“As we think about America at 250 and the 85th year here at Cornerstone, I can’t think of a more important conversation to have,” said Cornerstone University President Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño. That conviction set the tone for a special Wisdom Conversations event that brought two of the nation’s leading public intellectuals to campus to discuss this historic milestone.

Dr. Cornel West, who holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary, joined Dr. Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, for the March 5 conversation titled “America at 250: Christianity and the American Experience.”

At the center of the evening was a defining question: What sustains a free society — and what happens when its moral foundations weaken?

Together, West and George are widely known for their decades-long friendship and their engagement with the deepest moral and philosophical questions rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, while honoring one another as brothers.

The evening began with prayer and perspectives on the night’s themes from Dr. John G. West, vice president of the Discovery Institute and Cornerstone’s newly appointed Distinguished Scholar of American Government and Christian Civic Engagement. He pointed to the Declaration of Independence and the principle of human equality endowed by the Creator as an important values framework for the kinds of conversations possible in America, such as those taking place at Cornerstone University through tonight’s exchange.

In his opening remarks, Dr. West also highlighted the uniqueness of The Cornerstone Core, the university’s new general education curriculum focused on the wisdom of the American experience grounded in the beauty of the Christian worldview.

From there, President Moreno-Riano began to moderate the conversation with Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George focused on the evening’s central theme America at 250: Christianity and the American Experience. Both West and George ultimately arrived at a shared concern: the American experiment cannot endure on political structures alone. It depends on a particular moral and spiritual formation of its people. And this particular formation is grounded on Christ and the Gospel.

George noted that the American founders designed constitutional structures with a sober understanding of human nature and therefore that the deeper protection of liberty lies beyond governmental structures:

“Our problem is not our Constitution,” George said. “Our problem is lack of fidelity to our Constitution.” He emphasized that the primary protection of liberty lies not in government, but in the institutions of civil society—“mom and dad and grandma and grandpa and coach and teacher and pastor”—that form citizens capable of sustaining freedom.

At the heart of that formation is what George called “civic friendship”: the ability to engage disagreement without treating others as enemies. “If those institutions don’t teach us to honor people with whom we disagree — not to treat them as enemies to be destroyed — no one else will do it.” George said.

West spoke to the same reality through the lens of Christian faith and moral witness, emphasizing the radical call of Christ. “If we don’t cultivate the courage to love — not just calculating the consequences — but believing that intrinsically loving one’s way through life is still desirable,” he said, the foundations of a just society begin to erode.

He cautioned against reducing Christianity to sentiment rather than sacrifice. “Don’t transform the blood at the cross into Kool-Aid,” West said, pointing back to the costliness of real faith.

West also spoke candidly about America’s moral failures, including racial hatred and injustice that have marked the nation’s history. “We are a wretched folk too often,” he said. “Thank God that doesn’t have to be the last word.”

Despite their different emphases, both scholars returned to the same underlying truth: freedom depends on moral capital—and that capital must be renewed.

“We are living off the capital of Christian morality,” George said, warning that society is “depleting the capital and not replacing the capital.”

The conversation ultimately pointed beyond politics or policy to something deeper—formation. Families, churches, schools and communities all play a role in cultivating the character required for a free and flourishing society.

George closed by challenging students in attendance directly. “Form yourselves to be determined truth seekers and courageous truth speakers,” he said.

“That,” he added, “is the mission of this university.”

West and George’s ongoing public dialogues across the country are reflected in their recent book, “Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division.”

Cornerstone University thanks the sponsors who made this Wisdom Conversations, a signature Michigan Christian thought leadership event, possible: Discovery Institute, Acton Institute, Credo Communications, AMDG, and Kevin & Meg Cusack.

For more information about The Cornerstone Core, our 65-plus Christ-centered degree programs or future Wisdom Conversations events, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.

