DIGITAL GCU Today AUG issue

GCU MAGAZ I NE • 17 “For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:16-17 N o one is more passionate about the importance of diversity than GCU President Brian Mueller. “It has always started with President Mueller,” Farmer-Thompson said. “I think it was always his destiny to be here. He loves God. It’s part of who he is, and as a Christian man, he lives out a Christian mission. Everything he does is with the good of people in mind. Therefore, diversity to him is not something that you think about and check off and have a strategic plan. The man has done it, just based on who he is from a spiritual perspective. It’s his heart for people.” One of the reasons behind the University’s 10-year freeze on traditional campus tuition is Mueller’s fervent belief that America doesn’t promise equality, it promises equality of opportunity. He says students and families from all socio-economic backgrounds should have access to college and, in turn, a good job. “What I’m most proud of in what we’ve done here is that we’ve set out to make private Christian higher education affordable to all socio-economic classes of Americans,” he said. “The reality is, education is getting unaffordable and therefore inaccessible to large segments of the population. Even state universities are becoming out of the reach for many people, but certainly private schools are way out of reach for most Americans.” The tuition freeze has made GCU the exception and has resulted in a student population that is 28 percent Latino and seven percent African-American – both over- represented in the lower socio-economic strata. “It’s not that we came up with slick marketing plans to attract Hispanic and African-American students here; we just came up with a financial model that made it affordable,” he said. “I think the thing that’s most important about this is that it combines the free market system with the Christian worldview. You put those two things together and you create an institution that’s based on Conscious Capitalism principles, and then diversity happens. It’s organic, which means it’s probably going to survive well into the future.” “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” – Romans 12:16 T he tuition freeze is only part of GCU’s commitment to diversity. It also serves its predominantly Hispanic inner-city community with the Learning Lounge, which provides free academic assistance for K-12 students. That led to the Students Inspiring Students initiative, which already has awarded 300 full-tuition scholarships to neighborhood students. Of GCU UNDERGRADUATE ETHNICITY T R A D I T I O N A L C A M P U S ( FA L L 2 0 1 7 ) White 50% Hispanic 28% Black or African American 7% Two or more 6% Asian 4% Unreported 4% Other 2%