Colangelo College of Business

Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships (SEI) handed out Career Advisor of the Year awards to 12 faculty members who regularly turn their classrooms into career factories. SEI’s devotion to linking students to employers also is reflected in its ever expanding list of offerings, such as the recent Career Awareness Week. “We all know we have great students. We all know they’re going places. We’re just trying to connect the dots and support their journey in getting there,” said Haley Fagerlie, SEI’s Executive Director.

Teaching financial literacy is part of the foundation of the Colangelo College of Business, and students seeking a path to money management will have a new, state-of-the-art place this fall to learn about the industry. The Charles Schwab Foundation Finance Learning Center will be on the first floor of the CCOB Building.

(Feb. 16, 2021) – GCU’s Colangelo College of Business (CCOB) has received a multiyear grant from Schwab Advisor Services, in partnership with the Charles Schwab Foundation, to create the Charles Schwab Foundation Learning Center and expand the college’s financial planning offerings. The new center will be built in CCOB’s existing 150,000-square-foot, four-story building, serving as a resource center for students and encouraging growth in the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) industry. The center will also serve as a finance classroom and event/guest speaker space.  “GCU and the Colangelo College of Business are so appreciative of our relationship with Charles Schwab and we are grateful to the Charles Schwab Foundation for this funding to create a learning center,” said CCOB Dean Dr. Randy Gibb. “Financial wellness is vital to our society, so we are so proud of our students for taking an interest in finance and demonstrating their competence to find success with the help and support of Charles Schwab.” CCOB has been working with Charles Schwab since 2018 when the multinational financial services company partnered with GCU to help students prepare for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam.   “We are excited to expand on our work with Grand Canyon University […]

Michael Potter, Assistant Professor in the Colangelo College of Business, focuses on all students when he teaches, not just the ones majoring in accounting. He aims to make it relatable by putting it in “understandable English that the students can better grasp.” When he’s not teaching, he’s exploring the glories of duct tape, Jack Reacher and a competitive card game called “Magic: The Gathering.”

GCU has partnered with Phoenix Rescue Mission in many ways over the years, from helping the nonprofit’s restaurant, Mission Possible Cafe, get off the ground, to the organization being a clinical rotation site for the University’s prelicensure nursing students, to GCU offering scholarships to those who have gone through the Rescue Mission’s Transformations Recovery Program. The latest partnership is the Lope Shop’s Give Back Get Back campaign, in which clothing, shoes and other items will be donated to the nonprofit. GCU’s work with Phoenix Rescue Mission was featured in the Community Relations Department’s latest Town Hall Informational.

It’s hard to say which Julia Kiefer loves more — living in North Rim Apartments or spending most of her days in the Colangelo College of Business Building. But there’s no debating that the finance and economics major’s dedication to learning and leadership has led to the prestigious internship she earned with The Vanguard Group. “She’s one of our top, top students,” CCOB instructor Mark Jacobson said.

When Mike Loven’s daughter, Taleigh, decided to attend GCU four years ago, he was so impressed by the University he was inspired to finally go after his bachelor’s degree — but decided to do so without telling his wife and children. For more than four years, Loven attended online classes and did his homework in secret. Last week, he gave them a surprise they’ll never forget — his GCU diploma.

Photos by Mathew McGraw GCU News Bureau Graduates of the Colangelo College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, and College of Science, Engineering and Technology participated in the Saturday afternoon ceremony at Winter Commencement.  

Nearly 5,000 ground students decided to stay home this semester and study online because of the pandemic. But like the faculty members who also chose to work from home, they were able to use the LoudCloud learning management system and video conferencing/messaging apps such as Zoom and Loom to make it an effective learning environment.

That old saying, “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” certainly applies to Santa Calls. GCU graduate Eli Miller’s way of hooking up children with Santa by phone was such a good idea, it won the Canyon Challenge entrepreneurial competition last year, and then it was an even better concept when the pandemic made visiting a mall Santa problematic. Now he’s working to gain a toehold in the marketplace.