer after he graduated, Brad was ready to get married and needed a job. Dave connected him with a new operator at Chick-fil-A Exeter in Reading, PA. It was in this restaurant that he began to truly see Chick-fil-A as more than 鈥渇ast food.鈥� The turning point was a guest interaction with a grandfather and his grandson:

鈥淗e said, 鈥楥an you tell my grandson about the story of Chick-fil-A? Because it鈥檚 such an amazing story.鈥� So, I shared the history and core values of all Chick-fil-A restaurants. . . . That鈥檚 when I realized this is a different company. This isn鈥檛 just some fast food career. There鈥檚 more to it.鈥�

It was after this interaction that Brad 鈥渓ocked in,鈥� studying CFA training videos after late-night closing shifts and personally committing to being the best employee he could be. His operator noticed this shift and鈥攍ike Dave did just a couple of years before him鈥攈e encouraged Brad to pursue a long-term career with the company. This time, Brad was ready to heed that advice. After 1.5 years at Chick-fil-A Exeter, Brad was selected to be the interim manager of the Chick-fil-A in the Berkshire Mall. A year later, he became its operator at just 25 years old.

Brad is quick to share that his time at the mall wasn鈥檛 glamorous. The Berkshire Mall location was one of the lowest volume restaurants in the entire chain. What this location did not offer in profits, it offered in what money can鈥檛 buy: a chance to be humbled at a young age, space to make mistakes, and an acute awareness that he was in the right career. It also offered the opportunity to work near his hometown, a non-negotiable for his growing family. If he were ever to leave the mall, it would be without uprooting his family鈥檚 life in Central PA. Four years passed. Then God opened a new door: Brad was selected to operate a new Chick-fil-A location in Harrisburg, just 20 minutes from his childhood home.

Brad celebrated ten years at Chick-fil-A Lindle Road in March 2026. Looking back over the past decade, one of the highlights has been the freedom he has to dynamically integrate his faith into his work. He has led devotionals in board meetings, prayed with his staff, and hosted Bible studies in his restaurant. 鈥淚f I were to create my own restaurant or business, I would build it on the same values as Chick-fil-A. I am passionate about Chick-fil-A because they align with my values and beliefs. That鈥檚 how I know I鈥檓 in the right place.”

Josh Maxwell 鈥�06/G鈥�12鈥�14 and Luke Trader 鈥�10
Egg Harbor Twp, NJ and Christiana, DE

By the time Josh graduated high school, he had been living out of his car for nearly two years. He left home at 16 because of his father鈥檚 addiction to drugs and alcohol. So, when he arrived at Cairn to begin the youth and family ministries program, he found a home鈥攂oth physically on campus and in the relationships he built with Dr. Matt McAlack and his future wife, Corrie. It was at Cairn that he also built a friendship with classmate Luke Trader 鈥�10, who would later be the one to bring him into a career at Chick-fil-A.

Josh and Luke first met on a plane to Germany. They were seated next to each other on the initial flight to the University-sponsored Martin Luther tour over spring break in 2005. Luke was a full-time youth pastor completing his degree one course at a time, so their paths did not cross much on campus before or after this trip. But the friendship built on this trip would continue to grow through the years that Josh volunteered in Luke鈥檚 youth ministry.

A few years after graduation, Josh and Corrie were married and serving at a church in Nevada. It was there Josh decided that full-time vocational ministry was not where he wanted to be, but he didn鈥檛 know exactly what he should do instead. He moved his family to New Jersey, to be near Corrie鈥檚 family and figure out what to do next. That鈥檚 when Luke offered him the opportunity to work with him again, this time at Chick-fil-A.

Luke had recently left full-time ministry and was working for Chick-fil-A Corporate, serving as an interim manager at the Quaker Bridge Mall location. When Josh told him that he moved into the area and was looking for work, Luke offered him a $10/hour team member position, which Josh quickly accepted. Several months later, Luke transferred to another mall location in Wilmington, DE, and he invited Josh to come with him. That offer was much harder to say yes to, but he still accepted:

鈥淚 was driving an hour and 20 minutes each way to work in my 1992 Ford Explorer,鈥� said Josh. 鈥淚 was working 60, 70, 80鈥揾our weeks, but I didn鈥檛 feel I was competitive enough to become an owner/operator.鈥�

To bolster his resume, he returned to school full-time. He transferred to a restaurant in Delran, NJ, and used the time he saved on his commute to earn an MBA degree from Cairn, graduating in 2014. Degree in hand, he felt prepared to enter the candidate pool. The following year, he accepted the offer to become the owner/operator of a Chick-fil-A in Jackson, TN.

Josh operated Chick-fil-A Old Hickory Mall for three years. In his first year, he earned the regional Rookie of the Year designation, Symbol of Success, and Champions Club鈥攊nternal awards for Chick-fil-A Operators who hit certain sales and profit quotas year over year. In 2018, he returned to New Jersey to take over as Operator of Chick-fil-A Egg Harbor Township. As for Luke, he became the Operator of Chick-fil-A Christiana in 2016 and, as of April 2025, Chick-fil-A University Plaza in Newark, DE.

You can look at Josh and Luke鈥檚 stories and see two youth pastors that left the ministry. In a sense that鈥檚 true. But if you think that means they are no longer doing ministry, you鈥檇 be mistaken. Service is at the center of Chick-fil-A鈥檚 culture; they call it 鈥渟econd-mile service,鈥� echoing Jesus鈥� call from the Sermon on the Mount. This happens every day, all day between Chick-fil-A team members and guests. But it has the potential for even more impact when the operator goes the extra mile for his employees:

鈥淲e want to have a positive influence on all guests who come through the drive-thru鈥攚hich is only two to three minutes a visit,鈥� said Josh. 鈥淏ut as an operator, I have six to eight hours a day, six days a week where I can make an impact on my staff.鈥�

Both Josh and Luke have been very successful over the 10+ years that they have operated their restaurants. It is the result of hard work and a commitment to excellence. While this has sometimes been celebrated with accolades, it isn鈥檛 what is most important:

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about who has the most sales and who can be the best. It鈥檚 better to ask the questions, 鈥楬ow are we serving people, and how are we serving God?鈥� It鈥檚 an awesome opportunity to be a part of a business that asks those questions and to be able answer them faithfully.鈥�

This year’s Golf Classic brought together 176 golfers and raised over $137,000!

As another successful Golf Classic concludes, Cairn remains grateful for the generosity of those who make this tradition possible. The University looks forward to continuing the tradition of the Golf Classic in 2027. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or participation in next year鈥檚 event, please contact Graham Thorpe at gthorpe@cairn.edu.