Turkey Drive
Ends November 25!
GCU’s Annual Turkey Drive is in its final week stretch, with frozen turkeys being collected through Wednesday, Nov. 25. The Office of Spiritual Life requests that turkeys be brought to their office as soon as possible. With a goal of 200 turkeys, the donated birds will provide Christmas dinners on the Navajo Indian reservation.

You may also join a weekend mission trip Dec. 4-7 to deliver toys and turkeys to the Navajo Indian reservation. Cost is $150. For more information contact University Pastor Mik Milem at ext. 639-6750.

Holiday Toy Drive
Starts Today and Continues through December 11
GCU is collecting toys for three different ministries this Christmas season, including: Jump Start, a ministry to the poor in the East Valley; the Navajo Indian Reservation; and a special Christmas outreach event we will host on campus Dec. 13 (see below). Our goal is to collect 450 toys this year. Toy collection boxes are available around campus, as well as the Peoria and Tempe buildings. For more information, contact Danielle Rinnier at ext. 639-7525.

Finding My Shoes and Sleeping Bag Drive
One-Day Drive: December 10
Donate new and gently used sleeping bags for the homeless for a special collection in connection with Brenda Combs’ Finding My Shoes ministry for the Valley homeless. You may also volunteer to distribute the sleeping bags on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Human Services Campus in Phoenix. To donate sleeping bags and for more information, contact Brenda Combs at ext. 639-6378.

Hanging of the Green
Save the Date: December 2
Decorated your department Christmas wreath yet for the annual department wreath-decorating contest? Wreaths are due no later than Wednesday, Nov. 25 to compete for prizes in the top three categories. All wreaths will be hanged around campus on Wednesday, Dec. 2 as part of the annual Hanging of the Green celebration, at which faculty and staff will serve the students dinner and participate in carols and refreshments. For more information, contact Terri Faust at ext. 639-6750.

Canyon Community Christmas Outreach
Volunteers Needed to Serve Dinner: December 13
On Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m., GCU will host 250 children and their families for our First Community Christmas Outreach. Now accepting volunteers to serve dinner and lead activities for the children, including playing in the snow in the amphitheatre. Toys collected during the GCU Toy Drive will be available for parents to wrap and take home to give to their children on Christmas. For more information, contact Mik Milem at ext. 639-6225.

Canyon Christmas Concert
Follows the Outreach Dinner: December 13
Plan to attend the Annual Canyon Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, featuring the Canyon Chorale, Canyon Singers and area high school choirs. This evening of holiday music will ring in the Christmas season with music to bless your soul. For more information, contact Choir Director Heidi Welnick at ext. 639-7175.

GCU “Season of Sharing” Holiday Celebration
All Employees Encouraged to attend Annual Event: December 18
On Friday, December 18 all faculty and staff will gather in Antelope Gym for the Quarterly Meeting at 10:30 a.m. followed by the annual “Season of Sharing” Holiday Celebration at noon on the Mariposa lawn. Enjoy a lunch service on the lawn as we celebrate the joy of the season. Trees will be available for each division to decorate. GCU will deliver the decorated trees to needy families in the area. For more information, contact Helen Bleach at ext. 639-6722.

According to Assistant Vice President, Military, Dino Meyer, this was an opportunity to give thanks to the counselors and remember our country’s veterans.

“We are grateful for all veterans that served our country,” he says. “We are also grateful for our counselors and the service they provided in the past and today.”

Military counselors had the option to go home after the barbecue to be with their families. Many of them are still active in the service and were involved with other local remembrance events.

His lecture, “Religion and Science in Modern America”, traces the debates of religious meaning in science from the 1920s to today.

Dr. Davis begins with the concerns of William Jennings Bryan and the Protestant fundamentalists of the Scopes era, using cartoons about evolution to show why they so strongly opposed teach it in public schools. He also discusses popular pamphlets written by leading scientists of the time, such as Robert Millikan, Arthur Holly Compton and Edwin Grant Conklin.

He concludes with a discussion of how this debate has evolved since the 1920s.

Dr. Davis teaches courses on historical and contemporary aspects of Christianity and science and directs the Central Pennsylvania Forum for Religion and Science. He is a featured author of numerous articles for academic journals and popular magazines.

His lecture reflects his current research, of which he published an article in the May-June 2005 issue of American Scientist magazine. He is also the current president of the American Scientific Affiliation, a fellowship of Christians in science and disciplines that relate to science.

For more information, please visit CIAS at www.canyoninstitute.org, or contact at 602.252.4203 or info@canyoninstitute.org.

GCU is very happy to announce a partnership we have formed with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury that allows everyone in our company the opportunity to get discounted, no fee Suns and Mercury tickets for games throughout each season! All GCU employees can now sign up to receive discounts of up to 57% off the face value of tickets in the lower level and 200 level at the US Airways Center.

The Suns and Mercury have created an exclusive link, which will be continually updated with games as they become available. To access these tickets, go to www.suns.com/gcutix and select the game you want to attend. When prompted, enter the University’s special offer code, “HOOPS” to access the offer and your account. Either create a new account with your email, name, zip code and password of your choice, or sign in (if you have an existing account). After you’ve signed in, look for and purchase the tickets of your choice, and print them from your home computer. After you’ve created an account, you will be able to view special offers and discount updates at your leisure.

If you have any questions, please contact our Group Sales contact, David Segal at dsegal@suns.com or (602) 379-7593.

