Cornerstone University is a
private Christian university in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
.
Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries (
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical Theological Seminary based in
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
), and a radio division called Cornerstone University Radio (WCSG, Mission Network News). The university offers 60 academic programs in the arts, sciences, humanities, Bible, teacher education, computers and business and journalism. The university maintains Mission Network News (MNN), an evangelical "broadcast ministry". Students are required to abide by a "Lifestyle Statement" intended to reflect trinitarianism. Cornerstone had an enrollment of 1,998 students, including professional and graduate studies and both seminaries.
The university is
accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
, the
, and the
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Reston ...
. Cornerstone's social work program is accredited by the
Council on Social Work Education The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association in the United States representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 19 ...
.
History
Cornerstone was founded in 1941 as the Baptist Bible Institute by the
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches
The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC), established in 1932 is an Independent Baptist Christian denomination in United States, retaining the name "Regular Baptist". The association's home office is located in Arlington Height ...
as an evening. The first class graduated in 1944 and the first degree was conferred in 1947. It was accredited in 1963 as a four-year degree-granting college, Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College and Seminary. They began broadcasting
WCSG in June 1973, with an
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
and
fine arts format.
In 1993, it absorbed the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music.
On July 1, 1999, following approval by the State of Michigan, Cornerstone College and Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary became Cornerstone University. In June 2003, the graduate theological school became Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.
In the 1990s and early 2000s Cornerstone University expanded and transformed, 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, adding an Honors Program and "Civitas" Core Curriculum, changing its mascot, colors, and logo.
Presidents
*
David Otis Fuller (1941–1944)
*
Norman F. Douty (1944–1945)
* Paul Jackson (1945–1946) (acting president)
* Gerard Knol (1946–1953)
*
Leon J. Wood (1953–1954) (acting president)
*
J. Edward Hakes (1954–1958)
* Howard A. Keithley (1958–1959) (acting president)
*
W. Wilbert Welch (1959–1983) (Chancellor: 1983–2015)
* Charles U. Wagner (1983–1990)
*
W. Wilbert Welch (1991) (interim president)
*
Rex M. Rogers (1991–2008)
*
Joseph M. Stowell, III (2008–2021)
* Gerson Moreno-Riaño (2021–)
Campus
On Saturday, October 7, 2006, the W. Wilbert and Meryl Welch Tower was dedicated during Cornerstone's 2006
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
. The clock tower has a four faced clock near its top. The tower stands tall, and also has a
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for West Michigan. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Battle Creek–licensed ABC affiliate WOTV (channel 41 ...
traffic camera on the southeast side of the tower. The clock tower is located between the Gainey Conference Center and Bolthouse Hall on campus.
Athletics
The Cornerstone athletic teams are called the Golden Eagles. The university is a member of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...
(NAIA), primarily competing in the
Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference
The Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and it's heaquartered in Livonia, Michigan. The conference consists of twelve college ...
(WHAC) since the 1992–93 academic year.
Cornerstone completes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
Mascot
The official mascot is Rocky the Golden Eagle. The baseball team's honorary mascot is Buster the Bulldog.
Accomplishments
Cornerstone has won the
NAIA Men's Basketball Championships
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics men's basketball national championship has been held annually since 1937 (with the exception of 1944 and 2020). The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for ...
(Division II) in 1999,
2011 and
2015.
Notable alumni
*
Stephen Herdsman, soccer player
*
Lisa Kelly, trucker
*
Reid Ribble, politician who was a U.S. Representative
*
Derek Scott, distance runner and coach
References
External links
*
Official athletics website
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Nondenominational Christian universities and colleges
Cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over tim ...
Educational institutions established in 1941
Universities and colleges in Kent County, Michigan
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
1941 establishments in Michigan