Archive for October, 2014

By Michael Ferraresi GCU News Bureau The Antelopes have faced off with their Sun Devil neighbors over the years in a men’s basketball exhibition, club rugby and various other sports. At 7 p.m. Wednesday in the north dining hall of the Student Union, Grand Canyon University goes head-to-head with Arizona State University in a public debate organized by the award-winning GCU speech and debate team. Since it’s a political year and the Nov. 4 general election is right around the corner, the topic for the competition is “Resolved: The Republicans will take back the Senate in November.” For the two-on-two debate, GCU students Thomas Rotering and Thomas Varkey are preparing to argue why the Republicans will win the Senate majority, while ASU’s two student debaters will make an argument for the Democrats to retain their majority. For example, debaters could explore the possible outcomes in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia — states where Senate seats are held by the Democrats but might shift to the GOP. Meanwhile, the Democrats are focused on reclaiming GOP-held Senate seats in Georgia and Kansas. While GCU’s speech and debate team typically competes in traditional forensics events such as […]

Ron Merrell, a former standup comic, used his sense of humor Monday morning to effectively deliver a Chapel message that had the Arena crowd both laughing and nodding their heads in agreement. Your heart is the real you, Merrell said, and you must allow Him into it so that He can mold it and shape it.

Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau In his Chapel talk, Ron Merrell of Heights Church in Prescott combined humor with a serious message about the importance of letting God into your heart.  

Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau Nontraditional students in Grand Canyon University’s Class of 2014 earned their diplomas on Saturday during two ceremonies that were punctuated by laughter, pride, music and a whole lot of picture-taking. Here’s some of what we took in.  

Grand Canyon University’s non-traditional commencement ceremony returned to campus and to the more spacious GCU Arena on Saturday. The extra seats were a blessing as family members and friends of nearly 1,900 online students for morning and afternoon ceremonies.

This week’s Antelope Intros feature lots of talk about food, family, reality TV and round-the-world trips. The various interests and adventures of our new employees never cease to amaze. Read all about them here.

By Michael Ferraresi GCU News Bureau Few desert-style courses in Phoenix are as lush or mature as Maryvale Golf Course, with its huge 1960s-era trees and long stretches of turf that are neither tan nor taupe. It is considered an oasis in the otherwise urban surroundings of west Phoenix. Grand Canyon University intends to enhance that setting even further when it redesigns the course next year through a 30-year operating agreement approved Thursday by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board. As part of the agreement, GCU will oversee plans to create new tee boxes, shape brand-new greens, extend fairways, enhance bunkers, update practice facilities and build a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse, among other features, to reach its goal of making Maryvale a golf destination. The public course, located just three miles west of GCU’s main campus at 5902 W. Indian School Road, will undergo its major facelift beginning in January. The course will be closed until October 2015 as GCU directs construction and assumes control of operations. GCU President and CEO Brian Mueller said the Antelopes men’s and women’s NCAA Division I golf teams will use Maryvale as their home course. He added that the course could host college or high school tournaments after […]

  GCU News Bureau Sixth-graders in teacher Anne Piano’s class at Palomino Intermediate School were treated to fist bumps, break-dance moves and other fun moments with Thunder and members of the Lopes cheer squad early Thursday as part of the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination program. Each university, college and community college in Arizona, in addition to universities from Duke to Oregon, has some presence at the school to expose students to higher education possibilities. GCU’s K12 Pathways Executive Director Leigh Critchley helped organize the event with Piano and Principal Jenny Robles. We’ve got photos of Thunder with the kids.  

By Marette Hahn GCU Career Services   You would never know that Brenda Lara is the first person in her extended family to go to college. The October Student Worker of the Month is double-majoring in Justice Studies and Psychology, she is a member of the Honors Institute and vice president of the Lopes Justice Society, and she holds down a student worker position as a peer mentor in the Center for Learning and Advancement. With her parents as her motivation, Lara heeded the advice of friends, family, instructors and her former high school teachers who all encouraged her, “You can do it.” When she’s not planning Saturday hikes for the Lopes Justice Society, she’s organizing speakers and preparing for regional competitions. She has provided solidarity and consistency in a department that recently has seen a lot of change, said Brianna Boling, Lara’s hiring manager. “I nominated Brenda because she has been amazing through all of this change,” Boling said. “At one point, there were five students studying abroad, and she had all their lives in her hands. And she took care of all of them. “She’s the ultimate ambassador for all of these programs,” Boling added. Lara’s dream job is working […]

Put on some old clothes and get ready to help out! The University, in a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, has launched an unprecedented initiative to renovate homes in our neighborhood and, eventually, across the Valley and even around the country. It’s not too late to volunteer to be a team leader (you don’t need any experience in construction or home repairs) for the project, which formally begins in January. And don’t forget that, in August, GCU announced a new Community Service Policy in which employees are eligible for up to 16 hours of community service time.