College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Time after time over three days of commencement, Grand Canyon University volunteers sought to make the experience special for the graduates. One of the ways they do it is the “tunnel walk” after each ceremony — applauding the grads as they walk out of the Arena after the ceremony. It was just one of many memorable moments.

Photos by Slaven Gujic and Travis Neely GCU News Bureau Online students from the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Education, the Colangelo College of Business and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences received their diplomas at commencement Friday night at Grand Canyon University Arena. To view the ceremony, click here.   

Photos by Travis Neely GCU News Bureau Online students from the College of Fine Arts and Production, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Theology and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology participated in commencement Friday morning in GCU Arena. To watch the ceremony, click here.      

One of the participants at commencement Friday knows the Grand Canyon University campus far better than most online students. Tatiana Parada lived on campus for her first two years but then moved to Los Angeles to get married. But she still completed her degree and raves about both the traditional and the online programs.

Dr. Charles Maxson is retiring after 34 years at GCU, and students talked at length about all the things they have learned from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences professor. Mainly, they appreciated one-on-one conversations with him.

“We’re here tonight to hopefully, not only mourn together and remember together, but to celebrate their lives together,” Dr. Tim Griffin, Dean of Students, said at Tuesday night’s Celebration of Life ceremony. The GCU community honored the lives of Christian Applegate, Roy Pietrek, Keisha Nicole Oyola Perales, Dr. Tiffany Mealman and Taylor White.

The cover story of the April issue of GCU Magazine features students who got here in a roundabout way and then made the most of their opportunities on campus. It’s fascinating to see the commonalities — and yet the wide range of diversity — in what they say, but it all comes back to one thing: They love it here.

The new edition of StartleBloom: The GCU Literary Review” was celebrated Thursday on the Promenade. As student authors did readings of their work, one of their advisors, Dr. Diane Goodman, called it “astonishing and moving.”

When it comes to online learning, GCU’s faculty have established a reputation of being some of the most sought-after thought-leaders in presenting and publishing their scholarly work. Between 2012 and 2017, they led 163 presentations, and their work was featured in 138 publications. GCU are the innovators, said Rick Holbeck, Executive Director of Online Full-Time Faculty.

Education majors Katelyn Watson and Timothy Sims, the first two members of GCU’s “Peer Mentors in Academics” pilot program, gain enrichment by enriching English composition students — who in turn are thrilled to receive instruction from fellow students.