Make Educated Choices
HR is “going green” this year by making enrollment information accessible to employees from their home or office on MRC (mrc.gcu.edu). Beginning Monday, November 16, employees may access:

• Webinars- 24/7 online (live and recorded) Tutorials will walk you through the available options and enrollment process
• Q&A Walk-in Sessions – on-location time with the benefits experts from GCU and CIGNA to answer questions
• Online Resources & Links – for additional information to help employees make the best choices for 2010
• 24/7 Cigna Toll-Free Enrollment Information Line (1.800.564.7642)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: During open enrollment, all employees will be required to re-enroll or decline coverage, including those who waived coverage in 2009 or do not want to make changes.

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Visiting students filled the grassy lawn outside the College of Nursing during lunchtime Nov. 6.

John X. Hu, MD, Ph.D., presents on the life of a medical examiner, highlighting differences between popular TV crime shows and real life.

GCU hosted its annual Health Sciences & Nursing Day on November 6, attracting more than 1,400 Valley high school students to our campus.  The event, which GCU has hosted for more than 20 years, is known as one of the University’s most successful activities.

Health Sciences & Nursing Day features healthcare-related presentations, interactive activities and demonstrations aimed at providing future college students with timely information about career options in nursing and allied health fields. The event also offers students some first-hand experiences through a variety of activities, including a tour of the always-popular cadaver lab.  Another well-attended presentation was “Body of Evidence: Life of a Medical Examiner” presented by Medical Examiner John X. Hu from the Maricopa County Office of Medical Examiner.

GCU's Clinical Lab Coordinator Wendy Colomb shows students from Apache Junction High School how to start an I.V.

COHS adjunct faculty member Dr. Patricia Johnson performs acupuncture on COHS Administrative Assistant Kay Camp.

1. Employees assigned to work 32 or more hours are eligible for the benefit.
2. Undergraduate benefits are extended to the employee plus two family members (spouse and child or 2 children) at any given time.
3. The EMBA program has been added with strict requirements for eligibility/enrollment.
4. Doctoral program eligibility has been changed and senior management approval is required. Staff participation has been limited.
5. An employee or dependent cannot be enrolled in more than one program of study at a time.

The full policy and application are available on MRC (My Company / Company Info / Policies and Forms).

Important Application Reminders:

• Applications MUST be submitted online using the email application template.
• Paper applications are required for the EMBA and Doctoral Programs only.
• The deadline for applications is three days before a scheduled start.

The urge continued through college, where she proposed projects that involved large-scale homeless housing plans and other “enormous efforts to save the world,” she says.

“I was a bit of a dreamer,” says Kristi. “But I was always directed toward making the world better and helping others in the process. I believe that serving others is the most natural thing about me and it feels more like instinct than work or effort.”

Kristi also found that she had a gift and a love for writing.  Kristi earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature at Arizona State University before returning for a master’s in English with a specialization in Rhetoric and Composition.  Today, Kristi most frequently teaches English 101 and 102, at GCU, as well as developmental writing courses. She recently began teach UNV 101, the new University Success course, which is aimed at providing new GCU students with the writing and study skills they will need to succeed in college.

Kristi knows first hand about the challenges of juggling a job and school.  As a student, she worked full-time in an infertility/gynecology medical practice and attended courses at night.  The job gave her a vital outlet for her desire to serve others.

“Because the medical practice helped couples with fertility issues, it was vital to encourage and help our patients remain upbeat and positive during very difficult times,” she says. “I was very inspired by the physician I worked with. He was a great leader and always greeted his patients by holding a hand or giving a hug. It was truly an honor to serve beside him and learn that even the smallest amount of respect, love, and kindness can mean the world to someone else, especially those in need of it most.”

After graduation, Kristi joined GCU as a part-time adjunct instructor while working as a Courtroom Clerk for Maricopa County Superior Court.  She soon moved to the Arizona Supreme Court, where she served as a technical/software trainer for all court staff and Judicial Officers.

“My work with both courts was very rewarding and allowed me to continue to develop my own writing skills through both technical and legal arenas,” she says. “I was lucky to have the motivation and energy to also continue teaching each semester in the evenings, both to begin developing my teaching skills after college, and to remain a part of the changes in the field of English and writing studies.”

As a full-time faculty member, Kristi enjoys combining her love of writing with her focus on helping others.  

“I began to realize the power of writing and communication when I taught my first official course here at GCU,” she says. “I gained so much joy knowing that my students would find writing to be a useful skill in later college courses, and also in life. It is truly pride in the service of others when I see my students learn to express themselves in ways they were not confident with, or possibly never believed they were ‘good at’.”

According to Kristi, the most rewarding part of her job is the knowledge that she can help her students, even in a small way, as they move through their academic journeys.

“I appreciate being a part of this space where they can regroup, learn, grow, and gather skills they will use so much later in college and life,” she says. “Additionally, with the smaller class sizes at GCU, I am able to get to know my students very well and be aware of problems or concerns almost immediately. I think it helps the students to know that someone cares for them on an individual level, both as a GCU student and as a young adult.”

Kristi enjoys cooking and playing with her three Chihuahuas. She admits to obsessing over cooking for the past two years, and finally creating dishes that the Chihuahuas will even eat.

“I also spend a great deal of time with my family,” she says. “My parents, nieces, nephew and brother are a very important part of my life, and we make time to get together at least one day each weekend to share a meal or celebrate a family event. I’m very grateful to have my family here in Arizona and for the support they provide.”