Campus Life

KRIS HAYES Oversees: Sedona Hall, with Victoria Leith Age: 25 Hometown: St. Johns, Ariz. (I moved a lot growing up, but St. Johns is where I spent my sophomore-senior years in high school) GCU experiences: Graduated in 2009 with my bachelor’s of Christian studies with an emphasis in youth ministry. I was an RA in the North Rim Apartments for two years under James Rogers and Sarah Clayton, who are both still RDs. I worked in finance counseling after graduation, then as the intramural coordinator, and now as an RD. I look forward to participating in intramurals again after being the facilitator for two years. I earned my master’s of science in leadership in 2011. Q: You’re a sports nut and the former intramural coordinator at GCU. What role does sports play in our lives? A: Sports can be a huge community builder for people in general. It helps us unite and come together through one purpose. It is a great way to teach students about teamwork and sportsmanship. Q: As a self-described gamer, what video game are you currently hooked on? What’s your all-time favorite game? A: I play many different types of video games. However, my all-time favorite […]

CHELSEA ELLIS Oversees: Canyon Hall, with Jenny Doane Age: 27 Hometown: Phoenix GCU experiences: I am in my third year working in residential life. I graduated from GCU in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and am currently studying toward a dual MBA/MSNL. Q: You came up as an undergrad through GCU’s outstanding College of Nursing and Health Sciences. How did your nursing studies prepare you for the professional workforce? A: My nursing school experience was awesome! Let’s be honest, it was hard. Many tears were shed over my ICU textbooks, but we had a great time! GCU’s nursing school blend of clinical hours and class time gave me the opportunity to apply my knowledge on a consistent basis. I’m a kinesthetic learner with a photographic memory so that worked well. Academically, I felt prepared to take my boards. Socially I’m still in contact with classmates and professors. Our small class size, low student-nurse-to-clinical-instructor ratio, and the care and concern I received from my professors helped me succeed. Q: How did your work as a nurse help prepare you for your role as an RD? What led you to put nursing on hold to work at GCU? A: I think most people think […]

Public safety, shifting out of its aging digs in Building 9 on the west side of campus, is moving into a new office that will serve as a hub for emergency dispatch and camera surveillance.

GCU is losing one of its most vocal advocates in Dr. Kevin Barksdale, whose infectious enthusiasm and team-building style will be missed after he moves with his family to Texas. Barksdale said the decision to leave the University was one of the most difficult of his career.

Although his tenure at GCU was short, Schrader developed the Servant Scholars program into one of the University’s most promising student leadership opportunities. His new assignment could take him to any one of dozens of bases in the United States or overseas.

Move-in week is two months away, but letters and packets are being sent to students’ families as GCU prepares for the “organized chaos” expected on campus in the first couple weeks of the semester.

As a perk and incentive, GCU men’s basketball coach Russ Pennell offered to put on a free basketball clinic for kids whose parents purchased a season-ticket pckage for the upcoming season.

GCU’s new season-ticket package for basketball isn’t free, but it’s pretty darn close. The cost averages out to 66 cents per general-admission seat and includes free food and beverages at the tailgate party on the Quad outside the Arena before each game.

Patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital had the opportunity to watch the 13-minute documentary produced by GCU film students and featuring firefighters from Fire Station 9 in Phoenix.

A group of GCU film students spent an entire day at Fire Station 9 to produce a documentary they will show to cancer patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In addition to the inspirational message for children, the students also left with a new-found respect for the Phoenix Fire Department.