One of Cornerstone’s most academically progressive programs is its collaboration with Northwood University. Cornerstone eighth graders are being taught by a college professor, in an important and fast-growing area of study: economics. Cornerstone students gain an early understanding of key free market economic principles that most students only begin to learn in college.

Brennan Brown, a Professor of Economics and Faculty Manager for Northwood’s Adult Degree program, visits the Cornerstone eighth-graders every Friday, when he delivers economics lectures that cover not only basic economic principle like supply and demand, but discuss such concepts as free enterprise and entrepreneurship. In addition to learning about economics from Brown’s lectures, the students learn about money and credit. They create and propose realistic and innovative “businesses” of their own, a creative project that not only helps the students learn budgeting and finance skills, but also teaches them the importance of creativity and certain aspects of marketing. The class also discusses the state of the current economy, and what could be done to fix it. Hopefully, with the tools the Northwood-Cornerstone collaboration has provided, Cornerstone students can go on to do just that.