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Cornerstone University recently welcomed more than 100 students, alumni, faculty, and West Michigan community leaders for a leadership forum and networking breakfast featuring Cheryl Bachelder, former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and one of the nation’s most respected Fortune 500 leaders. The event underscored Cornerstone’s reputation as a Christian thought leader, convening some of America’s most distinguished leaders and influential voices to prepare students for today’s rapidly evolving market while also providing some of the best business thinking available to the West Michigan community.

With nearly four decades of executive leadership experience spanning companies such as Procter & Gamble, Domino’s Pizza, and Yum!, Bachelder is widely recognized for leading the successful turnaround of Popeyes into a high-performing national brand. Her presence on campus offered something far more than a keynote, it created direct access to a proven leader for the Cornerstone community.

The morning represented a unique opportunity: attendees engaged not only with Bachelder’s insights on leadership, faith, and navigating complexity, but also with one another – building relationships that extend far beyond campus.

At a time when students and young professionals are seeking both purpose and preparation, Cornerstone is intentionally creating spaces where those worlds intersect.

A Front-Row Seat to Leadership in Action

Through her 60-minute conversation with President Gerson Moreno-Riaño, Bachelder offered practical and deeply relevant leadership insights, particularly for those preparing to step into influence. She emphasized that leadership begins with clarity and discipline – sharing how, during her tenure at Popeyes, narrowing more than 100 competing priorities down to just a few key initiatives created alignment and ultimately drove results.

For students, the message was clear: leadership is not about doing more, but about focusing on what matters most and executing it well.

She also challenged attendees to rethink leadership as fundamentally people-centered:

“Set the daring destination but serve that team well every step of the walk.”

This perspective reframes ambition through the lens of service, an approach that deeply aligns with Cornerstone’s mission to develop Christ-first leaders.

Investing in the Next Generation of Christ-First Influencers

Bachelder’s emphasis on courage and humility – “daring and serving” – captured the kind of leadership Cornerstone seeks to develop: leaders who pursue results while remaining grounded in moral responsibility.

The impact of the event extended beyond campus.

Among the attendees was Kyra Woodley, a SOAR student in Cornerstone’s Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program, who traveled more than two hours across the state to attend the early morning event.

Eager to grow in her own leadership opportunities, Woodley came specifically to learn from Bachelder and to engage with the Cornerstone community in person – an example of the initiative and intentionality the University seeks to cultivate in its students.

Advancing Thought Leadership with Purpose

By convening conversations around leadership, faith, and influence, Cornerstone has established itself as a Christian thought leader at the intersection of business and Christ-centered values.

Hosting a leader of Bachelder’s caliber through its leadership forum reflects the University’s commitment to engaging experienced voices and addressing the real challenges leaders and students are facing today. It also demonstrates Cornerstone’s ability to create space for conversations that are accessible, thoughtful, and grounded in a Christ-centered perspective.

Continuing the Vision

This gathering is part of a broader vision including the successful Wisdom Conversations series: to continue creating spaces where leadership, faith, and community converge.

As Cornerstone University expands these opportunities, it remains committed to equipping Christ-first leaders and serving as a place where ideas are exchanged, relationships are built, and impact begins.

For more information about Cornerstone University’s 65-plus degree programs or The Cornerstone Core curriculum launching fall 2026, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu, request information, or call 616.222.1426.

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Cornerstone University has appointed Dr. William A. Dembski as its first Distinguished Scholar of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, effective April 1, 2026. A world-renowned mathematician, philosopher, and pioneer in information theory, Dr. Dembski will join the faculty to help students and faculty engage the growing questions surrounding artificial intelligence, human intelligence, and what it means to be an image bearer of God in a rapidly changing world.

Holding doctorates in mathematics from the University of Chicago and philosophy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, Dr. Dembski’s career has been defined by a quest to quantify the "signatures of intelligence" in nature. He has authored or edited more than 25 books and is widely recognized for his seminal work, The Design Inference (originally published by Cambridge University Press), which recently saw a major 25th-anniversary expansion in 2023 that applies his work to contemporary questions in cosmology and artificial intelligence.

