College of Theology

Nine months later, the Oscar Frayer bulletin still is shocking. “What? How could that happen? Not now!” was a typical response to the news that the GCU basketball star, his sister and a friend had been killed in an auto accident just days after he played in the NCAA tournament. Thankfully, 2021 was filled with happier moments, in particular the opening of the GCU CityServe warehouse, the awarding of more Students Inspiring Students scholarships, the energy of Lip Sync and other major events, and the inspiration of so many students and staff. Here are our favorite stories. They might be yours, too.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony of Winter Commencement at Grand Canyon University featured graduates of the Colangelo College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, and College of Theology. Read the story about the event’s Commencement speaker here and see a slideshow below. For more Winter Commencement news, click here to view a slideshow from the Friday evening ceremony and here to read about that session’s student speaker. 

The musical talent in GCU’s Worship Arts program could be seen live and in person again Monday night when, for the first time in two years, the Songwriters Showcase convened on the patio of Canyon 49 Grill. The 15 songs included five written and performed by freshmen, most notably Kyleigh Almich — it was the first song she has ever written. The variety of sounds and genres also was notable. “It shows how they’re stretching as songwriters, as musicians, people from different backgrounds, musically, coming together, writing together,” said Dr. Randall Downs, Worship Arts Coordinator for the College of Theology.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The Fall Songwriters Showcase on Monday night marked the first time in two years that Worship Arts students were able to gather on the patio of Canyon 49 Grill to perform their songs.  

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The sixth of seven makeup Commencements was staged Monday at Grand Canyon University Arena. Here’s a story on the featured speaker for the makeup ceremonies, Dr. Breanna Naegeli.   

Like everything else during the pandemic, the Academic Career & Excellence Centers — the go-to spots on campus for free peer-to-peer tutoring — went virtual, offering up academic support via a cable and computer screen. But the ACE Centers have returned to offering in-person academic help at its six locations, including a new location at the Colangelo College of Business.

Photos by Rick D’Elia GCU News Bureau Student artists performed their songs from Canyon Worship 2021 in the Canyon Worship Night concert on Thursday on the Quad. Here’s the story.  

For a university that places such a high emphasis on giving back to the community, adding GCU’s first annual Day of Giving to the calendar just made sense. More than 2,000 donations were made during the 24-hour blitz and will help fund a number of valuable causes on campus. “I’m really impressed with how many donors are interested in giving back to the community here,” Director of Annual Giving Cherylann Galdi said. “As Christians, we have a heart for others, and it really showed today.”

Canyon Worship Night wrapped up a big day for the College of Theology, which led the fund-raising efforts among colleges on Day of Giving. But the main thing for the college was giving students an opportunity to hear in person the Canyon Worship 2021 songs, sung by student artists who went through quite a journey to reach the stage on the Quad.

Photos by Rick D’Elia GCU News Bureau The Thursday morning of Fall Commencement featured graduates of the College of Education (bachelor’s); College of Fine Arts and Production; College of Humanities and Social Sciences (bachelor’s); College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (bachelor’s); College of Science, Engineering and Technology; and College of Theology.