Cornerstone University is a Baptist Christian university that is interdenominational and located in Grand Rapids, Mich. Cornerstone offers its students traditional undergraduate programs, adult undergraduate and graduate programs.
Founded in 1941, the university serves 1,800 undergraduate students and approximately 800 graduate students on its 130-acre campus. Although Cornerstone is a Christian school, its student body represents more than 45 denominations.
Students at Cornerstone are required to abide by a “Lifestyle Statement” intended to reflect trinitarianism and a literal interpretation of the Bible. The entire campus community attends morning chapel services three times a week. The university offers more than 60 academic programs in the arts, sciences, Bible, humanities, computers, teacher education, and business and journalism.
The school is nationally accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the National Association of Schools of Music. Its athletic teams compete in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Cornerstone University
Academics
Cornerstone University offers its students more than 46 undergraduate academic programs in the arts, sciences and theological and professional studies, and 16 advanced degrees. The average class size at the university is 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 16 to one.
The division of Bible, Religion & Ministry offers five majors — ancient studies, art of ministry, bible and intercultural studies.
The Business college offers accounting, business administration, finance, international business, business management, economics, and sports management. Students in the school of Communications & Media Studies can major in audio production and design, communication arts/secondary education, communication studies, journalism (news-editorial), public relations, visual communications, media/film, media/video, and theater. The division of Fine Arts offers majors in music, worship arts, music education, and contemporary Christian music.
Majors in the division of History & Social Science are family studies, history, history education, psychology, social work, and sociology. In the school of Humanities, students can major in Spanish education, elementary language arts, philosophy, linguistics, literature, creative writing, and elementary and secondary English education. Cornerstone also has divisions in kinesiology, science and math, and teacher education.
Academic services at Cornerstone include the Cornerstone Learning Center, which provides one-on-one tutoring, proctored tests, and other resources. The Writing Center at Cornerstone provides free peer writing assistance to all undergraduate students, including help writing papers, formatting assistance, editing, and research skills tutoring.
Students worship at the Cornerstone Chapel, including at its Sunday evening student-led Evensong ministry. Chapels meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and feature worship in song. Chapel teams are made up of students, while speakers are from the campus community or from places around the world.
Study Abroad
Cornerstone University offers its students more than 20 travel and study abroad options in 10 different countries, some with a focus on ministry and global service.Cross-cultural ministry teams have traveled to more than 20 countries in the past five years. GO Serve Travel is a short-term mission travel option. Students serve on GO Teams throughout the school year, and can can travel during spring break and summer to serve for missionary agencies. GO Teams are selected on the basis of maturity their contributions to the GO Team, a commitment to missions and their future goals.
Cornerstone’s study abroad programs include an Oxford University Summer Program that includes a three-credit course taught by Oxford professors and on-campus living at Oxford, a Romanian Studies program in the historic Transylvanian town of Sighisoara, a year-long or semester-long experience at the Rothberg International School/Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a 10-week International Business Institute summer program that includes visits to Russia and Europe, a semester at Jerusalem University College in Mount Zion, a yearlong arts and theology studies program at the Australia Studies Centre in Sydney, a semester program in China, a semester-long program in Costa Rica, a Russian Studies Program spent in Mosco, St. Petersburg and Nizhni, and a semester-long program at Trinity Christian College Semester in Seville, Spain.
Closer to home, juniors and seniors can spend a semester in Chicago that includes an internship and classes at Cornerstone facilities in that city, a semester at the christian Focus on the Family Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., a semester at the World Journalism Institute in New York City, a semester that provides internships and study at the American Studies Program in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles Film Studies Program, in which students live, learn and work in L.A. and take two required seminars — Hollywood production Workshop and Theology in Hollywood.
The Cornerstone Journalism Institute is an annual summer camp for high school students held for a week every July at the university. High school students live on the campus and take classes taught by university professors and guest instructors who work at newspapers like The Indianapolis Star.
Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Cornerstone University.
The average incoming freshman at Cornerstone University has graduated from high school with a grade point average of 3.4, an average ACT composite score of 23, or an average combine SAT score of 1520. The school is moderately selective, and 76 percent of all applicants are admitted to Cornerstone.
You can apply online at Cornerstone, and the application requires an essay, a recommendation from a Christian leader, your high school transcript, and standardized test scores. The university suggests that incoming students follow a college prep program that includes eight semesters of English, six semesters of math, four semesters of science, six semesters of social studies or history, four semesters of a foreign language, and eight semesters of electives.
Prospective students can visit Cornerstone University on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays for its morning and afternoon tours, which include an introduction, chapel services, a campus tour, lunch and a counselor connection meeting. If you want your visit tailored, you can meet with a professor, athletics coach or audition for the music department. Those special requests need to be made in advance.
Cornerstone also holds Golden Eagle Days, large-group events for students who want a broad overview of the college. Golden Eagle Days are pre-scheduled and offer students the opportunity to taken a campus tour, attend chapel, sit in on a class, learn about the financial aid process, attend a panel discussion, eat lunch with faculty, and meet with an admissions counselor.
You can also attend an Academic Preview Day to learn more about a specific academic department. You can spend time with faculty from the department you’re interested in, and learn more about the department’s questions job and internship advising. Students must pre-register for Academic Preview Days.
