Cornerstone Milestones

Fall 2007 Spring 2008 Fall 2008 Spring 2009 Fall 2009 Spring 2010 Fall 2010

The Cornerstone Project is evident all around campus with new expressions and practices promoting the themes of the four foundational Cornerstones: Scripture, Holiness, Stewardship and Mission. These milestones include:

Fall 2007

CONCEPTION OF THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT
For fulfillment of ten-year accreditation renewal requirements, Asbury College sought a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that would interconnect with the College Mission Statement of Academic Excellence and Spiritual Vitality. After topic solicitation, creation of a QEP Committee, and reviews of proposals, the SACS Leadership Team confirmed the CORNERSTONE PROJECT as its QEP.

Official “Cornerstone Day” was held on November 27, 2007, and included a number of on-campus forums for faculty, staff, and students.

Spring 2008

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT
Though created as the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for accreditation, the Project was initially conceived by the students, faculty, staff, and alumni through surveys and polls regarding areas they felt were experientially important. Preliminary work began on the QEP Report, implementation goals, funding and staffing resources, publicity, etc.
- Goals:
  1. develop student knowledge/understanding of the four foundational Cornerstones: Scripture, Holiness, Stewardship, and Mission
  2. strengthen the development of spiritual vitality by providing curricular and co-curricular learning experiences as well as opportunities for service that relate to the college’s foundational Cornerstones.
  3. promote voluntary student participation in individual and group service and mission opportunities guided by the Cornerstone principles
- Process: present experiences and opportunities that demonstrate the value of the four Cornerstones: Scripture, Holiness, Stewardship and Mission; to be directed onto any academic course, into any organized activity on campus, and into the community members’ personal choices, so that Spiritual Vitality is strengthened and made more lively and relevant
  - Phase One (2008-09):
    - creation of a Cornerstone Council
    - development of guiding principles for the college chapel
    - coordination of spiritual activities in the residence halls
    - development of a new academic major in Worship Arts
    - production of a collection of essays written by faculty and staff
  - Phase Two (2009-10):
    - development and implementation of a Creation Care program, which will center on environmental issues with the establishment of a recycling program on campus and an initiative to reduce food waste in the cafeteria

Fall 2008

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CORNERSTONE PROJECT
- Goal: to impact for a lifetime the campus community in four driving values that will guide and give direction to the Spiritual Vitality of the University; to inform and motivate a wide range of intentional activities, such as care for the environment, social welfare concerns, multicultural exposure, media outreach, athletic activities, and other examples
- Process: implement Phase One goals as developed by the QEP Committee

CORNERSTONE COUNCIL
- Goal: to develop the chapel curriculum and function as the standing committee giving oversight to all chapels and Cornerstone projects/awareness throughout the year; develop staffing and manage financial resources
- Process: equal representation includes all stake-holders on campus: staff, faculty, and students

CHAPEL INTEGRATION
- Goal: to coordinate the themes of Spiritual Vitality for the college community; not to be confined only to chapels but to include the provision of resources and guidance for planning other campus ministries and special events that coordinate with chapel (Fall Revival, Great Commission Congress, Holiness Emphasis Week, and Wesley Conference) or other elective events of the church year, such as Advent, Lent, and Easter
- Process: devise and implemented new Chapel guidelines, curriculum, and governing structure; provide an emphasis and balance for each Cornerstone to be represented in some way in the course of the Chapel experience within a single year and within the expected four-year term of university life

WORSHIP ARTS MAJOR
- Goal: to equip students theologically, spiritually, and technically to play significant leadership roles in the worship arts in churches
- Process: create and implement an academic major to promote and develop abilities to lead in music, media ministry, drama, and the visual arts

CREATION CARE DEVELOPMENT
- Goal: to promote awareness of environmental issues as well as an increase in voluntary student participation in individual and group service; to strengthen the campus commitment to Scripture and a lifestyle of holiness in nurturing and protecting the world in which we have been placed by God
- Process: develop various avenues of awareness education as well as participation in service opportunities; to be inclusive of chapel speakers/topics, classroom projects, and recycling initiative

