College of Fine Arts and Production

Summer isn’t as quiet as you’d think around the University this year. More students than ever — 1,137 — are housed on campus this year. For the first time, they can live in University apartments, and many are eager to make up for lost time after a year of pandemic disruptions. “For me, having the option of being on campus and getting a job and doing it for a lower expense – I would take that to be with my friends a bit longer,” said Caleb Canfield, a resident assistant.

The virtual Commencement ceremony for online students Saturday was actually eight prerecorded ceremonies — one for each college, with a promise of more ceremonies this fall for graduates who would like the in-person experience. But the acknowledgment of their accomplishments amid the pandemic couldn’t wait. “What you have accomplished is remarkable, and we are celebrating it today,” GCU President Brian Mueller said.

It’s been a year like no other, and that notion is especially true in regards to this year’s GCU Hall of Fame recipients. Rachel Winkler, Scott Van Newkirk, Garth Bailey and Dan Snyder were selected to be added to the growing list of impressive alumni who are making an impact in their fields. From business to the health insurance industry, each recipient holds an impressive resumé and an even more impressive journey. “I feel like your education is just the start,” Van Newkirk said. “Nothing is going to be given to you, and how you prepare your work ethic through school is going to carry on into your career.” Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

Animation and visual effects instructor Richie Jimenez saw a need for more local opportunities for students to work in the animation field, so with the help of project partner Kevin Palmer, more opportunities were created. Through the creation of an animated short titled “Fishing for the Soul” the duo has hired on three GCU alumni to work on the project and hope to continue to raise funds via the project’s Kickstarter. “By including past students on the production team, Richie is showing first-hand how the skills learned in our Digital Design program can be put to work,” Digital Design Director Sheila Schumacher said. “As a mentor and leader for the students, he always looks for ways to challenge them to tell better stories and create engaging characters.”

The graduation of the class of 2020 was more than a year in the making, but the pandemic-interrupted celebration became a reunion of friends who hadn’t seen each other for months. “Seeing a lot of people brings up a lot of memories of school and friend groups and different years and different people along the way,” said graduate Ethan Collins.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The final ceremony of Spring Commencement brought back to campus spring 2020 graduates whose ceremonies had to be canceled last year because of the pandemic. The student speaker was Samuel Yonan, the 2019-20 president of the Associated Students of Grand Canyon University.  

It has been a long and memorable ride for theatre students Brand Brown, Christian Bradford and Tyler Sorrels in their time at GCU, and it wrapped up Monday afternoon as the trio walked across the Commencement stage. The active members of the College of Fine Arts and Production community used the milestone as an opportunity to look back on the memories they’ve made at GCU while also looking ahead to the future. “Sometimes it feels like you’re not in the right place in life and you haven’t been making the right choices, but it’s very refreshing to know that here I felt surrounded by a group of people who cared about me and that were willing to make mistakes and help each other grow,” Brown said.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau Graduates of the Colangelo College of Business and the College of Fine Arts and Production were honored Monday afternoon at GCU Arena during Spring Commencement. Kennedy Adams, who received her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Graphic Design, was the student speaker.  

How people communicate has changed drastically over the past several years, and anyone with a mobile phone knows just how crazy that can get. GCU will equip students for those continued changes with six new programs of study. New bachelor’s programs in Social Media and Professional Writing and three new Communications emphases will launch in the fall and highlight the ethics, civility and judgment in media and communications that are sorely needed these days.

Before seniors Morgan McCall, Ryan Ardelt and Alex Cavanaugh walk the Commencement stage later this month, the trio of friends had one more project up their sleeves. What started as an original submission to a 24-hour playwriting festival was adapted to an audio broadcast performance scheduled to premiere at 7 p.m. today. “It feels like coming home,” said McCall, the director. “It’s all amounted to this. All of us have worked really hard in this program, and our friendship has led up to this moment and all of our skills have led up to this moment.”