Archive for May, 2011

When representatives of GCU pull into Joplin, Mo., later this week with a delivery of clothes and supplies for victims of the May 22 tornado, they’ll be assisted by a one-man welcoming party: Bob Goltra.

Choir caps a successful first year with a 4,500-mile trip through Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, giving 16 performances over two weeks and spending time in a recording studio.

You just never know where Dr. James Beggs of GCU’s College of Arts and Sciences will turn up. Could be YouTube, sporting a sideways baseball cap and spouting his latest original rap tune. Could be atop a cherry picker, snapping bird’s-eye photos of the Arena construction. Could be behind the wheel of a backhoe, as it was on Thursday.

GCU Enrollment Counselor Aaron Johnson can’t believe what has happened to his hometown of Joplin, Mo. Huge parts of it are gone, the work of the most devastating tornado in the United States in decades.

For T.J. Montoya, a finance counselor in GCU’s Military Division, visiting the VA Medical Center and Arizona State Veteran Home is close to his heart. Montoya’s grandfather was a veteran who spent time there, and he would bring his daughters to visit him often. “It’s my way of giving back to those who have served,” Montoya says. “I came with GCU last year for Memorial Day and I’d like to come again next year — make it a tradition. These people have given us so much, and they deserve so much more.”

GCU’s Military Division turned out in force Wednesday morning for a pre-Memorial Day visit to the VA Medical Center in central Phoenix, distributing coffee, doughnuts and American flags to veterans.
Memorial Day recognition of veterans has become a tradition at GCU, and Senior Vice President Bart Burkert said it’s a highlight for the division.

For many, Memorial Day is just another holiday. A day to barbecue, hang out at the pool and enjoy not having to be at work. But for those who have served in the armed forces, the day means something else.
GCU has a variety of active and veteran military students taking classes on campus and online. For two online master’s students, husband and wife Chris and Janice Voeller of Kansas, Memorial Day has a special meaning that only those who have put their lives on the line could possibly understand.

Out with the old and in with the new. That will be a theme all summer on the main campus, with older buildings being torn down and new ones going up. You need a scorecard to keep track of it, so here’s ours.

GCU’s cheer and dance teams have been chosen for 2011-12, after recent tryouts that drew more than 70 applicants. “We could not be happier with the turnout,” said Emily Stephens, GCU’s cheer coach. “It really shows how much the interest level in our programs is growing.”

Let’s assume the guy is right and Saturday is Rapture Day. You’ve got 48 hours to play with, so what would you do between now and then? We set out on campus to put that question to a few people. Here’s what they had to say.