DEVOTIONAL BOOK
- Goal: to present the college community with a common text and forum for class devotions, prayer meetings, and Bible studies with a campus-wide focus on Spiritual Vitality
- Process: individual copies of Oswald Chambers’ classic daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest was distributed to all faculty/staff and students

PUBLICITY
- Goal: to promote community awareness and ownership of the Project and its goals and purpose
- Process:
  - banners, flyers, and posters were developed and displayed
  - ten video “vignettes” were developed and produced to serve as preludes to Chapels throughout the semester
  - library developed a special display area to promote Cornerstone Project

NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT INCLUSION
- Goal: to embrace the non-traditional student population and include them in all aspects of the Cornerstone Project
- Process: campus-wide emails, devotional books, publications, and event awareness are distributed to all faculty/staff and students, including non-traditional students; all information is also available on the website; off-campus students have access to chapel services on college cable channel 3 as well as on-line; off-campus local students have access to all forums, revivals, conferences, and evening events

STUDENT SURVEYS
- Goal: to establish adequate baseline data for proper evaluation of student programs, involvement, interests, and growth
- Process: implement several assessment tools including the FSI (Furnishing the Soul Inventory), the SSI (Student Satisfaction Inventory), a Chapel Survey to measure students’ views of the effect of chapel on their faith, and a Campus Ministries Survey with questions measuring the understanding of Cornerstones through the chapel program, as well as questions concerning the Cornerstone Project in course evaluations.

TRASH AUDITS
- Goal: to have a measurable baseline of all trash being discarded on campus
- Process: trash across campus was collected and audited to determine amounts and types of waste (included paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, and plastic)

Spring 2009

SACS ACCREDITATION TEAM ON-SITE VISIT (April)
- Cornerstone Project was presented to accreditation team as our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

CORNERSTONE BOOK
- Goal: a writing project based on the formulation and implementation of the Cornerstone Project; to include a collection of essays written by campus academic and spiritual leaders; chapters representing different disciplines reflected how each cornerstone informed the activities of research, scholarship, and teaching within their various academic disciplines.
- Process: Cornerstones of Spiritual Vitality: Toward an Understanding of Wesleyan Spirituality in Christian Higher Education was published in February 2009.

GREEN WEEK
- Goal: to promote Creation Care
- Process: The student group Arocha sent "Green Tips" through daily campus-wide emails to encourage stewardship and Creation care – addressing eating, use of plastics, gardening, carpooling, and going trayless

Fall 2009

FINAL APPROVAL OF CORNERSTONE PROJECT AS QEP
- At the December meeting in Atlanta, the SACS Accreditation Board gave final approval for Asbury’s Cornerstone Project to fulfill the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) requirement.

CHAPEL INTEGRATION
- Goal: to coordinate the themes of Spiritual Vitality for the college community
- Process: representation of various chapels included…
  - Scripture: Fall Revival (9/14/09-9/18/09) – Dr. Bill Ury (included 3 chapels & 3 evening services)
  - Holiness: 3 Student Chapels regarding holy discomfort – 9/2/09, 10/11/09, 12/04/09
  - Stewardship (of Calling) – Mr. Nathan Whitaker, Whitaker Partners, LLC – 9/9/09
  - Mission: Summer Missions Chapel – 9/23/09; Great Commission Congress – Mr. Tony Lee – 11/2/09-11/6/09

CHAPEL INITIATIVE PROPOSALS
- Goal: to encourage community involvement in presenting new venues of Cornerstone-related experiences and opportunities for growth, service, and campus awareness
- Process: Chapel Initiative Proposal forms were made available to students and faculty/staff to submit chapel ideas which would speak toward the goals of Cornerstone as it expands the spiritual vitality of the campus

FOOD AUDIT
- Goal: to have a measurable baseline for food waste in the college cafeteria
- Process: measure weight of food disposed by students during the lunch meal across four days of the week

WATER BOTTLE COVENANT
- Goal: to reduce use of disposable plastics and to encourage healthy nourishment of the body
- Process: distributed 330 reusable aluminum water bottles and collected signed covenants from 330 students

SCRIPTURE PROMISES
- Goal: to provide a single verse of Scripture as campus-wide encouragement
- Process: weekly Scripture Promises were sent from the President's Office through campus-wide emails

EFFICIENCY WASHERS
- Goal: to reduce water waste in dorms
- Process: The Residence Life Office switched from standard washers (12 lbs laundry/30 gal water) to efficiency washers (20 lbs laundry/15 gal water) in all dorms to reduce both water usage and energy usage (approx. $7–10,000/year of energy savings).