“We are thrilled  to have one of the most important Christian intellectuals and scholars of the last three decades – Dr. Dembski – join Cornerstone University ” said President Gerson Moreno-Riaño. “His ground breaking work stands at the intersection of mathematics, philosophy, theology and technology — and most notably, evidence of intelligent design. As artificial intelligence and technology rapidly transform every field, his interdisciplinary scholarship will strengthen how we prepare students with a sophisticated application of a Christian worldview to disciplines that often exclude Biblical truth and to a market that desperately needs it.”

In this role, Dembski will contribute to The Cornerstone Core™, engaging all students regardless of major as part of their general education experience. He will support faculty development, curriculum, and connect with students through guest lectures, mentorship in the Honors Program and select teaching opportunities. 

Dr. Dembski shared this about his recent appointment, “Cornerstone University is a centerpiece in the renewal of intellectual integrity and sound theology within Christian higher education, and I’m honored as a newly appointed Distinguished Scholar of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science to be part of Cornerstone’s mission.”

Dembski’s appointment comes at a critical moment as higher education confronts the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its implications for human identity. His current research explores “intelligence metrics,” examining how intelligence is recognized and measured in both biological and artificial systems — questions that, at Cornerstone, are engaged through a Christ-centered understanding of truth, humanity, and God’s created order.

In addition to his academic research, Dembski is a tech entrepreneur and a Founding Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. He has previously held teaching and research positions at Baylor University, Northwestern University, and the University of Notre Dame.

Dembski’s work will engage Cornerstone students across every field of study, challenging them to grapple with what it means to know, to reason and ultimately what it means to be a human created by God — questions that influence how they lead, make decisions and serve in their careers and in the broader culture.

For more information about Dr. Dembski’s role or to explore Cornerstone University’s 65-plus on-campus and online career-ready degrees and certificates, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu or call 616.222.1426.

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Congratulations to Cornerstone University’s Track & Field teams on a historic national performance — highlighted by a national champion, 12 All-Americans, and record-setting results at the 2026 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Indoor National Championships.

“This weekend reflects our history and where we want to go as a program — Christ-centered, disciplined, focused, and ready to compete at the highest level,” said Coach Andy Wright, head coach of Track & Field. “Our  athletes and coaches showed tremendous preparation and commitment, and I’m proud of how they represented Cornerstone and its Christ-centered mission in every event, truly trying to leave it better than they found it.”

Over three days of competition, the Golden Eagles proved they can compete — and win — at the highest level. Junior Stuart Zachariah Stovall (’27) led the way, capturing the national title in the weight throw. Teammate Ryan Shinabery (’26) added a runner-up finish in the same event, giving Cornerstone two All-Americans and one of the most dominant performances in the field.

Across the meet, Cornerstone athletes earned 12 All-American finishes from 11 individuals, establishing the program as a growing presence on the national stage. Highlights include:

• Isaac Bowden (’27) — 3rd place, Pole Vault (highest finish in program history).
• Jacie Remtema (’27) — 5th place, Mile (school record; third School record of the weekend).
• Parker Matheny (’27) — All-American, 800m; member of 4×800 relay.
• Chase Holwerda (’27), Elijah Wallace (’26), Sullivan Zietlow (’29), and Parker Matheny (’27) — Set a school record performance in the Men’s 4×800 preliminary race.
• Liam McHugh (’28) — All-American, Heptathlon.
• Claire Meacham (’26) — 4th place, Weight Throw; first women’s weight throw All-American in program history.

The team results reflected the strength of the weekend. The men finished seventh in the nation — the highest finish in program history — while the women added a strong showing.

At Cornerstone, athletics is part of the everyday experience — where discipline, leadership, preparation, service, and Christ-centered integrity grow in competition and carry into the classroom, careers, and communities across West Michigan.

