About the Cornerstone Initiative

Led by Professor Moira Inghilleri, Associate Professor Patrick Mensah and Senior Lecturer Barry Spence  from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Cornerstone Initiative empowers faculty mentors to teach multiple sections of two new Gateway gen-ed courses. Tailored for incoming students, these courses are grounded substantially on a common set of famous texts that are meant to help build a sense of intellectual community among students and faculty through shared learning and teaching experiences.

Students who complete the Gateway courses earn the opportunity to enroll in the Cornerstone Scholar Certificate program. Students can tailor their education by choosing from four thematically organized clusters of gen-ed Pathway courses: environmental humanities; science and technology and the humanities; business and the humanities; and global studies and the humanities. The award of the Cornerstone Scholar Certificate comprises four courses and up to 16 credit units.

The program is supported by the Teagle Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.