Academics

Whether parents are mournful at the thought of no longer living with their GCU freshman or cheered because they can finally convert the bedroom into a study, the milestone of a child going away to a college or university is significant for all involved. At a Parent Hospitality Corner on Monday, some family members discussed what they were feeling and how they were responding.

The cheers of volunteers welcoming early arrivals could be heard across campus Friday morning as students, faculty and staff moved students into residence halls. Those arriving Friday will, in turn, welcome the bulk of the students during Welcome Week, which kicks off Monday. GCU Today has the story.

GCU’s Speech and Debate team will hit the tournament season running this year with 11 returnees and a new director, Michael Dvorak, who has coached GCU speech competitors for two years. Dvorak, a College of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty member, brings 10 years of expertise and a history of winning to GCU’s four-year-old team.

Michael ‘‘Big Dog’’ Abell wasn’t always blind, but he started losing his sight at age 9 as the result of a firecracker accident. It took nearly three decades for him to lose his vision completely. Heeding a calling from God, Abell completed his master’s degree in Professional Counseling from GCU this month and now leads the “Visionaries” support group for the visually impaired.

The next class of Students Inspiring Students scholarship recipients is on campus this week for a new orientation session called LEAD In. “When classes start, it’s a bit like drinking out of a fire hose. We want them to be prepared for the challenges they will face before their first class,” said Shari Stagner, GCU’s Program Manager for K-12 Student Development and Outreach.

More than 130 Chief Science Officers from middle and high schools across Arizona are learning leadership, communication and team-building skills this week at the second annual GCU-hosted CSO Training Institute. In just two years, the program has spread not only across the state but also nationally with 13 states following Arizona’s example. CSOs are elected by their peers to act as STEM ambassadors at their schools and communities.

An Amazon software engineer described her colorful career path Thursday to a Code.org cohort of 25 Arizona educators. The K-12 teachers are at GCU this week to learn AP Science Principles, part of the GCU Strategic Educational Alliances mission to spread love of STEM through the teachers.

Dance students traveled from across the country to attend GCU’s Summer Dance Intensive this week, bringing enthusiasm and a joy of learning that reignites GCU Director of Dance Susannah Keita’s passion for teaching. The students appreciate the challenging yet supportive program.

Starting in August, GCU is offering a new Master of Science in Cyber Security, an online degree intended to arm students with skills to detect and prevent cyber attacks like the recent WannaCry ransomware worm that raced across the internet. GCU students will learn the tricks of the hackers, but as Hackers-with-Halos their goal is to help and protect people.

More than 30 campers attending GCU’s Cipher Avenger STEM camp this week are thrilled that they are doing computer programming, using code and building servers and websites. The hands-on learning style that GCU champions is so enthralling, the room filled with high school juniors and seniors was quiet with concentration.