Cornerstone University Establishes the Inaugural President’s Fellows Program and Scholarship

Today, Cornerstone University unveiled its inaugural President’s Fellows program and scholarship to prepare future leaders who will excel as change agents and bold influencers in the world for Jesus Christ through this undergraduate mentorship and academic scholarship program.

Beginning in fall 2024, the President’s Fellows program will select student fellows who are on-campus undergraduates committed to a future of community influence and leadership. Student fellows will be connected with national fellows who are distinguished Christian leaders recognized for their extensive national leadership and societal impact across various industries. The program includes a $10,000 annual scholarship, featuring academic, full-time, on-campus criteria and a passion to serve communities.

“The global challenges facing today’s university graduates are immense, requiring a breadth of leadership development that is critical to the flourishing of our nation and the world,” offered Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, president of Cornerstone University. “Cornerstone’s President’s Fellows program and our distinguished national fellows will challenge students to prepare to lead with sophisticated industry knowledge, Biblical wisdom, and Christ-centered character.”

Student fellows will receive guidance to explore the forefront of challenging issues of our times through national fellows who will offer personal, professional, and spiritual insights from the vantage point of leading and creating real-world solutions for real-world global complexities.

In addition to personal interactions with their national fellows, student fellows will receive personal guidance from President Moreno-Riaño and Cornerstone senior leaders. They will also work together with other student fellows to develop as servant-leaders through various service projects both on campus and in the community starting with their first semester at Cornerstone.

Cornerstone is honored to welcome six esteemed inaugural President’s national fellows who will mentor and inspire student fellows to prepare for a future committed to community, national or global leadership. They are distinguished, recognized, and proven industry leaders who share Cornerstone’s mission to educate men and women who will be bold influencers throughout the world for Jesus Christ. They will inspire student fellows through mentorship to lead and serve others with skill and Christ-centered character.

Cornerstone University’s President’s Fellows mentors and leaders of distinction include:

• Ryan Bomberger, an Emmy® Award-winning creative professional, international public speaker, columnist, factivist and author of the powerful book, “Not Equal: Civil Rights Gone Wrong.” He is also the co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, a life-affirming organization that illuminates that every human life has purpose.
• Tudor Dixon, the Republican candidate in Michigan’s 2022 gubernatorial general election. Subsequently, she has become a commentator on FOX News and hosts an iHeart podcast three times a week. Dixon built a career in Michigan’s steel industry throughout the early 2000s, leading industrial sales for heavy equipment in the agriculture, automotive and energy sectors
• Dr. Douglas Groothuis, newly appointed distinguished university research professor of apologetics and Christian worldview at Cornerstone University and longtime professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary. Dr. Groothuis is the author of 19 books and has also published over 30 academic articles. His encouragement to pastors regularly appears at “The Focused Pastor” on the Focus on the Family online portal, and he writes about jazz at the All About Jazz website.
• The Honorable Kay Cole James, secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from January 2022 to August 2023. James is the former president of The Heritage Foundation, the founder and former president of The Gloucester Institute, and the former director for the United States Office of Personnel Management under President George W. Bush from 2001-05.
• Joanna Ng, former head of research and director of Center for Advanced Studies for IBM Canada. With 49 patents granted to her name, Ng attained the title of IBM Master Inventor. She pivoted to become an entrepreneurial start-up founder, focusing on augmented cognition assistance. Ng published her first book, “Being Christian 2.0,” in October 2022.
• Ian Rowe, founder of Vertex Partnership Academies and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In addition to serving 10 years as CEO of Public Prep, he held leadership positions at Teach for America, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the White House and MTV. In his book “Agency,” Rowe seeks to inspire young people of all races to build strong families.

Detailed criteria on the President’s Fellows and scholarship program webpage outline the requirements. Applications are due December 10. Students must be admitted by December 15 for the fall 2024 academic year and meet GPA requirements. The Admissions team is excited to get you started on the application process for the program. For more information, call 616.222.1426.

Cornerstone University looks forward to identifying and mentoring a new generation of leaders who will impact society and the world for Jesus Christ.