College of Humanities and Social Sciences

More than 2,300 students from 65 schools across Arizona tiptoed through cadaver, engineering and DNA labs, and cavorted with 3D printers and robots as part of GCU’s Health, Sciences, Engineering and Technology Day on Wednesday. The goal is to showcase the STEM programs, facilities and clubs GCU offers.

The billboards that tower over the roadways and proclaim messages from advertisers aren’t your grandmother’s or even your mother’s billboards, Jason King, Vice President of Public Relations for Clear Channel Outdoor said Thursday at Grand Canyon University. Billboards are more about the consumer than ever, and are strategically placed with information from cellphones.

The Latino Student Union and the Sociology and Social Work Club collaboratively put on an elaborate Dia de los Muertos celebration that included an altar with photos and favorite foods of loved ones — and two parties, including one Thursday featuring purple hibiscus juice and sweets on the Promenade.

Nearly 100 GCU faculty and students attended a presentation Wednesday by Dr. Michael Malek-Ahmadi, one of Arizona’s leading experts on Alzheimer’s disease. Forgetting your friend’s name or where you parked your car aren’t as indicative of the disease as becoming suddenly disoriented and not knowing the day, year, week or month, he said.

Students and professors from across campus stopped by Friday during a marathon reading of John Milton’s 17th century “Paradise Lost,” an extraordinary work of English literature that tells the story of man’s fall from the Garden of Eden. Dr. Jonathan Olson, a Milton scholar, headed the reading of the 10,565 line-epic that began at 9 a.m. and ended at 6:20 p.m.

Adding lines of prose to a community story about Spongebob escaping a unicorn and a herd of fleas amid a green sea was one of the activities offered Friday during GCU’s celebration of the National Day on Writing. The activities, stressing written expression, were a big hit with passersby.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is celebrating the National Day on Writing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday on the Promenade. Faculty, students and staff are invited to participate in creative writing activities, including describing themselves in six-word autobiographies.

Mike “Big Dog” Abell entered GCU Arena for fall commencement, not with a graduation cap, but with his signature cowboy hat. Abell, a fixture at the University, earned his master’s degree in professional counseling — something that will help him in his work counseling visually impaired clients at Family Ministry Counseling and Psychotherapy Services. Abell, himself, is blind.

Graduates juggle raising children and balancing jobs with their studies. GCU Today talked to several graduates about the road to receiving their degrees during fall commencement Friday.

GCU’s Speech and Debate team began the academic year with excellent performances in the Aztec Invitational Tournament in San Diego over the weekend. The team ranked in the top eight out of 31 universities and colleges and hopes to do even better in its next event, in early November at Cal State Northridge.