College of Education

Fall semester at GCU was a time of great growth — in students, courses, programs and learning — and as GCU hosts its first winter commencement this afternoon for about 700 traditional graduates, GCU Today takes the opportunity to celebrate the University’s stellar faculty. They have gone beyond the call of duty to assist students inside their classrooms and outside of them, too, dedicating many extra hours, evenings and weekends to student success. Click here to read stories about several of them.

Dennis Reiber, a GCU curriculum designer and developer in the College of Education, has decked his workspace at the 27th Avenue office complex with memorabilia of his favorite childhood superhero. It’s his way of having fun, being comfortable and creative at work and giving a shout-out to the Man of Steel with the impeccable moral compass, Superman.

Story by Janie Magruder Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau Since it first began tutoring students at Alhambra High School last year, the Grand Canyon University Learning Lounge has been embraced by the campus community — faculty, staff and student tutors. On Monday, 15 months to the day after it opened its doors, the Learning Lounge got another big hug. This time, its teenaged clients came on campus, not for free help in reading, writing, math or other subjects, but to receive Christmas gifts from those jolly St. Nicks in the GCU Tempe office complex. Staff in the University’s international, College of Education Mid-Atlantic enrollment and non-degree/single course divisions brought dozens of gifts for three Alhambra students and their 17 family members. The delivery of gifts, including jeans and T-shirts, remote-control cars, roller backpacks and a “Frozen” waffle maker with pancake mix and syrup, came just a day after more than 350 children and their families in the GCU neighborhood visited campus for Canyon Cares Christmas. The annual event, supported by hundreds of faculty and staff members who purchased gifts and volunteered time, provided the guests lunch, crafts and visits to Santa in the Arena on Sunday afternoon. Alhambra junior Jane Sabuni and her sister, Lillian, came to the Learning Lounge […]

By GCU News Bureau On a day when 530 Grand Canyon University traditional graduates were on cloud nine as they paraded up to receive their diplomas, numbers were the name of the game — and there were two ways about it. First, this was a first. GCU had never before held a winter commencement until Friday afternoon at the Arena, but the University’s ever expanding student population made it obvious a year and a half ago that it would become necessary. First-semester graduates previously had to wait until spring commencement if they wanted to participate in the ceremony. Second, there was the numerical magic of Justin Willman, who wowed the crowd in his entertaining commencement address, just as he had in the October ceremony for online graduates. His closing trick, in which the random numbers he got from four students equaled, when multiplied, the date and exact time (121,214,437, or 12/12/14 at 4:37 p.m.), is impossible to figure. But in between jokes and other tricks, Willman, host of “Cupcake Wars,” had a simple message for the graduates: “No matter how you do the math, the past and the future always wind up adding up to the present.” Three cheers for that. —Rick […]

Story and photos by Cooper Nelson GCU News Bureau Grand Canyon University hosted nearly 50 K-12 school districts across Arizona on Wednesday for the inaugural Lopes Leap to Teach career fair, a networking event for current students and alumni to find jobs at local schools. The career fair is part of a new education initiative announced by the University in October to address the state’s shortage of high-quality teachers by bringing together undergraduate and graduate students needing to complete practicum hours in classrooms with school districts. It also was designed to link College of Education graduates with local schools to fill teaching vacancies. According to an October survey by the Arizona Association of School Administrators and job postings listed on the Arizona Education Employment Board, there were more than 500 open teaching positions statewide. Public, private and charter schools from Gilbert to Chandler and Glendale to Maricopa were represented. Two future career fairs will be held in March and April to bring together May graduates and school officials for positions available in the 2015-16 academic year. Tom Beckett, director of human resources for the Maricopa Unified School District, which was represented at the fair, said it has a handful of vacancies. The event was a good launching point to familiarize GCU students with […]

Grand Canyon University President and CEO Brian Mueller is among national leaders of universities, businesses and other organizations invited to attend the White House College Opportunity Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 4. The conference recognizes educational institutions and other community stakeholders committed to developing college graduates who can put their skills to use in the American workforce. “Grand Canyon is pleased to be part of this national discussion about how to best educate our young people, prepare them for fruitful careers that support Arizona cities and towns, and make college education as accessible as possible to a wide range of students,” Mueller said. Over the past few years, the University has intensified its efforts to ensure that a high-quality, affordable college education is available to all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Nearly 18 months ago, Grand Canyon and the Phoenix Union High School District announced a partnership with Alhambra High School to develop the “Learning Lounge” on the University campus, where college students mentor high school students to assist them in improving their academics and expose them to the vast possibilities of a college education. After just one year, nearly 300 Alhambra students have visited the Learning Lounge […]

Nearly 2,500 high school students from across Arizona descended onto the campus of Grand Canyon University today for the 29th annual Health Sciences & Nursing Day. With a theme of “Who are you in Health Care?” the event provided opportunities for students to learn about careers in fields as diverse as athletic training, emergency room nursing, missionary medicine and crime-scene investigations.

On Wednesday, Grand Canyon University announced its Lopes Leap to Teach program, a joint effort through the College of Education and office of Strategic Educational Alliances to address Arizona’s teacher shortage. The program will include efforts like a clinical practice expo and networking event in January where Arizona schools can recruit GCU students who’ve recently completed student-teaching assignments, or link up with students and alumni that need to complete practicum hours in local classrooms.

Grand Canyon University’s non-traditional commencement ceremony returned to campus and to the more spacious GCU Arena on Saturday. The extra seats were a blessing as family members and friends of nearly 1,900 online students for morning and afternoon ceremonies.

Joanna Simpson earned her master’s and doctorate from Grand Canyon University, her hometown university. But she also has a longtime connection with former high school mentor and College of Education dean Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, with whom Simpson is now working closely with as COE addresses the needs of new teachers.