Cornerstone University History


Cornerstone University has a rich heritage of equipping students with biblical truths to make an impact in the world for Christ. Founded in 1941, the Baptist Bible Institute of Grand Rapids, Michigan, (now Cornerstone University) opened as an evening school with over 200 students enrolled. Classes were held two evenings per week in the educational wing of Wealthy Street Baptist Temple in Grand Rapids. Fees for regularly enrolled students were $2.00 per term!

The institute continued to grow and develop into a day and evening school. Eventually, a seminary began and the Bible Institute became a 4-year Bible college and seminary.

In 1964, the college and seminary moved to its current 132-acre campus, and the same year the college was received as a member of the American Association of Bible Colleges.

The day before students were to arrive with their parents on this new campus, the Administration Building was still an unbelievable mess. The college president, administrators and professors went to work with buckets, mops, soap, brooms, and dust cloths, working until midnight to make sure all was ready. "That first night," recalls Dr. Welch (then-president), "we fed our arriving students oven-heated Spam!"

In the 1970s and early '80s, the school - then named Grand Rapids Baptist College and Seminary - continued to experience significant growth in enrollment, facilities and reputation. In 1972, the school was approved by the State of Michigan as a degree-granting college of arts and sciences. Accreditation was granted by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1977. During these years, construction on campus continued with the addition of several buildings.

On September 2, 1991, Dr. Rex M. Rogers was inaugurated as our 10th president. In 1993, Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music merged with the institution. Enrollment, programs and facilities continued to expand.

Today, Cornerstone University has a total enrollment of over 2,700 students. The university has programs for traditional undergraduate students; the Professional and Graduate Studies program, which offers courses across the state of Michigan; and a growing number of graduate programs including advanced theological training at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary as well as in southeast Asia. Cornerstone University Radio reaches millions of listeners daily through the outreach ministries of WCSG, WAYK, WAYG, Mission Network News and HIS KIDS RADIO.

Past Presidents
Names of the Institution Since Its Beginning
University Mace