College of Education

It was a win-win-win day Thursday for GCU’s College of Education when alumna Christine Marsh was named the 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year, and two other alumni placed in the top five finalists for the prestigious award. Marsh, an English teacher at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, was joined in the winner’s circle at the Arizona Educational Foundation’s awards ceremony at the Arizona Biltmore by Angelia Ebner and Beth Snyder. All three have master’s degrees from GCU.

Neither rain nor lightning nor dust storm nor traffic could detract from Grand Canyon University’s online commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday. Once the attendees were safely inside GCU Arena, which took some doing when the dust started blowing Friday, there were congratulations for a job well done and triumphantly raised fists to signify an impressive achievement.

GCU’s student teacher partnership with neighboring Alhambra High School started small in 2012, when professor Jim Mostofo sent a handful of College of Education math students there to earn practicum and student teaching hours toward their degrees. The partnership has grown dramatically since with 70 GCU practicum students and five student teachers there this fall and 90 more practicum students expected for the spring semester. Alhambra had its largest summer school ever this year with the help of GCU, and two alumni now teach there as a result of the program. Read more about the partnership here.

This week’s Antelope Intros feature two new employees who love trying new things and were so inspired by what they saw at GCU they wanted to join the team. You might say their interests are up in the air and being up on what’s on air.

The tools to succeed as a student at GCU have never before been so intentional and integrated throughout the colleges and curriculum. From the time they step onto campus until their commencement, students are continuously exposed to purposeful planning, advising and other guidance to make the most of their programs of study, academics, career aspirations and spirituality. And soon, a new First Year Center of academic excellence will open in Juniper Hall, which is home to 250 of GCU’s 750 Honors College students. Click here to read more in GCU Today.

Moms are a big part of Welcome Week, and Antelope Intros is keeping in the spirit of things by featuring a new mom and a grateful grandma. Just as it’s always touching to see a mom on the verge of tears as she drops off her youngster, reading about the love these moms have for their families is equally uplifting.

Record-breaking high temperatures Friday in Phoenix couldn’t hold a candle to the enthusiasm of President/CEO Brian Mueller and other GCU leaders during the all-employee meeting in the Arena. Mueller delivered his own take on a “State of the University” address by hosting a Q-and-A with more than a dozen representatives of the faculty, colleges, programs, enrollment, student body, community outreach and staff.

The cover story in the latest edition of GCU Today Magazine introduces you to 10 new faces on campus who are shining representatives of this fall’s incoming freshmen class. Check out the students’ stellar academics, servant qualities and deep faith and watch a cool video about their first-year expectations. The September magazine also has full coverage of a beach get-together for new GCU students from Southern California as well as a story about the University’s new engineering degrees, a feature and video about its promising soccer program and an article about a unique collaboration between GCU and Arizona hospitals to train and employ new nursing graduates. Other content: a look at where GCU students spread the Gospel during summer mission trips, a story and video about new alumnus Zenon Castro, who is moving from school janitor to teacher thanks to GCU’s s online program and a profile of alumna/future doctor Erica Wadas, plus alumni class notes.  

GCU online alum Zenon Castro plans to swap his cleaning supplies for textbooks and become a special education teacher, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Castro began working as a night custodian at Mountain Vista Elementary in Indio, Calif., while earning student teaching hours toward his master’s degree, which he completed in June. He plans to take over a special education classroom at Mountain Vista this fall.

GCU is planning the biggest welcome for the biggest entering class in its history next week, as thousands of freshmen move onto campus into seven residence halls, four of them brand new. Meet 10 members of the Class of 2019 who bring a grand diversity of skills, interests, plans, passions, backgrounds and geography to GCU and will surely make their mark on the world.