College of Doctoral Studies

Dr. Mufasa Moyenda got the ball rolling in GCU’s College of Doctoral Studies, and a whole group of suddenly tech-savvy counseling professors in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences joined the team to move it forward until a new website was created that focuses on uniting counseling students and faculty in three programs and two colleges. The Counseling Community Connection, those involved said, could be a model for many academic programs to copy.

Dr. Luis Zayas, Assistant Professor in the College of Doctoral Studies, has accomplished a lot in his career. But nothing makes him happier than what one of his students in a cultural diversity accomplished. With Zayas’ encouragement and mentorship, the students’ commentary was accepted for a scholarly publication, he earned a research grant, he was accepted into a doctoral program and he met his future spouse.

Dr. Patricia D’Urso of the College of Doctoral Studies is all about the data. “If you have collected valid and reliable data, it is hard to argue with the numbers,” she likes to say. But she also has a number of other interests, some of them extremely challenging. Find out the language she so desperately wants to learn.

Dr. Nicholas Markette was a successful businessman but wanted something more than profit margins. He turned to education and revels in his role as a Senior Doctoral Adjunct Supervisor in the College of Doctoral Studies. He treasures being able to help learners, even after they graduate, and he also has found value in his role as the head of the largest youth sports organization in the state.

What started as a friendship between two doctoral learners turned into a business partnership with ties to two different countries. Eugene Frimpong and Kevin Abankwa, along with colleague Carlos Osofu, created data analytics company The Analytics Professionals. “It is basically business consulting, but our emphasis is in data analytics,” Abankwa said. “Most of our clients are going to be businesses who are trying to figure out and make sense of their data.”

Dr. Andree Robinson-Neal, Senior Doctoral Adjunct Faculty Manager for the College of Doctoral Studies, is passionate about helping learners who are early in the research process. That’s high-level work, but what’s also interesting is the way she uses her passion for writing fiction by weaving non-academic narratives into academics.

After getting dismissed from her college music program, Dr. Cheryl Lentz let that feeling of failure persuade her into quitting music. Little did she know that what she considered a failure would lead to a career that she loves — she’s an educator and public speaker. It also led to another dream: giving a TEDx talk about the importance of looking at failure with a positive perspective.

Dr. Derrick Tennial has a lot going on. He’s a member of the College of Doctoral Studies faculty …. and its residency faculty … and is a dissertation chair. He is a narrative researcher. He has a media company. He has a stake in an investment company that seeks to provide quality, affordable housing for middle- to low-income individuals and families. And he talks passionately about a variety of subjects — including a type of television show that might be a bit surprising.

Chevy Humphrey’s journey to becoming the President and CEO of the Arizona Science Center was not easy. But her inspirational story made her the winner Friday of the Public Sector category in the 2020 ATHENA Awards. Humphrey is a member of the Board of Directors for Grand Canyon Education and also is finalizing work on a doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University.

Dr. Theodus Luckett III, Senior Doctoral Adjunct in the College of Doctoral Studies, is devoted to improving music education — he is the Director of Fine Arts for his school district. He also is partnering on a study of diversity issues with the goal of providing “researchers, practitioners and leaders with meaningful knowledge to not only encourage diversity, but to also be intentional in the implementation of diversity initiatives in the workplace.”