Academics

Nathan Hollis II, Assistant Professor in the College of Education, is a faculty member worth watching. After all, how often do you hear someone say, “I don’t believe my most notable professional accomplishment has come just yet. I believe it is on my journey ahead, and God continues to prepare me.”

Dr. Katherine Fetter, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Lead for the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, communicated with her learners so well, a colleague wanted to see it for herself. But that isn’t the only way that Fetter has bucked the trend — check out what happened when she rode a bull.

It’s hard to tell which Khester Kendrick loves more — being a member of the teaching faculty in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology or reading comic books and watching science-fiction movies. Find out what he loves most about cybersecurity and what kind of television shows his children get him to watch.

It’s the same scholarship that has been changing the lives of incoming Honors College students for years, but now it has a new name: the Academic Excellence & Servant Leadership Scholarship. The annual reception for scholarship winners had to be conducted online because of the pandemic. “We wanted these students to have an opportunity to engage with one another and have a moment to reflect on how special this scholarship opportunity really is,” Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli said.

Dr. Shaunna Waltemeyer fervently believes in being a lifelong learner, and she brings that spirit of the educational adventure to her Colangelo College of Business classes. She is adventuresome in other ways in her spare time, both in her love of the outdoors and in her passion for staying fit.

Dr. Rich Holland, Assistant Professor in the College of Theology, has some interesting stories to tell about his books, his teaching style and the feedback he has received from students about how he intertwines philosophy and theology. But it all comes down to this: “Being able to have an impact on our students is what gets me up in the morning,” he said.

In just one year, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology’s new Nutritional Sciences program has grown to include almost 100 students, and the college is anticipating that growth to continue. It will open a new Nutritional Sciences Lab this fall and added a new faculty lead in Courtney Baker, who worked for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health before starting her new job at GCU.

Deborah Haralson, IT and IT/cyber faculty lead, wore virtual pink hair and asked students to fill out an online poll about the RAM on their computers. Mechanical Engineering Technology instructor Dina Higgins hit play on her first “Safety Minute” segment. College of Education Assistant Professor Dr. Brandon Juarez started class with a prayer and said he would help students look into how they can become great classroom teachers. Professors and students navigated the first day of class online in the COVID-19 world while looking forward to Sept. 28, when they’ll see each other in person for the first day of on-campus instruction. “While not under the best circumstances, it was a great first day overall,” said technology student Alex Schaeffer.

Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology, wanted to build a website that would benefit students but also churches, Christian schools and the general public. His vision has resulted in theologycommons.org, which features an audiobook as well as an ebook. “We’re trying to offer some resources to people who want to go a little deeper,” Hiles said.

The M.S. degrees in Business Analytics and Information Technology Management in the Colangelo College of Business have an important new designation: STEM. The change was coordinated in collaboration with the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, which now has a master’s in Data Science. “It’s a great example of how we work together in the two colleges,” said Dr. Randy Gibb, the CCOB Dean.