Cornerstone University

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Coordinates: 42°58′46″N, 85°35′35″W

Cornerstone University
Established: 1941
Type: Private Christian College
Endowment: $6.4 million[1]
President: Joseph M. Stowell
Faculty: 118
Students: 2,600[2]
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Campus: 119 acres (0.48 km²), suburban
Colors: Royal Blue and Gold
Mascot: Golden Eagles
Affiliations: Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Website: www.cornerstone.edu

Cornerstone University is an independent, non-denominational Christian liberal arts and professional studies institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The university's mission is "to enable individuals to apply unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world," and the university emphasizes a "Christian worldview" in all programming. Cornerstone University represents a traditional age undergraduate, adult, and graduate program, two seminaries (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Baptist Theological Seminary based in Singapore) and a radio division called Cornerstone University Radio (WCSG, WAYG, WAYK, HisKids.net, Mission Network News).

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Cornerstone University experienced signficant transformational growth, moving to a broader evangelical base, changing its name, becoming a university, increasing enrollment, adding facilities and improving the campus, introducing an adult program including the MBA and a leadership development experience, increasing academic and athletic quality, adding an Honors Program and "Civitas" Core Curriculum, reworking its mascot, colors, and logo, winning a men's national basketball championship, and reaching into the community in a new and effective way. In 2008, the Board of Trustees made the decision to no longer offer tenured positions for future faculty hires in the university program. Faculty members with tenure will maintain it and those who are appointed under the new policy will receive up to a five year contract.

Cornerstone University offers programs in the humanities, sciences, business, religion, education, and fine arts, and includes a seminary. The university is situated on 119 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds including a 9-acre pond encircled by a walking path, The Margaret Mollema Walkway. The school colors are navy and "old gold." The mascot is The Golden Eagles.

All subjects are taught with the trinitarian belief in the triune God and the literal interpretation of the Bible. Students are required to abide by a "Lifestyle Statement" intended to reflect those beliefs and encourage spiritual discernment in students' lives. The university offers students 60 academic program choices, including programs in the arts, sciences, humanities, Bible, teacher education, computers and business and journalism. The journalism major, starting Fall 2008, offers three emphases from which to choose: journalism, photojournalism and public relations - http://cornerstone.edu/journalism

Cornerstone University is nationally accredited by both the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada[1] and the National Association of Schools of Music.[2] In sports, it is a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and the NAIA. Cornerstone's social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

As of 2006, Cornerstone has an enrollment of 1,400 traditional undergraduate students, 2,750 total students including professional and graduate studies, and both seminaries. The 2006-2007 costs for an incoming student, taking 12-17 credit hours per semester and living on campus at Cornerstone University are:

  • Tuition & Fees $17,080 (includes laptop computer)
  • Room & Board $ 5,860
  • TOTAL COST $22,940

Contents

[edit] History

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Cornerstone was founded in 1941 as the Baptist Bible Institute. It was accredited in 1972 as a degree-granting college. It merged with the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music in 1993.

More history: [3]

[edit] Timeline

January 1941-1944: Baptist Bible Institute of Grand Rapids, Michigan

  • (modeled after the Baptist Bible Institute of Toledo, Ohio)
  • (located in educational wing of Wealthy Street Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

1944-1948: Baptist Bible Institute and School of Theology of Grand Rapids, Michigan

1948-1963: Grand Rapids Baptist Theological Seminary and Bible Institute

  • (first seminary graduating class of 2 students, Spring 1949 -- one of whom was Victor M. Matthews, who immediately began teaching at the school)

1963-1972: Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College and Seminary

  • (Fall 1964, first students arrive at new campus/Leonard& East Beltline NE)

1972-1994: Grand Rapids Baptist College and Seminary

  • January 1977, the new Leon J. Wood Seminary Building opened
  • February 1977, the Leon J. Wood Seminary Building dedicated

1994 - merged with Grand Rapids School of the Bible & Music and renamed as Cornerstone College

1994-1999: Cornerstone College and Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary (3-28-94) (legally renamed as Cornerstone Baptist Educational Ministries -- C.B.E.M.)

1999-present: Cornerstone University (4-8-99)

2003: Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary became Grand Rapids Theological Seminary

[edit] Presidents of Cornerstone University

[edit] Clock Tower

The Welch Tower
The Welch Tower
  • On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006 the W. Wilbert and Meryl Welch Tower was dedicated during Cornerstone's 2006 Homecoming. The clock tower has a four faced clock near its top. The tower stands 110 feet tall, and also has a WOOD-TV traffic camera on the southeast side of the tower. The clock tower is located between the Gainey Conference Center and Bolthouse Hall on campus. It is visible from the East Beltline, Interstate 96 and Leonard Street. This tower is the highest point in Grand Rapids.

[edit] Cornerstone Journalism Institute

Founded in 2003, this annual summer camp for high school students is held the last week of July on the campus of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. High school students live on campus for a week while receiving instruction from university professors as well as from guest instructors who are full-time newspaper reporters and editors from newspapers such as The Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana. The Cornerstone Journalism Institute is run by CJI Director Alan D. Blanchard, assistant professor of journalism. www.cornerstone.edu/events/cji

[edit] Cornerstone Journalism Dept.

The Journalism Department at Cornerstone University offers minors in journalism, photojournalism and public relations; a journalism major is also offered with students selecting one of three emphases: journalism, photojournalism or public relations. A blog site was created by the Journalism Department in January 2008 - www.cornerstoneonjournalism.wordpress.com - which contains articles written by CU Journalism Professor Alan Blanchard and journalism instructors Bob Becker, Emily Zoladz, Dave Murray, Michael Shead and Ann Byle.

[edit] The Herald

The Herald is the campus newspaper at Cornerstone University. The Herald, which is a weekly publication during the school year, is paginated in a house that the university owns on 1128 Leffingwell Street on the west side of campus. The Herald celebrated its 40 year anniversary on Oct. 10, 2006. During the spring 2006 semester, The Herald went online at http://herald.cornerstone.edu. The Herald has a weekly circulation of 2,000, which includes faculty, staff, students and 80 local businesses.

[edit] Athletics

A view of the Bernice Hansen Center
A view of the Bernice Hansen Center

The Cornerstone University Golden Eagles compete in the NAIA and are members of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. CU competes in volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's track and field, women's track and field and softball.

National Championships:

  • 1999 - Men's Basketball - NAIA Division II

National Runners-up:

  • 2002 - Women's Basketball - NAIA Division II

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/instvc.asp?inunid=6498
  2. ^ http://www.cornerstone.edu/about