Financial Aid
Students intending to apply for need-based financial aid must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Cornerstone University. A FAFSA is not necessary for students applying for academic or athletic merit award.
The institution’s academic awards for incoming freshmen include the Outstanding Scholar Award for National Merit Finalists, which are awarded at a maximum of $12,000, and President’s Scholarships of up to $10,000. You can also apply for the Chancellor’s Scholarship of up to $9,000, the Dean’s Scholarship of up to $8,000, the Cornerstone Assistance Grant of up to $4,000, or the Partners for Success Scholarship of up to $6,000.
Cornerstone also offers small scholarships based on recommendations from a student’s pastor, youth pastor or mission director. They include the Pastor’s Scholarship, a four-year scholarship that starts at $1,000 per year, and the Global Service Scholarship, a four-year scholarship that starts at $1,000 per year.
The Cornerstone University Financial Aid office also provides loan information to incoming students.
Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
Cornerstone University 1756th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best Michigan scholarships and financial aid
About 48 percent of Cornerstone’s students live in campus housing and 52 percent live off campus. On-campus housing includes six residence halls and a complex of apartments for single and married seminary students.
Babcock Hall houses about 130 students, with men living on one floor and women living on the remaining two floors. Each unit includes a kitchen, bathroom, living area and two bedrooms. Students have access hard-wired Internet, and there is a community lounge and a laundry facility at Babcock. Cook Hall houses 142 women in suite-style rooms, with two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. Wired and wireless Internet access is available at Cook Hall, and there is a laundry facility.
Connected to Cook Hall by a glass atrium, Van Osdel Hall is a three-story residence hall that houses 114 male students. The rooms are suite style with two bedrooms and a share bathroom. There is a basement lounge with pool and foosball tables, a TV and study area. Common areas between Cook and Van Osdel include shared lounges, a kitchenette, study lounge and game area for the 256 residents in the two halls.
Crawford Hall houses approximately 130 students, with male students on two floors and women on one floor. Each unit includes a kitchen, bathroom, living area and two bedrooms. Students have access to hard-wired Internet and each floor has its own laundry facility. Carwford also has a community lounge.
Keithley Hall houses 80 students and provides two-bedroom suites, each accommodating two students, and a shared bathroom. Keithley also has hard-wired and wireless Iinternet access and a first-floor lounge. Pickitt Hall houses 165 women and is the only women’s residence hall to offer communal bathrooms. Students at Pickitt also have hard-wired and wireless Internet access, and can share a large lounge with a pool table and TV.
For commuter students, the university offers “commuter-friendly” programs, trained commuter assistants, and “Commuter Corner” at the Corum Student Union.
Unlike huge universities, Cornerstone University offers its students just eight clubs. ACT:s is a Christian organization that raises awareness about such global issues as poverty, social injustice and hunger by holding fundraising activities and events. Act:s also sponsors chapel events with speakers from World Vision and other non-profit organizations. The English Society supports student writers and publishes the Cornerstone Review, an annual literary magazine.
There is a Habitat For Humanity chapter on campus, and the International Justice Mission chapter raises awareness of global injustice. Kappa Theta Gamma is a student theatre society, and the campus Multicultural Organization promotes Biblical awareness, acceptance and appreciation of other cultures. Students in Free Enterprise produces three business projects a year and compete at the regional level with other university and colleges. The Student Government acts as a liaison between students and administration, and mobilizes students to address campus and community concerns.
The Herald is Cornerstone’s award-winning campus newspaper, a weekly published during the school year and with a circulation of 2,000, which includes faculty, staff, students and nearby businesses. Founded in October of 1966, The Herald is an integral part of the school’s journalism program and was named the Best College Newspaper in its division for 2008 in the Michigan Collegiate Press Association Newspaper Contest.
Cornerstone is a dry campus and there is a curfew for freshmen students.
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Cornerstone University?
The Cornerstone University Golden Eagles compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and are members of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Cornerstone athletes compete in volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s track and field, and softball. In 2011, the Cornerstone University men’s basketball team took the national championship in Division II of the NAIA. The women’s basketball team was a runner-up in the national championships, and the men’s basketball team also won the national championships in 1999.
Cornerstone’s Bernice Hansen Athletic Center is the main athletic facility on campus. Completed in March 2001, the BHAC has 125,000 square feet of space that houses the Mol Arena for athletic events, chapels, concerts and other events, four classrooms, three racquetball courts, a weight room/fitness center, aerobics room, field house/practice gym, jogging track, six locker rooms, conference room, and office space.
Bibliography
“Cornerstone University | Student Life | Best College | US News.” US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and More. US News & World Report. Web. 08 May 2011.
Cornerstone University | Build a Life That Matters. Cornerstone University. Web. 08 May 2011.
“Cornerstone University Reviews – Viewpoints.” Reviews, Consumer Reviews, Product Reviews – Viewpoints. Viewpoints. Web. 08 May 2011.
Demographics – Main Campus and Surrounding Areas
Reported area around or near Grand Rapids, MI 49525-5897
Surrounding community
Midsize city (inside urban area, pop. between 100,000 to 250,000)
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Grand Rapids, MI 49525-5897
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