Outreach

What do you get when you combine the Milwaukee Brewers and GCU’s Honors College? The Brewers STEM Crew after school club. The program for middle school students, who were led by students from the Honors College, highlighted the STEM involved in baseball through an active, engaging approach.

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau Saturday was a big night for Operation Revival, GCU’s signature neighborhood revitalization initiative. More than 200 Habitat champions attended the Lopes vs. UT Rio Grande Valley men’s basketball game, and a handful of volunteers and their guests were heralded by Lopes fans as they stood at midcourt after having received special recognition for their contributions.

Teen dating violence affects 1.5 million young people in America, which is why the University’s HOSA Future Health Professionals chapter thought it was important to partner with the New Life Center and bring a panel to campus for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Representatives from Bloom365, one-n-ten, the New Life Center and GCU on Thursday spoke about the red flags to teen dating violence, how to help those experiencing it, the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships and more.

After reading a book by Alan Alda, South West Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation speech language pathologist Patricia Backus came up with the idea of incorporating improv into therapy sessions. She reached out to GCU’s Theatre Department and was connected with the Cantalopes, and for the past several months GCU’s improv group has worked alongside SWAN Rehab professionals to teach improv techniques to both staff and patients.

Producer/director Michael Matheson Miller wanted to critique the big business of the poverty industry in his award-winning documentary, “Poverty, Inc.,” which ponders the question of who really benefits from all the humanitarian aid and “social engineering” — the new, politically correct word for poverty — directed at poverty-stricken areas of the world. The film was screened on campus Wednesday, and Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of Theology, says he hopes the screening will start a conversation on campus about how we engage in our work in the community and in charitable causes.

GCU and GCE volunteers have revitalized the homes of 285 families in the Canyon Corridor and Maryvale since GCU’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity was launched five years ago. To celebrate, any employee who has worked on a Habitat project will receive an invitation to Operation Revival Night at the men’s basketball game Saturday. Not that the community restoration is done — more than 200 volunteers will be needed to fill projects between now and July 10. “You’re needed. You’re making a difference,” University Relations Manager Debbie Accomazzo said.

The Cactus League Luncheon on Wednesday in GCU Arena was an opportunity for representatives from the 15 teams at Arizona spring training to congregate before the exhibition games start. But it also gave GCU students a chance to show how they can help make a big event run smoothly. Sophomore Hayden Trujillo was in charge of all the student volunteers.

The February 2020 issue of GCU Magazine will be a keepsake for students, faculty, staff and alumni. The special dedication to GCU’s stunning transformation in the last 10 years includes stories, photos and videos covering every aspect of this remarkable story — academics, spiritual life, campus life, community outreach, athletics, online education and alumni — plus President Brian Mueller’s personal thoughts about what it has meant to him. Here’s the digital version.

Film students were given the opportunity to hear words of wisdom and encouragement at this semester’s Digital Film Production Alumni Panel. Alumni Maya James, Sam Erdmann and Athena Bates shared their experiences with the next generation of GCU film students and gave some advice on how to make it in the business.

How does GCU make a private Christian education accessable and affordable for it’s students? That is the question that was answered at this year’s Cracking the Code CCSC Leadership Forum for Leaders within the K-12 Christian education level. “It was a great event. It was a remarkable group of leaders,” said Ryan Bredow, Assistant Vice President of K12 Educational Development. “We invited them to a conversation. The conversation was built around a concept that we refer to as cracking the code.”