College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Funny how being unable to attend classes in person for six months makes them that much more appealing. Whether they were returning to GCU or fresh out of high school, students were eager to resume the classroom experience this week. “It’s completely different being here as a student,” said one freshman. “It’s a big, amazing school, and there’s a completely different atmosphere than most colleges.”

Innovations and creativity are a hallmark of video games, and they also are central to the way Dr. Daniel Kaufmann of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences connects with his online students. Find out how he incorporates his Dr. Gameology persona into his teaching style and how students have reacted to it.

Christian Simmons starts in-person classes Monday with a lot of intense stories he can tell about his summer. He fought wildfires during one of the most intense fire seasons ever. The Government major and Students Inspiring Students scholarship recipient shares how one day in the Tonto National Forest the flames were too close for comfort.

Jacqueline Carter was placed in foster care at age 17, one week before she was scheduled to start at GCU. But a Good Samaritan arranged to have her live on campus, and now Carter has her bachelor’s degree and is set to start working on her master’s. Friday afternoon, Carter’s achievement was celebrated at the Arizona Department of Child Safety, where a small gathering included her favorite GCU professor.

Thursday’s celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day has special meaning for the GCU Civics Club, which will initiate projects in the coming weeks at local libraries and schools. The day commemorates the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and efforts by many to become U.S. citizens.

GCU junior Heather Davenport used to join her grandparents to volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Oregon and never forgot the senior citizens starving for social contact. It all came full circle this summer, when the marketing campaign she led for a GCU class became a reality in Oregon. It landed on a billboard and is helping raise awareness of the needs of the homebound population.

The Master of Social Work program launched in February, right before the pandemic went wild across the country and racial unrest followed. It was a perfect time to propel even more professionals into the field, said Kathleen Downey. The Director of Social Work said the College of Humanities and Social Sciences “dream team” she helped assemble is intentionally versatile to meet the needs of students as they prepare to help the community face this new reality.

It took GCU’s talented and dedicated staff and faculty one week to make the transition to an online platform when the pandemic struck last semester. For the upcoming academic school year GCU is building on that success to offer an effective and smooth option for students to continue their studies.

The plan for the fall semester was all set, but then the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly worsened in Arizona. Undaunted, the GCU task force that had been working so diligently since February pivoted with one simple goal: They want the University to be part of the pandemic solution.

An advocate can be as simple as “not remaining silent when someone speaks negatively of other people,” said Ron Friesen, a GCU adjunct instructor who led a virtual workshop, “The Role of the Counselor in Advocacy and Social Justice.” But it can mean helping change a community. Advocacy and social justice are deeply ingrained in the counseling profession and events of the past few months have highlighted the importance.