With a national champion, record-setting performances, and one of the strongest finishes in program history, Cornerstone Golden Eagle track and field continues to build momentum as a rising force in NAIA competition.

For more information about Cornerstone University Athletics or our 65-plus marketplace-aligned, Christ-centered degree programs, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.

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Cornerstone University has launched a distinctive new Honors Program for fall 2026 designed for students seeking a rigorous Christian worldview academic experience exploring great ideas, artificial intelligence technologies, and influential leadership. Centered on an integrated minor in Influence & Innovation, the program prepares high-achieving students for Christ-centered influence across industries and communities.

“Graduates today are entering a world undergoing rapid change through competing ideas and life-altering technologies,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, president of Cornerstone University. “Our singular program and Cornerstone’s most distinguished faculty will educate students for Christ-centered, morally grounded influence and innovation. Honors students will engage great ideas and enduring questions of humanity and learn how to apply them to the real challenges facing industry and society today.”

The Honors minor in Influence & Innovation is a distinctive feature of the program and is solely offered through the university’s Honors program. It incorporates fifteen credit hours of advanced study in the following areas:

• Executive Presence for Public Influence — Communicate persuasively with a Christ-centered presence in public and professional settings.
• Wisdom and Applied Artificial Intelligence — Apply AI and emerging technologies with wisdom and a Christian understanding of the human person.
• Systems & Design Thinking Intelligence (SDTI) — Diagnose complexity and design solutions to real organizational and cultural challenges.
• Christ & the Great Ideas — Engage foundational Christian truth and the great ideas of humanity through disciplined Socratic dialogue via six 1-credit hour consecutive seminars.

“High-achieving students are sharpened through direct engagement with Cornerstone’s most distinguished faculty, accomplished national leaders, and innovators who are respected for their Christ-centered faithfulness applied within their industries and ministries,” continues President Moreno-Riaño. “Students are mentored and challenged to think through a discerning Christian worldview and apply ideas and solutions that benefit industry and humanity.”

The Cornerstone Honors Program distinguished faculty and leaders include: media professionals Eric Metaxas and Ryan Bomberger, innovator and inventor Joanna Ng, and education leaders such as Ian Rowe — alongside leading scholars in Christian thought and public life including Dr. Douglas Groothuis, Dr. John G. West, Dr. William A. Dembski, and Dr. Moreno-Riaño, as well as leaders in science and health care such as Dr. Nathan Lanning and Dr. Kristin Collier.

Cornerstone University’s Christ-centered program enhances every major, including business, education, health sciences, engineering, ministry, and the arts. The minor in Influence & Innovation is exclusive to Honors students.

Now enrolling for fall 2026, Cornerstone University invites academically driven students to be challenged and distinctively prepared for the marketplace and ministry from a Christian worldview. Learn more at cornerstone.edu or contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.

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“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
— Matthew 20:17-19 —

In Matthew 20, Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem for what will be His final days before His crucifixion and resurrection. And for a third time, He predicts His death to the twelve disciples.

We may wonder in amazement at the prophetic words of Christ. Easter and Holy Week so often focus, and rightly so, on the prophecies foretelling the birth, life, and suffering of the Messiah. One of the scriptures my Christian elementary school required that its students memorize was Isaiah 53. Decades later, I can still recall the powerful words of Isaiah as he, inspired by the Holy Spirit, foretells the great suffering of Jesus Christ, God’s Suffering Servant:

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Isaiah 53:1-8)

It is right and proper for us to be awestruck as we read the prophecies of Christ’s suffering and consider Christ’s own foretelling of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Such prophecies are sobering and should fill our hearts with gratitude and reverence for God’s awesome purposes.

But for a moment during this Holy Week and Easter, let’s pause and reflect on the incredible courage and obedience of Christ. What arrests my attention when I consider Christ foretelling His own suffering and death, is the fact that He not only foretells it, He goes through with it accompanied by a moral necessity that fills my heart with both gratitude and longing.

