First 100 Days With Stowell
May 2, 2008
Reporting on the first 100 days of his presidency at Cornerstone University, Dr. Joe Stowell announced two new senior vice presidents and four distinctives the school will focus on.“We have an unbelievably great future,” said Stowell, during the May 2 chapel attended by all students and employees. “My heart is encouraged and eager to start working.”
Dr. Ed Dobson, former pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, was appointed the first senior vice president of spiritual formation and Marc Fowler, currently Cornerstone’s chief financial officer, was named senior vice president for strategic initiatives and assistant to the president.
After spending time with each faculty, staff and student group since he was hired in January, Stowell compiled a report highlighting themes he found throughout his first 100 days on the job.
“I’ve spent the last 100 days in meetings listening,” Stowell said. “I’ve been gleaning in my heart and there are four distinctives that I want our university to be known for.”
He listed the four distinctives in his report: a spiritually contagious community; academic excellence; financial strength that enables us to say “yes” to our mission, “yes” to our promises and “yes” to our dreams; and an environment that empowers all of us to thrive in our work and to be enthusiastically proud of being a part of Cornerstone University.
“I want our campus to be magnetic and powerful spiritually so that people want to grow in Jesus,” said Stowell, who previously served as Moody Bible Institute's president for 16 years.
He recounted how “one of his buddies” had visited him recently to encourage him, and he asked him if he would be interested in a job leading the spiritual formation of the university.
“We both share the burning passion to have all people passionately pursing a relationship with Jesus,” he said of Dobson before introducing him. “I couldn’t believe the Lord would bring him to us.”
Dobson, who hold s a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Virginia was welcomed with a standing ovation.
Beforing pastoring in Grand Rapids he served as a dean and vice president at Liberty University.
“My passion is that this campus acts like, talks like and obeys Christ’s teachings,” he said at the chapel. “I hope I can drive that in every area of the school.”
Stowell also plans to develop initiatives to provide funding for a campus chapel, increase the university reserves, build the endowment fund and allow the cost of a Cornerstone education to remain “reasonable,” he said.
In closing, Stowell led the reading of Psalm 90:17 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us -;yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Kelli Cottrell
University Writer/Editor
