Colangelo College of Business

The Colangelo College of Business Dean’s Speaker Series kicked off for the spring semester Thursday, and first up was someone who has first-hand experience of what it’s like to go from the corporate world to a startup. Rachel Mertensmeyer explained to students what it takes to succeed besides the guts to take a chance.

When GCU celebrated the grand opening of the Colangelo College of Business Building on Wednesday morning, it was an opportunity to reflect on just how much Jerry Colangelo has brought to the University — and to the entire Valley. As Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey put it, “It’s been said, ‘What’s the difference between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona?’ And I would say this: Jerry Colangelo.”

Sports Business students were busy last month volunteering at several major events, but that’s nothing new — GCU’s alliance with Position Sports makes those types of opportunities possible regularly. But what’s really interesting is what happens when students fully utilize their chances to participate and learn. “GCU is the place to be if you want to have any sort of experience in the sports world at all,” said Darby O’Leary, who worked events on opposite sides of the country within a week.

It’s been a big year so far, but there’s more to come in 2018-19. The spring semester will kick off with the grand opening of the new 150,000-plus-square foot Colangelo College of Business Building on Jan. 9 and will barrel forward through April and May with signature events such as the Canyon Challenge, Mr. GCU, the Theatre Department’s presentation of Holocaust drama “Who Will Carry the Word,” Serve the City in February, the Roadshow Tour at GCU Arena, basketball and much more. Check out some highlights from GCU Today’s 2019 Winter-Spring Calendar.

Demolition began Wednesday morning on Building 18, also known as the Media Arts Complex. Most passersby on the Promenade probably have no idea how many interesting uses the building had — even the worst of the Valley heat was no match for one of its features. The new Student Advising Center will be built on that site.

Photos by Slaven Gujic GCU News Bureau The Friday morning ceremony of winter commencement at Grand Canyon University included graduates of the Colangelo College of Business, the College of Fine Arts and Production and the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions.      

One of the impressive early graduates at winter commencement Friday morning was Payton Kuhnel, who needed just 2 1/2 years of college to get his Sports Management degree. But that’s only part of the story. Not only was he summa cum laude; he also worked the whole time he was on campus and already has a job in Major League Baseball.

The Eta Chi chapter of Delta Mu Delta, which achieved Star status (top 5 percent of all chapters) in August, added 132 members Wednesday, 24 of whom were on hand for the induction ceremony. “Delta Mu Delta confirms that you have a proven track record of academic achievement,” said Conner Teich, the chapter’s president.

The Colangelo College of Business has yet another big name on its roster of industry experts. Mindy Weinstein, who owns her own digital marketing company, recently won an award from a prominent website for having the most page views of the month for a column she wrote, and she also is a highly regarded speaker at workshops.

“There’s real science going on … there’s real innovation,” Provost Dr. Hank Radda said during Wednesday’s Undergraduate Learning Community and Research Symposium. Student presenters spoke to the audience about everything from the Desert Owl Population Improvement Project to the Bible Virtual Reality Project and one team’s attempt to help nonprofits digitize their paper surveys.