CU's provost, Dr. Rick Ostrander, answered questions posed by alumni:
What strides has the university taken, and plans to take, to ensure that the educational value of students is greater than when I attended?
Cornerstone University is ensuring that the educational value of students increases by:
- Making significant progress in faculty hiring (over the past two years)
- Dedicating time to the strengthening of faculty accountability and student feedback through student course evaluations, peer evaluations, etc.
- Encouraging the revitalization of the Honors Program under Dr. Michael Stevens (English Division)
- Striving for an annual rise in incoming student ACT scores.
- Supporting off-campus programs and learning opportunities at locations both local and international (Ireland, Italy, Germany, Ecuador, Korea, etc.)
- Improving classroom technology across campus
- Remodeling and upgrading the Gordon Music Building
- Establishing faculty development programs: summer workshops and faculty orientation
- Requiring all faculty to attend the Lilly Conference on Teaching Excellence
How are new majors added?
A division must propose a new major to the Undergraduate Council, then to Faculty Senate, next to the Provost, and finally to the Trustees. This is the typical academic approval process at all universities.
Are we (Cornerstone University) seeking to become the leader among Christian universities in a certain academic discipline(s)?
No. We have a good variety of majors and are always considering new majors in order to respond to the needs of a changing society. However, we are not targeting a particular discipline nor do we seek to become the leader among Christian universities. We seek to achieve excellence in fulfilling our vision of preparing students to effectively engage the cultures of the world for Christ, regardless of their major. In other words, our standard is our mission statement, not other universities. If in the process we end up becoming a leader among Christian universities in a particular discipline, that’s icing on the cake. As Bobby Knight once told his basketball team: “Your opponent is yourself; your goal is perfection in the game of basketball, not to beat the other team.”’