Pasquale Appointed Dean of Cornerstone’s New Academic School of Ministry, Media & the Arts

With a distinguished career track record of more than 18 years as a tenured faculty member at Cornerstone University, Dr. Michael Pasquale accepted a new appointment as the inaugural dean of the university’s academic School of Ministry, Media & the Arts. He assumed the position on June 1, 2023.

Pasquale’s research, prolific writing and service as an educator have established his reputation as an award-winning scholar on the national stage. Recipient of the 2019 Earl W. Stevick Award given by the Christian English Language Educators Association and named as Cornerstone’s 2023 Faculty Hall of Honor inductee, his publications include peer-reviewed articles and contributions on the topics of second language pedagogy and language learning in academic journals such as the Journal of Christianity and Foreign Languages, International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching, and InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching. In 2017, he received recognition as Cornerstone’s first Fulbright Senior Scholarship recipient which provided an opportunity to build on the research he completed for his dissertation while working at the Centro de Idiomas de la Universidad Nacional Santiago Antunez de Mayolo in Lima, Peru.

“Dr. Pasquale is an excellent faculty member whose ability as both a teacher and a scholar has been recognized since joining Cornerstone University in 2000,” shared Dr. Bradford Sample, vice president for academics and chief academic officer. “He has also proven to be a strong and competent leader, serving as the Humanities Division chair since 2006. He has a long and successful track record at Cornerstone as someone who takes on tasks and completes them with excellence. His leadership of the Logos Center and the ESL Conference are only a few of his successes. As a champion of the Christian liberal arts, Michael was a natural choice to head The School of Ministry, Media & the Arts.”

Previously, Pasquale fulfilled multiple academic roles as Humanities Division chair, professor of linguistics and special assistant to the academic vice president. Undertaking efforts to expand opportunities for Cornerstone students and friends of the university, he has served as the founding director of the Master of Arts in TESOL program since 2008, founding director of the Logos Center—a dedicated resource for faculty collaboration and scholarship—since 2019 and director of the university’s annual ESL Conference which recently held its 21st event this past April.

Pasquale holds a Doctor of Philosophy in linguistics from Michigan State University. Under the direction of Dennis R. Preston, he completed his dissertation titled “Quechua and Spanish Language Contact: Influence on the Quechua Phonological System” in 2001. In addition, Pasquale earned a master’s degree in linguistics from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s in international studies and TESOL from Cedarville University. He has professional memberships with organizations such as the Linguistic Society of America, TESOL International, Michigan TESOL, Christian English Language Educators Association, American Association of Applied Linguistics and Arba Sicula.

With a passion for engaging students as active members of a learning community, Pasquale views his work as an undergraduate and graduate educator as an act of hospitality.

“I am honored to serve as the inaugural dean for The School of Ministry, Media & the Arts at Cornerstone,” Pasquale said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, administration and students in growing and developing our programs. There is so much potential, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

In his leadership of The School of Ministry, Media & the Arts, Dean Pasquale will embody Cornerstone’s foundational values and beliefs—including those outlined in the Academic Vision Statement and Beautiful Christian Community Statement. In his role, he will bring important professional and institutional capital to collaborate with departments across the university and expand academic programs for students.

To learn more about The School of Ministry, Media & the Arts, request information online or call the Admissions Office at 616.949.5300 to speak with an enrollment counselor today.