College of Education

With coronavirus-prompted school closures becoming a reality, it also became an inevitability that educators would have to teach in a different way. They would have to turn to online instruction in this new era of distance learning. That’s when GCU’s K12 Educational Development Department started to think of things it could do to support teachers. “We just leaped into action and said let’s put it on a YouTube Channel; we know we can do this,” said Corinne Araza, the department’s Director of STEM Outreach and Program Development. It’s where educators can find webinars and Tip-of-the-Day videos, and where parents can find educational tips, too. The department is also supporting teachers through various social media outlets.

GCU was ready for this. After ground students were sent home to finish their studies at home because of the COVID-19 outbreak, leaders and faculty kicked into high gear by sharing its vast storehouse of expertise on online learning to insure a seamless transition as online instruction begins today. “GCU has been at the forefront in its investment in technology. We are at a time when that investment allows us to function, quite literally,” said Dr. Seanan Kelly, assistant professor in the College of Doctoral Studies and an expert in online instruction.

It was a year of firsts for GCU’s 2020 Homecoming Celebration, and based on Alumni responses, may not be one of lasts. Along with the beloved homecoming traditions such as the Derby car races, the homecoming tailgate and the Hall of Fame ceremony, alumni also got to participate in a Campfire and Cocktails social event at Canyon 49, an Alumni Reunion Mixer at GCU Arena Hall and a Golden Lopes Ceremony at the tailgate. “We’re really trying to build out some lasting traditions at the university and a reunion is something that I think resonates with a lot of people,” Alumni Relation Specialist Brianna Bell said.

The Homecoming festivities wouldn’t be complete without the induction of some very special Lopes into the GCU Hall of Fame, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in the GCU Arena Hall. Making a difference in the lives of future generations was a common theme for this year’s group of inductees, professionals who have spent their careers doing just that.

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.

The story of GCU’s ascent in the last decade is one of determination, discovery and bit of defiance. “We do what others say can’t be done,” said Will Gonzalez, Chairman of the GCU Board of Trustees, “and we do it every … single … day.” The cover story of the February issue of GCU Magazine tells how it unfolded, through the eyes of the people who saw it through.

Virginia Murray, Faculty Lead Special Education for the College of Education, is passionate about preparing special education teacher candidates to help their students transition beyond high school. She does that by passing along what she has learned from many years working in that environment and favors an individualized approach that addresses the whole child.

One teacher said, “If you build it, they will come,” stealing a line from “Field of Dreams.” On Saturday at Serve the City, 200 GCU students and 30 Habitat for Humanity volunteers were building “it” — a sustainable community garden at Westwood Elementary that puts down even deeper roots in a relationship with the neighborhood school. The students are expected to come to the garden with enthusiasm to learn about what will grow there.

GCU has a tight relationship with nearby Westwood Elementary School with teacher training and after-school programs at the school. But before this Saturday’s Serve the City launch of a community garden, the story of how GCU filled an emergency need for three new teachers in just weeks further cements the partnership.

Assistant Professor Katy Sell of the College of Education has found Arizona to be magnetic — her family moved out of the state three times during her childhood but kept coming back. She also looks for ways to make her teaching magnetic with an informal style designed to keep students engaged.