Colangelo College of Business

The cover story of the April issue of GCU Magazine features students who got here in a roundabout way and then made the most of their opportunities on campus. It’s fascinating to see the commonalities — and yet the wide range of diversity — in what they say, but it all comes back to one thing: They love it here.

The Colangelo College of Business will be host to two major entrepreneurial events Wednesday afternoon — an educational seminar for angel investors and then the AZ Conscious Capitalism Collegiate Challenge, which will feature two Grand Canyon University entries competing against teams from six other Arizona universities and community colleges. Both events are free and open to everyone.

Colangelo College of Business cohorts got to hear a talk last week by Brian Mohr, Co-Founder and President of Y Scouts, an executive-recruiting firm. Mohr, who will be emcee of the first AZ Conscious Capitalism Collegiate Challenge on April 11, explained how he found his purpose – and how the birth of Y Scouts is a result of that winding road.

The five finalists all had impressive credentials, but Andrea Northup’s Elroi & Men bowtie business had the right look to the judges Wednesday. She was declared the unanimous winner of the seventh annual Canyon Challenge, earning the top prize of $5,000 even though she wasn’t happy with her presentation.

When it comes to online learning, GCU’s faculty have established a reputation of being some of the most sought-after thought-leaders in presenting and publishing their scholarly work. Between 2012 and 2017, they led 163 presentations, and their work was featured in 138 publications. GCU are the innovators, said Rick Holbeck, Executive Director of Online Full-Time Faculty.

The baseball season starts this week, and a Grand Canyon University student will play a starring role for one major league team — well, sort of. Brendan Dyer of the Colangelo College of Business is the lead character in a funny Seattle Mariners ad. He talked with GCU Today about the experience and how CCOB has helped him.

The Canyon Challenge is coming up on Wednesday, and this year it will feature five companies that really are companies, not just ideas for companies. “They are actually selling – at a very early, early, early, super early stage. But, nonetheless, they’re selling,” said Tim Kelley, who supervises the entrepreneurial event.

The Collegiate DECA chapter keeps qualifying more and more students for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). This time, 10 students will represent Grand Canyon University on April 11-14 in Washington, D.C. It’s GCU’s best representation ever.

Colangelo School of Sports Business students on Wednesday got to hear from Jodi Wasserman, Director of Marketing and Events for The Upper Deck Company, famous for its trading cards. She had lots of important advice and insights into what she does and how they can get on board with a company like that.

Talk about a learning experience with many benefits. The students who managed TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity 2018 from start to finish didn’t just make a lot of memories, they put on a show that earned them a standing ovation Friday night at Ethington Theatre. “I could not be more impressed with the quality of job that the students did — absolutely top-notch and professional,” said Brett Pyle, one of the speakers at the event.