Campus Life

The plan for the fall semester was all set, but then the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly worsened in Arizona. Undaunted, the GCU task force that had been working so diligently since February pivoted with one simple goal: They want the University to be part of the pandemic solution.

COVID-19 forced the postponement of the spring induction ceremony for GCU’s Eta Chi chapter in Delta Mu Delta, the business honor society. But that didn’t stop the students and advisors from coming up with something even better: The virtual ceremony Friday attracted so many inductees, it looks like a staple for the future.

GCU’s effort to make personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a key task for Public Safety and University Event Services, whose employees have turned the operation from five days a week to 24/7. The boost in production enabled the University to make sizable donations to several community outlets.

GCU counselors have continued to be productive while working from home, and the numbers for May showed just how much. They completed more than 232,000 activities on behalf of students, a jump of 31% from 2019, and the number of outbound calls increased by 15%.

One of the first startups to move into the Canyon Ventures Center was i-calQ, a smartphone-based solution for COVID-19 tests. Now the company appears to be within FDA approval of scoring a major breakthrough in the war on the virus, and Canyon Ventures played a big role.

More than 200 vehicles drove through the GCU campus on Saturday for the first GCU Drive Tour. “It’s just a fun change to allow people to get out of the house, be socially distant and be in air conditioning,” Edwards said of the 30-minute audio tour, which families could take from the comfort of their cars. The drive-thru visit offered yet one more way for students to see the campus, in addition to the traditional walking and GCU Live virtual tours.

More than a decade ago, GCU had one academic advisor and one financial advisor. Now it has more than Student Services counselors, and this year they got a new home, the Student Advising Services Building on the Promenade. It quickly became a comfortable place for students to visit.

The GCU Library has uploaded to its website a new feature that’s worth a long. nostalgic look. The Historical Archives Collection is filled with photos of life at Grand Canyon College from 1949 to 1984. “We knew we had some treasures, but we didn’t know how much,” said Nita Mailander, Director of Library Services. “… There was a lot of treasure.”

Tony Barrera struggled to find a balance between his Latino heritage and American culture as he tried to answer the “Who am I?” question. But then he came to GCU and was accepted so readily by other students, he found his identity — and told his story in this “My LopeLife,” reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

A lot happened at GCU near the end of the 2019-20 academic year, but nothing could come close to the significance of COVID-19 forcing students off campus in March. Athletics also felt the brunt of the pandemic with the WAC Basketball Tournament and spring sports being canceled, but the hirings of new basketball coaches Bryce Drew and Molly Miller made for a promising future.