Delta Mu Delta earns even more business honors

By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau

Colangelo College of Business students who recently received an invitation to join Delta Mu Delta, the international business honors society, are advised not to miss this opportunity.

It’s getting tougher every year to qualify.

Only students with 24 GCU credits and in the top 20% of their class are eligible, and the level of scholastic achievement at Grand Canyon University is such that it’s getting more and more prestigious. Those who made it this semester might not be eligible next semester.

There’s another good reason to join Delta Mu Delta: For the second consecutive year, GCU’s Eta Chi chapter has achieved Star Chapter status, signifying that it’s in the top 1%, or one of the top 20 chapters out of 350 across the country and around the world, and this year it was voted into the top 10.

And there’s still more: For the first time, Eta Chi received four Delta Mu Delta scholarships, its most ever:

The chapter calendar for the fall semester includes the following activities:

The Eta Chi chapter also manages the Kevin McClean Research Colloquium, scheduled for Feb. 27, and recently put out a call for papers. The deadline to notify the chapter of your intent to present is Oct. 25, and students, faculty, staff and alumni can get more information here.

Those are a lot of reasons to join Delta Mu Delta, not the least of which is that it’s just fun to get to know other high achievers. Dr. Moronke Oke, the faculty advisor for Delta Mu Delta along with Tracey Lauterborn, sees the talent of Colangelo College of Business (CCOB) students daily in the classes she teaches.

“It’s interesting,” she said. “I had class just now, and the level of conversation we’re having now, when I compare it to the level of conversation five years ago, it’s night and day. When you find out that you’re not just defining concepts but rather you’re having conversations and analyzing things, that’s a different level of conversation from, ‘Let me tell you what this means.’

“It’s quite fascinating. When I ask, ‘How many of you know what this concept is?’ and people are nodding their heads, that’s really cool. That means each year it becomes more competitive to join Delta Mu Delta.”

Oke also lauded the “dynamic DMD student leadership team that we have. Without them, we would not have all these accomplishments." In addition to Roth, the other leaders are President Shannon Walker and Secretary Tatum Kubes.

One look at the scholarship winners tells you all you need to know about the level of Delta Mu Delta competition. Note that three of them are online students, which shows how well the CCOB program travels:

MEGAN ATKINSON

Major: Bachelor of Science in Applied Management 

Modality: Online

Residence: San Antonio, Texas

Why did you choose to attend GCU?

I had a chance to meet someone from Grand Canyon at a veteran’s event in San Antonio, Texas. Not only is Grand Canyon a faith-based school, it works well with the military, and the ability to take one accelerated course at a time worked well for my busy life.

What does being a member of Delta Mu Delta mean to you?

I have had a wonderful experience so far with Delta Mu Delta. Within this society I was blessed to find a wonderful mentor, gain a scholarship and begin to network with other like-minded individuals.

How will this scholarship help you meet your goals?

This scholarship has given me a chance to gain visibility within Delta Mu Delta. It also has increased my visibility within the Colangelo College of Business. The scholarship shows me the benefits of years of hard work and dedication to bettering myself through education.

What role has faith played in your studies?

My faith has showed me that taking a step backward doesn’t mean the journey is over, it means it may just be delayed. Faith means not giving up your dreams just because you can’t see the finish line yet.

What are your future aspirations?

My hope is to use my degree to inspire employees to be engaged within their organizations and let them know they can be a driving force for positive change. Again, I am blessed and honored to have been elected to Delta Mu Delta. I hope to give back to a society that has already helped me so much! 

MITCHELL BORGES

Major: Doctorate in Business Administration

Modality: Online

Residence: Northern California

Why did you choose to attend GCU?

I started my GCU journey in 2015 as an on-campus undergraduate student studying marketing. When I first visited GCU, it was clear to me that the students and faculty were genuinely excited for me to be there. GCU has an encouraging atmosphere that I have always loved, and I knew this environment would be even more important during my doctoral journey. I chose GCU because I am confident that I will have classmates and faculty that genuinely care about my individual journey and are eager to walk with me through any challenges I face.

What does being a member of Delta Mu Delta mean to you?

Delta Mu Delta has given me the ability to network with business students across the globe and build so many incredible relationships. It helped me connect with like-minded students and meet so many great people.

How will this scholarship help you meet your goals?

Receiving this scholarship has given me the motivation I needed to continue on my educational journey. Knowing that an organization like Delta Mu Delta believes in my goals enough to invest in my education means so much, and this support drives me to accomplish the goals I have set for myself.