Christ knew the terrifying days and events that awaited him in Jerusalem. And He tells his disciples that “he must go unto Jerusalem” (Matthew 16:21). My heart fills with gratitude for the singular courage and obedience of Jesus Christ because my salvation — my redemption and that of all peoples and the created order — is a result of Christ’s singular courage and obedience. He must go to Jerusalem because there is sometime of existential importance that He must do. Nothing could deter Christ, not even the worst suffering imaginable. He had to go because He had to fulfill the Father’s will.

My heart is also filled with longing. My heart yearns and longs for the courage and obedience of Christ to be in me. I long for the courage and obedience which Christ displayed during Holy Week and Easter to be more fully manifested in my life, my thoughts, my words, my actions. Paul’s words in Philippians ring in my ears:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

As we reflect, lament, and rejoice over Easter and the events of Holy Week, we must allow Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians to renew our minds, hearts, and lives. And we must commit ourselves to the same courage and obedience that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ exemplified during the most terrifying time of His life so that we could enjoy the greatest triumph the world will ever know — the conquest of sin, death, and the grave!

Yes, must is strong language. But that is the example of our Savior, the exhortation of God’s Holy Word, and the requirements of following Jesus. As Paul Kingsnorth, the Irish novelist, poet and essayist, writes in his conversion autobiography, “I have to pick up my cross and start walking.”¹

Yes, let’s pick up our crosses and start walking for Chris is risen, He is risen indeed!

Gerson Moreno-Riaño, Ph.D.
President
Cornerstone University

¹See Paul Kingsnorth, “The Cross and the Machine.” First Things, June 1, 2021 (https://firstthings.com/the-cross-and-the-machine/).

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Cornerstone University celebrates Associate Head Coach Jason Schalk, named Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Eagles Men’s Cross Country team to a conference championship this season.

“I’m grateful for the honor,” Schalk said. “I’m proud of this team — their discipline in training, the way they served each other, and their Christ-centered focus all season.”

Cornerstone secured the WHAC Championship with a strong team performance, placing runners third, fourth and fifth to claim the program’s fourth conference title in the past six years and an automatic spot in the NAIA National Championship.

“Coach Schalk leads with a clear Christ-centered mission that inspired the winning results and Coach of the Year honor this season,” said Jessica Yonkers, director of athletics. “His example of discipline, training, consistency and focus is evident in the team’s accomplishments this year. Cornerstone University is proud of Coach Schalk and the entire team.”

The Golden Eagles placed multiple runners on the All-Conference teams, including three First Team selections. Freshman Kort Thompson was named WHAC Newcomer of the Year, adding to the team’s overall performance this season.

The WHAC, part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), brings together institutions across the Midwest and emphasizes both competitive excellence and character development — highlighting values such as integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. That focus aligns closely with Cornerstone’s approach, where athletics is an opportunity to grow as academically excellent competitors while developing Christ-centered character, leadership, and a commitment to serving others as part of their career preparation.

Schalk, associate head coach of Cross Country and Track & Field, brings 23 years of coaching experience across middle school, high school, and collegiate programs. His leadership has helped guide a program that has now captured four WHAC titles in the past six years.

The WHAC postseason honors are voted on by conference coaches and recognize performance across the season, along with academic and character distinctions.

For more information about Cornerstone University’s NAIA award-winning sports teams and 65-plus Christ-centered degree programs, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.

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As Cornerstone University prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary alongside the nation, we are excited to introduce The Cornerstone Great Works Canon of the American Experience — a distinct feature of our new general education curriculum, The Cornerstone Core.

One key pillar of The Cornerstone Core is a conviction that students must engage essential primary sources — great speeches, foundational documents, novels, court decisions, sermons, films, and works of art — in order to understand and learn from the brilliance and promise as well as the struggles and moral failings found in the American story.

