Cornerstone

Cornerstone (CORE 110) provides a foundation for the rest of your liberal arts education at ACU. Explore new ideas – inspired by faculty who share your passion for intellectual challenges – as you develop the critical, multidisciplinary skills needed to engage a rapidly changing world.
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Cornerstone (CORE 110) provides a foundation for the rest of your liberal arts education at ACU. Explore new ideas – inspired by faculty who share your passion for intellectual challenges – as you develop the critical, multidisciplinary skills needed to engage a rapidly changing world.

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The Beginning of Your Wildcat Journey

Throughout Cornerstone, a required three credit-hour seminar course, you will continue to build relationships with your mentor group from Wildcat Week while exploring disciplines, ideas and practices that enable you to be your best throughout college. Your peer leader, one of the upper-level students who served as your group leader during Wildcat Week, assists the professor during class while supporting you outside of the classroom throughout your first year of college.

 

Learn More About Wildcat Week

What to Expect

Each Monday, a campus faculty member introduces us to a new discipline or practice each week through a Spotlight presentation. We take a deeper dive into the subject on Wednesdays and Fridays, when you join your peer leader and assigned professor in a small group setting to move the conversation from theory to application.

Watch an Introduction

Primed for Success

For the seventh consecutive year, the student experience at Abilene Christian University is one of the nation’s best, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings. In the 2026 report, U.S. News recognized ACU as #13 in First-Year Experiences. Cornerstone is one of the key programs that makes our first-year experience stand out.

U.S. News World Ranking

Find Your Compass

As you discover the world through different academic disciplines from ACU’s distinctly Christian perspective, you have plenty of opportunities to engage your curiosity and address the big questions about your life’s work and purpose.

Learn more about your personalized Compass courses.

Learn More About Compass

Set Your Foundation

Mindfulness and More

Each week of Cornerstone guides you along an exciting path as you explore new ideas with your fellow freshmen. Our first Spotlight challenges you to mindfulness, the state of being fully present in your thoughts and actions as you examine the world. Learn more about this and future Spotlights in Canvas, your personalized guide for all your classes, including Cornerstone.

Check out Canvas

Cornerstone and Community

As a freshman, Lessly Rocha quickly found her place in the ACU community, joining in time-honored traditions like Sing Song, Freshman Follies and kicking off with tailgating and football at Wildcat Stadium. She joined other freshmen in Cornerstone, making deep friendships while gaining a foundation for the rest of her college experience.

“I’ve made some great friends, and I love that my advisors and my professors really care about me,” said Lessly. “The people I’ve met at ACU make me feel at home, like family.”

man leads a Bible study discussion, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry

Lead the Way

Peer leaders are vital to the success of our freshmen and contribute their knowledge and experience to each class, small group and individual session they’re a part of. Bring your knowledge to the next class of Wildcats.

Become a Peer Leader