What role has faith played in your studies?

My Christian faith guides my entire life, and attending a university that integrates faith into my academics is so encouraging. Being able to start my week with a devotional from my professor helps ease my mind and reminds me who is ultimately in control. I have professors who share my values and want me to grow both as a student and as a Christian.

What are your future aspirations?

In the future, I would love the opportunity to work in sports marketing with the NFL or NBA in the future, and I hope that earning this degree will open the doors necessary for me to pursue my dreams. Today, I am very happy with the life God has given me and I will continue to embrace God’s plan for me one day at a time.

What other campus activities and clubs are you involved in, and how important is that to you?

I work for GCU as a university admissions counselor in Northern California. I absolutely love my job and the opportunity to help students pursue their dreams. GCU has had such a positive impact on my life, and I love being able to see many of my students experience that same joy.

REGAN ROTH

Major: Marketing and Advertising

Modality: Ground

Residence: Originally from Illinois, attending GCU in Arizona

Why did you choose to attend GCU?

I came to GCU on a Discover GCU trip my senior year of high school and fell in love with the environment on campus. Everyone was so friendly to me and there was an overall positive attitude that really drew me in. And I saw a lot of opportunities here to get involved, make friends and grow a lot as an individual.

What does being a member of DMD mean to you? 

I work really hard in school to get good grades, so being a member of Delta Mu Delta is a cool way to be recognized for that. Being a part of this club has offered me great networking opportunities, and being on the DMD leadership team has helped me make great friends and learn so much about what it takes to be a good leader.

How will the scholarship help you meet your goals?

In January, I am going on Semester at Sea, a study abroad program where I will live and take classes on a ship while traveling around the world to 11 uniquely different countries in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe. This scholarship has been a huge blessing in helping me fund this excursion.

What role has faith played in your studies?

My faith has instilled in me the idea that we were each designed by God for the purpose of spreading love in this world. At the end of the day, the skills I am building through my studies at GCU are really for me to serve others. I am always looking for ways to apply what I have learned in and outside of the classroom to help people in any way I can.

What are your future aspirations?

I hope one day to do consulting in digital marketing and design. I love working with female entrepreneurs and helping them achieve their goals. One of my biggest passions besides business is art, so I love how marketing allows me to apply my design skills.

What other campus activities and clubs are you involved in, and how important is that to you?

I have been a part of a ton of other clubs and projects on campus, but my favorites have been in TEDx and the Honors College. It was on the marketing team of TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity where I gained my first real hands-on experience in marketing and worked with an awesome team to meet challenging goals. I also have been super involved with the Honors College, and it has been the best part of my education at GCU so far. The additional learning, networking, mentorship and project experiences I have gotten plugged into through the Honors College have gotten me several jobs and internship experiences that I absolutely loved.

NANDACIA JASON

Major: Bachelor of Science in Business Management 

Modality: Online

Residence: New York

Why did you choose to attend GCU?

I chose GCU based on the referral of a friend and past student of the University. Additionally, as a transfer student, GCU was accommodating in accepting my applicable credits, which I was thankful for. More importantly, because of the Christian-based values of the University, I felt comfortable that my mind and spirit would be nurtured.

What does being a member of DMD mean to you?

Acceptance into DMD has made my hard work in this program visible. Sometimes activities become routine and you go through the motions, not taking stock in the moment. When I received the invitation to DMD, the realization of the recognition of my hard work was sobering.   

How will the scholarship help you meet your goals?

The scholarship will assist me to place more focus on studies by reducing the stress of worrying about loan repayments. More time will be allotted to perform better research functions so I may excel in classes.   

What role has faith played in your studies?

Faith has been a magnificent tool in my arsenal to succeed in this program. It has assisted me to hold firm in my dedication to finish and accomplish my goal. Despite my faith being tested throughout the program, I am still here and not giving up until I walk across GCU’s stage with my degree and a smile.

What are your future aspirations?

Using DMD’s motto  (“Through Knowledge, Power”), my degree will help further my current work in program management/support to aide humanitarian efforts in countries facing crises, especially in the Eastern Hemisphere. On a more personal level, it will help me provide more security for my family.

What other campus activities and clubs are you involved in, and how important is that to you?

As an online student I miss out on on-campus activities. However, when next I visit the campus, I hope to contribute in some small way.

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or [email protected].

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GCU Today: More Delta Mu Delta inductions wrap up big year

GCU Today: Delta Mu Delta chapter welcomes more members

GCU Today: Colloquium showcases applicable research