Spring 2010

CHAPEL INTEGRATION
- Goal: to coordinate the themes of Spiritual Vitality for the college community
- Process: representation of various chapels included…
  - Scripture: Mr. Daniel Koehn – Dramatic Scripture Recitation – 1/27/10
  - Holiness: Wesley Covenant Service – 1/11/10; Holiness Emphasis Week – Dr. John Oswalt, Asbury Theological Seminary & Dr. Steve DeNeff, College Wesleyan Church – 2/1/10-2/5/10; Rev. Sammy Tippitt, Tippitt Ministries – 3/8/10
  - Stewardship (of Body): Dr. Amy Wasserbauer (eating disorders) – 1/25/10; Stewardship (of Environment): Mrs. Nancy Sleeth, Blessed Earth – 1/15/10
  - Mission: Spring Missions – Mr. Paul Cox, OMS – 4/19/10; Engaging Culture Weekend (missional living) – 4/23/10

END OF THE YEAR MOVE-OUT
- Goal: to reduce waste of reusable items such as furniture, small kitchen appliances and cookware, bedding, clothing
- Process: provided site for collection of items and encouraged students and faculty/staff to donate end-of-the-school-year dorm/home items which will be taken to a partner charity (Appalachia Mission of Hope)

GRANT FOR RECYCLING DUMPSTER
- Goal: to attain financial resources to broaden the recycling project by having an on-site gathering location
- Process: a grant was written and submitted to Jessamine County Fiscal Court/Waste Management

ASBURY ”COLLEGE” STATIONARY RECYCLING
- Goal: to continue with the recycling effort by recycling former Asbury College stationary (paper, envelopes, business cards, etc.) following the name change to Asbury University
- Process: a central location was designated for faculty/staff to donate all “College” paper stock; gathered paper was transported to a recycling site, and the proceeds were donated to Haiti earthquake relief efforts

BIBLE READING GUIDE
- Goal: to promote a common reading of Scripture throughout the campus community
- Process: Read the Bible in a Year Study Guides were distributed to campus by the President’s Office, and the President challenged students and faculty/staff to participate in community Bible reading

PAPER RECYCLING
- Goal: to reduce recyclable paper waste across campus
- Process: designated containers for paper waste were placed around campus in offices and residence halls; collected paper is transported to paper recycling site

TRAYLESS INITIATIVE
- Goal: to reduce food waste in cafeteria
- Process: trays were removed from the cafeteria (though available on request) to discourage collecting more food than will be eaten

CAPSTONE PROJECTS
- Goal: to encourage departmental integration of the Cornerstone objectives in student coursework
- Process: academic departments were asked to designate a Capstone Project in their departmental field and specify their assessment of spiritual vitality and faith integration in their graduating seniors

RESIDENTIAL SPIRITUAL LIFE
- Goal: to take the institutional goal of reading through the Scripture and increase awareness in the Residence Halls of this goal
- Process: student leaders publicized the goal of Reading through the Scripture in a Year

FALL 2010

BIBLE READING GUIDE
- Goal: to promote a common reading of Scripture throughout the campus community
- Process: Read the Bible in a Year Study Guides were distributed to campus by the President’s Office, and the President challenged students and faculty/staff to participate in community Bible reading (New Testament)
RECYCLING TRAILER
- Goal: to streamline the recycling process to further decrease waste across campus
- Process: a recycling container/trailer was obtained through a county grant, which will enable easier accumulation, storage, and disposal of multiple kinds of recycling, without the need for sorting and frequent transporting
EXPANDED RECYCLING PROGRAM
- Goal: to further reduce waste across campus by expanding the recycling program to include aluminum, glass, plastic, and paper
- Process: additional designated recycling containers were distributed throughout the focal points of the campus
REUSABLE “TO GO” CONTAINERS
- Goal: to eliminate the use and disposal of 3000 non-biodegradable styrofoam containers in the cafeteria each week
- Process: reusable “to go” containers were purchased and made available to the campus community