Academics

Under the terms of a transaction that closed on July 1, 2018, Grand Canyon Education sold Grand Canyon University to a nonprofit entity that will retain the GCU name. The transaction returns GCU to its historical roots as a nonprofit university and ensures the long-term legacy of both GCU and GCE.

The story of Grand Canyon University’s growth and accomplishments added a new chapter this week when its chapter in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars earned Platinum Star Status and was deemed the largest in the country. Here’s the catch: The chapter was formed only four years ago.

If you want to get the most out of exercising, it seems that exercising every day makes a difference. Dr. Zachary Zeigler and a team of GCU students looked into the impact of daily exercise versus skipping a day of exercise in men with high blood pressure. Their research was published recently in the academic journal Exercise Medicine. Here’s the skinny on what they found: Don’t skip a day — it appears that daily exercise may be good for your blood pressure.

Professors Crystal McCabe and Lynn Basko are accustomed to teaching future teachers in GCU’s College of Education, but teaching high school students who aspire to be teachers is a fairly infrequent experience, yet one they passionately embrace. Including McCabe and Basko, six GCU professors travel to Orlando this week for the 2018 Educators Rising National Conference, a gathering of over 1,000 high school students who are interested in teaching careers.

Story by Theresa Smith Photos by David Kadlubowski   GCU News Bureau With teacher shortages in several parts of the country and the spotlight on low teacher pay, including the #RedforEd movement in Arizona, it is heartwarming for Grand Canyon University College of Education leaders to make an impact on the newest generation of potential teachers. COE Dean Dr. Kimberly LaPrade and Dr. Marjaneh Gilpatrick, COE’s Executive Director of Educational Outreach, will be working with teenaged prospective educators at the 2018 Educators Rising National Conference on Thursday-Sunday in Orlando, Fla. Both GCU stalwarts were selected as judges of the national competition that will take place at the conference. High school students from all across the country won state competitions in order to qualify for nationals. “It is uplifting for educator leaders to see young people who know they want to be teachers,’’ Gilpatrick said. “They have already demonstrated excellence at the state level, so the entries at the national level are usually quite impressive.’’ There are 19 high school competition categories, including children’s literature, creative lecture TED Talk, ethical dilemma, impromptu lesson, lesson planning and leadership in action. Dr. LaPrade is judging the ethical dilemma category in which students log numerous preparation hours […]

A group of Honors College students had high hopes of worship and career development on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The students hit their expected goals. But what enlightened them to the core was what they didn’t expect — love.

The Summer Institute isn’t quite like the traditional s’mores and campfire summer camp. Instead, the more than a dozen academic camps in various GCU colleges saw high school sophomores, juniors and seniors learning about Trojan malware, investigating the qualities of polyvinyl alcohol cryogels, writing poetry or executing mock warrants — and making friends while staying in the University’s dorms for the two- to four-day camps. The institute geared up recently with various science camps and will continue throughout the summer with humanities, business, honors camps.

GCU online nursing student Nowman Karram was no shrinking violet when it came to putting in several hours of research to make sure a patient’s pacemaker was compatible with an MRI. His efforts led to him being recognized as a Daisy Award winner for exceptional patient care.

The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions traded spaces this summer with the College of Theology. Deans Lisa Smith and Jason Hiles talk about the move and how it has been a benefit for their respective colleges.

The black-footed ferret was thought to be extinct in the late 1970s until a small population was discovered in Wyoming in 1981. Arizona’s Aubrey Valley became one of the sites chosen to reintroduce the species through a captive breeding program, and GCU biology professor Adrienne Crawford and a small group of students recently helped the program by volunteering for a recent spotlight count of the endangered species.