The Cornerstone Great Works Canon of the American Experience is not a nostalgic tribute nor a partisan project. It is a curated collection of 50 key primary works that illuminate the principles of America’s founding, the Biblical influences that shaped those principles, and the profound debates that have shaped our nation for 250 years.

Why Study the American Experience?

Some ask: Given the struggles and moral failings found in America’s history, why study America at all?

The Christian answer begins with both love and realism. Scripture teaches that we have a dutiful opportunity “to seek the welfare” of the political community in which we find ourselves (Jeremiah 29:7), to “love your neighbor” (Matthew 22:39), and to “think about such things” that are “true, noble, right” (Philippians 4:8). To study the brilliance and promise of the American experience is an opportunity to discern and learn about all that is “true, noble, right” about our nation. It is an opportunity to learn how to love our neighbor more effectively and to discover anew how “to seek the welfare” of our country for in its prospering, we too will prosper.

Scripture also teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This realism informs our study of the American experience since America, like every nation formed by human beings, will reflect both dignity and depravity. While America is an exceptional nation in human history due to its founding and promise, it is also on par with all other nations as it relates to its moral failings.

Yet imperfection does not negate importance. America’s founding ideals — liberty, equality, government under law, religious freedom, and the inherent dignity of the human person — have inspired countless people across centuries and cultures. The American story is, in large part, the story of a nation striving — sometimes nobly, sometimes tragically — to live up to those ideals.

As Abraham Lincoln described it, the Founders set forth a “standard maxim for free society” that, though never perfectly attained, should be constantly labored for. The Cornerstone Great Works Canon of the American Experience invites students into that labor: to understand, evaluate, and apply the principles that have shaped American life.

A Canon That Includes Triumph and Tragedy

The Cornerstone Great Works Canon of the American Experience is intentionally comprehensive in scope and honest in tone.

Students will encounter:

• The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
• The Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates.
• Frederick Douglass’s Narrative and speeches.
• The Dred Scott decision and Lincoln’s response.
• Writings from the Progressive Era that challenged the Founders’ framework.
• Selections from American eugenicists alongside works defending human dignity.
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s prophetic appeals to America’s founding promises.
• Roe v. Wade and debates over the sanctity of life.
• Films, paintings, sermons, and cultural works that shaped the American imagination.

This is not an exercise in whitewashing history. Nor is it an exercise in cynicism. Wisdom is often produced by learning from both failures and successes. Students will examine struggles and conflicts in our history where America has not lived up to her stated ideals — but they will also study the courage of those who sought reform and renewal, often at great cost to themselves.

By encountering these voices in their own words, students learn discernment, courage, and virtue.

Christianity and the American Experience

Cornerstone’s approach is unapologetically rooted in the Christian worldview.

The Cornerstone Great Works Canon of the American Experience explores how Biblical ideas — human beings created in the image of God, natural moral law, the limits of power, the importance of covenant and consent — profoundly influenced the American founding and the development of religious liberty.

Christians are called to seek the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:7), to pursue justice (Micah 6:8), and to engage public life with wisdom and virtue. The Canon equips students to do just that.

Forming Leaders for the Next 250 Years

Through the Christianity and the American Experience sequence in The Cornerstone Core, students read, discuss, debate, and apply the works in the Canon. A capstone project will ask students to apply a principle from the American experience to contemporary issues.

The goal is spiritual, intellectual, and civic formation.

We want students across every major to understand the ideas that shaped America, evaluate those ideas through a Biblical lens, and apply them thoughtfully in their chosen professions and communities. The Cornerstone Core and its Great Works Canon of the American Experience provides a singular opportunity for Cornerstone’s students to learn to be influencers for Jesus Christ in America and the world.

Contact admissions@cornerstone.edu or request information to discover more about The Cornerstone Core today.

