Academics

Mark Snyder, President of Snyder Nationwide Real Estate, spoke to graduate and Hospitality Management students Thursday about he injects his faith into the business world. “I’m going to do what’s right every time,” he said. “I pursue God daily. God’s the kingmaker, not your talents.”

The recent Honors College Leadership Conference helped those students build connections with business professionals and better prepare themselves for the future. “I think it was a great opportunity to meet established individuals in the various fields, whether it be business or different markets of leadership, but also meeting other motivated individuals that are students as well,” Honors student Elisha Fronda said.

The Milwaukee Brewers showed off their spring training facility in Maryvale on Tuesday, and there’s an important GCU connection: There’s space for a Learning Lounge, which opens April 16. The baseball team, like the University, is focused on building the community. “We’re excited to be part of that,” said Andrew Daugherty, General Manager of the Maryvale complex.

The majority of the seven presentations in the second annual Kevin McClean Research Colloquium featured work that can be applied in the classroom. That’s no accident. GCU adheres to the Boyer model of scholarship, which goes beyond research and extends to application and integration.

Men’s soccer coach Schellas Hyndman wanted one thing for youth attending Saturday’s Future for KIDS soccer camp: To have fun. But he also encouraged them to exhibit good sportsmanship, practice, work hard and to value their education, much like the soccer players who conducted the camp do. More than 160 youth, ages 7 to 12, attended the event, which marked the first time GCU men’s soccer has hosted a camp with Future for KIDS, a mentorship program that emphasizes education, ethics and athletics.

Kara Morrow is the first GCU Honors College student to be selected for a White House internship. The 2018 graduate is surrounded by exceptional students. Her sister, Kelsey, is a 2015 GCU graduate slated to complete chiropractor school in May, and her brother, Kaleb, a GCU freshman, is a National Merit Finalist and an aspiring forensic scientist.

Complex foreign policy issues proved challenging but not daunting for GCU’s extemporaneous speech team members at the Jannese Davidson Memorial Tournament at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. On the strength of a first place, a runner-up and a fourth-place finish by extemporaneous speakers, GCU placed second overall behind Point Loma Nazarene, in a 24-team event. GCU students spoke about issues impacting China, Venezuela and the European Union.

The marathon reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy brought the words of the 14th century Italian poet to life on the GCU campus on Friday. Students and faculty members, along with a few high school teachers, were among the 50 readers who combined to read all 100 cantos of “Inferno”, “Purgatorio’’ and “Paradiso”, a view of the afterlife. The project is the passion of Assistant Professor Jonathan Olson, who packed two lunches and reveled in every moment of the marathon.

The Curriculum Design and Development Department creates the curriculum students study in their Grand Canyon University coursework but took time out on Friday to showcase some of their creativity in the department’s first art show. But the show was anything but paint by numbers. According to curriculum developer Ruth Douthitt, it also helped build a sense of community among the employees.

The Colangelo College of Business Dean’s Speaker Series brought another industry leader to campus Tuesday. Students got to hear from Greg Hanover, who told them fascinating tales about his former career as an executive in the National Hockey League. But Hanover’s talks to multiple classes also included a very important message: Be prepared to work long hours and don’t plan on making a lot of money starting out.