College of Nursing & Health Care Professions

You wouldn’t normally expect to find onesies, high-heeled shoes or Burt’s Bees at a college retail store, but you will find those things peppered among the notebooks, binders and a sea of purple T-shirts at the new Lope Shop. The store, which touts Champion and Nike concept areas, a tech area, boutique and more, opened Wednesday at its new 9,500-square-foot space on the Promenade. With its floor-to-ceiling glass display windows and modern, open feel, it’s a far cry different from its much smaller space — only one-fifth as big — on Lopes Way.

For the second consecutive year, GCU made the top 10 of Niche’s Best College Campuses list, scoring a No. 7 ranking (up from No. 8 last year) for its college life — and the accolades don’t end there. The University also is No. 6 on the Best Dorms in America list and No. 7 in Best Online Colleges.

A GCU online learner has been nominated for an excellence in clinical research award by the hospital at which she works. Jean Cheek, forensic nurse examiner coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, said the health system has implemented changes based on her research at GCU.

In 1978, Ray Arvizu led the Lopes to an NAIA basketball national championship. His impact on the community easily could have stopped there. But Arvizu dove into charity work in his hometown of Phoenix and for the past 14 years has run an event at GCU called Ninos Seguros. The back-to-school giveaway has a mission of teaching childhood safety and brings together the diverse community of Phoenix for a day of fun.

Nursing students have once again proven that GCU prepares them for the field. In the second quarter of 2018, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions’ posted a 95.65 percent first-time pass rating on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). That brings the College’s year-to-date rate to 92.86 percent — higher than the Arizona Board of Nursing’s year-to-date statewide average of 91.89. The NCLEX is administered to nursing students after they finish their pre-licensure program and is required before they can obtain their professional license and begin working as a Registered Nurse. The College’s Dean, Dr. Lisa Smith, attributed much of the success to the College’s NCLEX Success Manager, Amy Leach, and countless others who have devoted themselves to preparing students for the exam.

The terminology might sound the same, but when it comes to “nonprofit” and “not-for-profit,” there are subtle differences between the two. So when it comes to referring to Grand Canyon University, it’s important to use the correct terminology: We are a nonprofit.

Campus construction projects are barreling forward this summer, from the addition of 1,000 field-level seats at GCU Ballpark that will put spectators right in the action, to a new Lope Shop, two new residence halls, a soon-to-be-completed parking garage, a new Colangelo College of Business building, a new Canyon Activities Center, and perhaps the most exciting addition for students — a long-anticipated Taco Bell. The projects are on track, many of them expected to be completed by the time students arrive for the fall semester.

The Commuter Lounge is one of the busiest places on the Grand Canyon University campus during summer school, but the students who use it love its more relaxed ambiance this time of year. As Ruben Garcia said, “I have more time to talk to some of the students I see in the lounge. Now that it is summer, we dive and delve.’’

They blink. They cry. They yell — but they don’t get hurt. The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions’ new immersive lab features manikins (the medical spelling for mannequins) that challenge students in intense, real-life scenarios. The lab is outfitted with interactive cameras, audio, hospital rooms and a control room where facilitators can pick their poison.

The end of Dr. Rose Saunders’ nearly 50-year career as an educator of nursing students was capped by her nomination for the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year in the Nursing Leadership and Administration Management category, one of 12 awards that will be presented on Friday at The Camby Hotel. Saunders, who served as Associate Dean at GCU before entering semi-retirement as an adjunct professor, is enthralled with the authentic Christian worldview at GCU.