Archive for April, 2021

Police work already was challenging, and then the events of the last year made it that much more difficult. But Alex Couch, who graduated from GCU a year ago, still wanted to take it on and recently became a police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He quickly saw the value of his Justice Studies courses at GCU, particularly the classes on community policing.

Lists are interesting. They spark conversation. And there was plenty to talk about in the 2020-21 academic year at GCU, which made it a year to remember — not because of the pandemic, but because of the way it kept moving forward despite the challenges of COVID-19. Here are the top 10 stories of the year, reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine, with extra photos depicting the most memorable moments.

By Lana Sweeten-Shults GCU News Bureau It’s a three-peat. For the third year in a row, Grand Canyon University’s Dance team brought home a national title. The team won the Game Day category in Division 1 of the Universal Dance Association College Dance Team National Championship, which wrapped up Wednesday at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The team emerged triumphant even in a year when a global pandemic limited or halted athletic events and the crowds that attend them. It was one of two wins for GCU at the two-day event. The University’s Cheer team took first place in the Small Coed category in Division 1 of the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Cheerleading National Championship. “This is our third time winning our division,” said Dance team coach Jacque Genung-Koch. “This is a big deal. It’s just back-to-back-to-back.” Game Day competition puts the spotlight on the sideline traditions teams perform every weekend at home. Judges evaluate the teams on their ability to lead the crowd, the execution of their skills, motion technique and overall routine. During the performance, judges can call for a fight song, game situation chant or timeout routine. The competing teams must be ready to perform any […]

The GCU Cheer team made history in Florida on Wednesday, winning its division in the Universal Cheerleading Association College Nationals. It was the first national championship for a GCU Cheer team known for its energy and high-flying stunts at GCU sporting events. “I think this is a great benchmark of excellence of how GCU is always on the rise. Even through a pandemic, we are making huge strides,” said first-year coach Keegan Hubbard.

Animation and visual effects instructor Richie Jimenez saw a need for more local opportunities for students to work in the animation field, so with the help of project partner Kevin Palmer, more opportunities were created. Through the creation of an animated short titled “Fishing for the Soul” the duo has hired on three GCU alumni to work on the project and hope to continue to raise funds via the project’s Kickstarter. “By including past students on the production team, Richie is showing first-hand how the skills learned in our Digital Design program can be put to work,” Digital Design Director Sheila Schumacher said. “As a mentor and leader for the students, he always looks for ways to challenge them to tell better stories and create engaging characters.”

Everyone has felt worried, afraid, anxious, nervous and stressed. It’s perfectly normal and OK to experience these feelings to a certain extent. But when anxiety becomes excessive and persistent, that may be a sign of anxiety disorder, writes Nate Bowman.

April showers may bring May flowers. But in Arizona, spring means not only blooming flowers and other plants thriving in the desert landscape, but seasonal allergies, otherwise known as allergic rhinitis or “hay fever.” Connie Colbert has a few suggestions on how to reduce your exposure to allergens and the bothersome symptoms they cause.

When Khalid Mahmoud rolled up his sleeve and received the final dose of the vaccine administered by GCU’s mass COVID-19 vaccination site, the small group of volunteers gathered around him erupted into cheers — and for good reason. They had accomplished a lot since the site opened Jan. 26, administering more than 113,000 vaccines. Connie Colbert, who managed the point-of-dispensing site alongside Marcus Castle, was emotional as the POD came to a close Monday, ceasing its public operations. “It was a BIG thing that we did,” she said.

GCU announced that plans are in place to reopen campus without restrictions in the fall, including not requiring students, faculty and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the fall semester, though they still are encouraged to do so.

GCU’s Point of Dispensing vaccination site will end full-time operations for the public on Monday, exactly three months after it opened. It passed 50,000 vaccinations in just 38 days and didn’t need even that long to reach 100,000. And unlike other sites, which charge several thousand dollars per day, GCU did it for free by using students, faculty and staff volunteers. Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.