College of Humanities and Social Sciences

What would you have to change about yourself in the workplace if your employer was God? You might need to pray more often for the ability to do what’s right, to be more forgiving and do walk humbly, and you might do a “heart check” to ensure we are loving and serving others. That was the message at Friday’s Integration of Faith, Learning and Work “Lunch and Learn” faculty program, entitled, “Work That Honors God.”

By Janie Magruder Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau No matter how you slice it, the most talked-about stories at Grand Canyon University in 2015 had something to do with students and creating for them the best possible academic, spiritual and social experiences. With a record number of students matriculating on campus this year, new programs, new faculty and staff and — especially — new buildings were needed to help facilitate their learning. Additional residence halls and eateries were required for the students’ care and feeding, as were fields for their recreation and structures for their vehicles. The University did not disappoint. In what has become a year-end tradition at GCU Today, here are our top 10 stories of 2015, in no particular order of importance. (We do think you’d be hard-pressed to argue against the first entry, however.) Our list is by no means etched in stone, nor all-inclusive, but is merely meant to prompt water-cooler debates or a bit of reflection. Thanks for the memories, GCU. Up, up, up: student enrollment. If not for the 15,500 traditional students (a 21.6 percent jump over 2014’s ground enrollment) and the 59,200 online students (up 7.5 percent from last year) […]

On the heels of a staff Christmas party earlier in the week that included the best barbecue in Phoenix and a rousing good time at the men’s basketball game, GCU President Brian Mueller put a bow on the University’s 2015 accomplishments during the all-employee meeting Thursday in GCU Arena. Moving testimony from current and future students, a prayer for the family of two employees who recently passed away and a slew of statistics about growth in buildings, academics and student quality were all part of the package.

Photos by Darryl Webb GCU News Bureau GCU Arena was packed and festive for winter commencement Friday night as more than 600 traditional graduates received their diplomas. So many great stories equals so many great photos, filled with joy and anticipation.  

There was a slight chill in the air Friday, but things quickly warmed up inside a full GCU Arena as more than 600 members of the Class of 2015 and thousands of their closest family members and friends celebrated a variety of incredible accomplishments. Keynote speaker Erik Wahl speed-painted two interesting pieces of art during his talk, which reflected on his own mistakes in life of listening too closely to critics and being afraid to find and live his purpose. He encouraged the new alumni to never be afraid to fail and to think differently than anyone has before.

Nearly everyone knows about GCU’s basketball team, but flying more quietly under the radar is the University’s speech and debate team, which is nonetheless a big success story. The team, just three years old, this year has earned a ranking in the top 20 schools in the nation that practice the same speech and debate styles. And most recently, in what team director Barry Regan said is impressive news, debaters Thomas Rotering and Zachary Kuykendall qualified for a prestigious national competition.

Dramatic, one-person performances mesmerized a coffee-sipping crowd at Peet’s Coffee Wednesday as speech and debate team members portrayed characters with startling emotional detail. The performers who took the stage were freshmen Thomas Gleason, Chrycia LeGendre and TaylorRae Humbert, and sophomore Chloe Saunders. Topics ranged from a pro-life story about a woman who was raped and decided to keep her baby to prose about how UFC fighter Ronda Rousey is a significant figure for female empowerment. GCU’s team is ranked in the top 20 of the nation, out of 138 schools, said team director Barry Regan, communication instructor with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. GCU has the story.

GCU won high scores in the recent Region 1 American Criminal Justice Association Competition in Sacramento: Top Academic – Bridgette Smith 1st Place, Criminal Law, Lower Division – Bridgette Smith 1st Place, Police Management, Lower Division – Bridgette Smith 2nd Place, Corrections, Lower Division – Bridgette Smith 2nd Place, LAE Knowledge, Lower Division – Bridgette Smith 2nd Place, Juvenile Justice, Professional Division – Cornel Stemley 3rd Place, Police Management, Professional Division – Cornel Stemley 3rd Place, Corrections, Professional Division – Cornel Stemley Physical Agility: 1st Place, Upper Division – Chris Rogers 3rd Place, Upper Division – James Luong Firearms, Individual: 1st Place, Lower Division – Sarah Rapp 2nd Place, Upper Division – Blake McCormick 3rd Place, Upper Division – James Luong 3rd Place, Lower Division – Bridgette Smith Firearms, Team: 1st Place, Upper Division – James Luong, Chris Rogers, Blake McCormick 1st Place, Lower Division – Arturo Echeverria, Tyler Carlson, Sarah Rapp

GCU’s speech and debate team this weekend came in first place among four-year universities in individual events (speech) at the Robert Barbera Collegiate Forensics Invitational #1 at California State University, Northridge. The team beat Arizona State University and the University of California-Berkeley, two of the top-ranked schools in the nation, said team director Barry Regan, a College of Humanities and Social Sciences communications instructor. Click here to read more in GCU Today.

The second “Lunch and Learn” in the College of Theology’s Integration of Faith, Learning and Work was called “Communication and the Christian Faith,” and the talk Friday morning by Josh Danaher of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences sparked a lot of discussion. Danaher said that communicating effectively can be difficult at times for everyone, even those who do it for a living, and he suggested ways to be a better listener and, thus, get your message across.