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Cornerstone University has been recognized as a 2026–27 Military Friendly® School, earning Silver status. The university was also named a Military Spouse Friendly® School, reflecting its commitment to serving veterans, active-duty service members, military students, and their families across Michigan and across the country.

The Military Friendly Schools designation, awarded by Viqtory Media, is a national, data-driven recognition that evaluates how well institutions support military students, veterans, and their families. Schools are assessed using public data and institutional responses, measuring factors such as student retention, graduation rates, career outcomes, and the strength of support services.

This recognition aligns with Cornerstone’s Christ-centered mission to serve our students by advancing their education and capabilities. Veterans and service members bring discipline, experience, and a deep understanding of service. At Cornerstone, that foundation is strengthened — preparing them for meaningful work, continued service, and to achieve their personal and professional goals.

“We’re honored to receive this designation,” said Dr. Kevin Hall, vice president for academics & spiritual formation. “Supporting veterans, active-duty service members, and their families matters deeply to us. It’s a privilege to serve them as they take the next step — whether advancing in their roles or preparing for what comes after military service.”

Cornerstone offers flexible, career-focused degree programs, including a wide range of online degree options, for veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. Students receive dedicated support in using their military education benefits, including GI Bill® benefits, helping them advance in their current roles and prepare for a successful transition into civilian careers. Students also benefit from transfer credit for military training, personalized advising, and career support services, helping them translate their experience into meaningful work and continued service in their communities.

At Cornerstone, this recognition reflects a clear priority: to serve those who have served.

Cornerstone offers more than 65 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs, with flexible online learning options for veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.

For more information about our military support and services, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu.

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Cornerstone University is proud to celebrate one of its own as Ms. Kimberly Meiste (M.A. ’19), executive director of enrollment operations and alumna of Cornerstone’s Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program, prepares to perform at Carnegie Hall this April.

Meiste, who serves as President-Elect of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus (GRSC), will join fellow choristers from West Michigan and across the country for the world premiere of “Franklin” — a major new choral work by acclaimed American composer Z. Randall Stroope. The performance is part of the national America 250 celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

A National Stage for a Historic Story

The April 11, 2026 performance at Carnegie Hall will debut “Franklin,” a sweeping choral work that tells the story of Benjamin Franklin’s life and legacy — from his intellectual curiosity and scientific innovation to his diplomacy and devotion to public service.

The composition honors the spirit of America’s founding and invites audiences to reflect on the principles of leadership, ingenuity and civic responsibility that shaped the nation’s earliest days. As communities across the country prepare for America 250, this premiere offers a powerful artistic tribute to the values that continue to define the American story.

For Meiste and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, the opportunity represents both artistic excellence and regional pride — showcasing West Michigan talent on one of the world’s most prestigious stages.

Leadership Beyond the University

At Cornerstone, Meiste is known for her strategic leadership in enrollment operations and her commitment to supporting students as they pursue Christ-centered higher education. Her participation in this historic performance reflects the same qualities that define her professional life: vision, dedication and service.

As President-Elect of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, Meiste plays a key role in supporting the choir’s mission to enrich the cultural life of West Michigan. Her investment in the local arts community strengthens connections between faith, learning and creative expression — values Cornerstone seeks to cultivate in its graduates.

Her involvement demonstrates how Cornerstone leaders continue to influence and uplift their communities, both professionally and personally.

Celebrating Faith, Leadership and Community

Cornerstone’s MAOL program equips graduates to lead with integrity, purpose and excellence. Meiste’s journey — from graduate student to senior university leader and community arts advocate — exemplifies the impact of that preparation.

As she steps onto the stage at Carnegie Hall, Meiste carries with her not only the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, but also the spirit of Cornerstone University — a community committed to developing leaders who serve, innovate and inspire.

The university congratulates Ms. Meiste and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus on this extraordinary opportunity and celebrates their contribution to a national moment of remembrance and artistic achievement.

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