The search for a university provost is no easy task.

Yet Cornerstone’s search came to an end this month when it found someone to match the school’s mission: Rick Ostrander.

Ostrander, currently dean of undergraduate studies at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark., will start his new role after a previous commitment to lead a language and culture study program in Germany for the month of June.

CU President Joe Stowell said Ostrander was chosen above 20 other candidates for his outstanding credentials.

“I have known Rick’s family for years and have heard of his great reputation in higher ed, so I asked for his resume and submitted it to the search committee,” Stowell said.

Larry Bos, associate professor of business, was chairperson of the search committee. Bos said the provost selection was based on two primary considerations: the candidate’s ability to fit with the current administration, and his ability to mesh with the school’s overall mission.

“Probably fitting with the mission is most important … and he was outstanding in that respect,” Bos said.

Ostrander said he and his wife, Lonnie, who is an adjunct music professor at JBU, were thrilled when Stowell called to offer him the job.

“There seems to be a lot of energy and momentum on campus right now with Dr. Stowell’s new presidency, and I’m excited to be part of that,” he said. “I’m also looking forward getting to know the students at Cornerstone.”

Ostrander said he plans to spend a lot of time in his first few months doing just that: listening, and mingling with students, both individually and in groups.

“Spending time with students is still the part of my job as an academic administrator that I enjoy the most,” he said. “I look forward to hanging out in the Student Center in my spare moments—drinking coffee, doing e-mail, and chatting with students.”

Stowell, Bos and Ostrander all emphasize that his biggest challenge and primary goal will be to strengthen the school’s academic excellence, a concept underscored in CU’s vision statement.

Ostrander, who earned his doctorate in American history from the University of Notre Dame, and has written numerous books and articles on the history and direction of Christian higher education, plans to continue his involvement with the Fulbright Association, a higher education scholarship organization.

“I think it’s important for academic leaders to stay engaged as Christian scholars, even if it’s on a smaller scale,” he said.

Bos agrees, and sees Ostrander’s leadership potential for not just the administration, but also for the faculty.

“He won’t be a professor here,” Bos said, “but he is going to continue his scholarship in the field of history, so he will be an excellent model for faculty in the area of academic scholarship.”

Stowell said besides Ostrander being “a real loveable guy,” some of his most striking qualities include his love for Jesus, education, family, and for “integrating our spiritual life into our academic life.”