Cornerstone University Forms Golden Eagle Partnership with Ian Rowe and Vertex Partnership Academies
Cornerstone University is honored to announce a Golden Eagle Partnership with Ian Rowe, nationally recognized educator, author, and co-founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a public charter high school located in the Bronx in New York City. The university is excited to welcome Vertex students and staff to pursue Christ-centered higher education as an option at Cornerstone — on campus in Grand Rapids, online, or through our groundbreaking SOAR™ mobile business degree.
“Ian Rowe has demonstrated the power of education rooted in moral virtues and excellence, reshaping positive outcomes for thousands of students and families in New York City,” said President Gerson Moreno-Riaño. “Cornerstone shares that vision. By expanding access to the sophisticated application of a Christian worldview and market readiness, we will together prepare more young men and women to live meaningful lives and boldly influence their communities and the world through relevant, advanced education.”
The Golden Eagle Partnership began September 4, 2025, and includes:
- Guaranteed admission to all undergraduate programs — on campus, online, and through SOAR™, the nation’s first fully smartphone-streaming business degree.
- Dedicated scholarships for every Vertex staff member and student who enrolls.
- Access to 65+ academic programs from associate to doctoral levels.
- Flexible, affordable learning options designed for traditional and non-traditional learners.
The collaboration also includes internships at Vertex for Cornerstone students. Additionally, Cornerstone faculty and leaders will connect with Vertex students and families through mentorship, training, and on-site events in New York.
“Organized around the four cardinal virtues of Courage, Justice, Temperance and Wisdom, Vertex Partnership Academies provides students with multiple pathways for upward mobility so they can lead self-determined lives of meaning and purpose,” Rowe shared. “This Golden Eagle partnership with Cornerstone University exemplifies that commitment by offering Vertex faculty and graduating students guaranteed access to a wide range of accredited, world-class undergraduate and graduate programs, so they can realize their potential.”
Rowe co-founded Vertex Partnership Academies, an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School that integrates virtues-based learning and a classical education designed to teach timeless truths in pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Through Rowe’s leadership, world-class learning opportunities are now freely accessible to low-income communities in which only 7% of students graduate from high school ready for college. This includes a humanities-focused course of study alongside International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme pathways: biomedical science, computer science and cybersecurity, and Montessori Early Childhood Education, all of which have real-world partners and result in an industry credential. This approach parallels The Cornerstone Advantage™ and Cornerstone’s mission, where students cultivate Christ-centered moral formation alongside market-ready skills.
Cornerstone welcomed Rowe as a featured voice in the Wisdom Conversations series in October 2022, and he will return as a panelist in the October 2, 2025, Wisdom Conversations: The Family — Strengthening and Healing the Fabric of Our Nation. Additionally, he is a respected Cornerstone National President’s Fellow who offers mentorship and real-world leadership insights to undergraduate students.
Rowe’s educational journey — electrical engineering at Brooklyn Technical High School to Cornell B.S. in computer science engineering to Harvard MBA — in part fuels his belief that education is key to a productive life. A public intellectual and author of “Agency” and numerous articles, he champions faith, family, education, and entrepreneurship. He is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focused on upward mobility, family, education, and adoption.
Join us in welcoming Ian Rowe and Vertex Partnership Academies as Golden Eagle Partners.
To learn more or begin an application, contact admissions@cornerstone.edu or visit cornerstone.edu/vertex. To explore additional Golden Eagle Partnerships or inquire about establishing one for your organization, email admissions@cornerstone.edu.
