College of Theology

Joseph Allen recorded his own 10-song LP, “The College Lifestyle,” when he was a student at GCU. But the Digital Film graduate took the next big step in his career, auditioning for “America’s Got Talent” and achieving something unimaginable. He received the much sought-after Golden Buzzer from Howie Mandel, which means he automatically advances to the next level of competition — the live auditions. He also got a Lopes up from judge Julianne Hough and this comment from Simon Cowell, who was amazed by the audience’s reaction to him (several Lopes were in the audience) before he even performed: “I tell you what, the WHOLE WORLD should go to your school right now.” Added GCU President Brian Mueller: “When I saw the video from ‘America’s Got Talent,’ I wasn’t surprised at all. He has that kind of effect on people. He’s very enthusiastic, charismatic, people-oriented and has a lot of friends at GCU. When he gets in a setting like that, he just makes people feel good.”

GCU’s first academic year in its return to nonprofit status was filled with so many important stories, picking just 10 was a challenging exercise for the GCU Today staff. Here’s how we voted, with links to the many stories that are worth revisiting.

Dr. Gary Osmundsen and Dr. Rich Holland both teach philosophy, which they view as a subject that has practical implications across a variety of subjects that confront students. But they also teach about life through their own examples — Osmundsen has completed four marathons, including Boston twice, and Holland recently was interviewed on a national podcast regarding his book, “Good Arguments.” “Philosophy is really practical,” Osmundsen said. “Good critical thinking generalizes in all domains, not just sports.” Holland calls philosophy “the Christian’s best friend.”

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony of spring commencement at Grand Canyon University featured 912 online graduates from the Colangelo College of Business, the College of Fine Arts and Production, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the College of Theology. To watch a replay of the ceremony, click here.     

Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau A total of 865 students from the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the College of Theology received their degrees Thursday evening at Grand Canyon University’s spring commencement. To watch a full replay, click here.  

The idea for the April issue of GCU Magazine actually was hatched in 2015, when we told the stories of some of the incoming students in the Class of 2019. Now they’re graduating, and it was time to see what their four years were like. The answer: It was a head-spinning time of growth, both on campus and for the students themselves. This issue also features the University’s first graduates from its engineering program and its Students Inspiring Students initiative, a look at how GCU teaches computer programming differently, the heartwarming story of Jesse Dalla Riva‘s transformation from drug addict to graduate, and a My LopeLife piece by another 2019 grad. There’s more: what’s ahead for the GCU men’s basketball program, the increasingly important communication tool utilized by online instructors and students, and yet another heartwarming story — this one on recent GCU Hall of Fame inductee Sharky Baker. To read the digital version, click here.  

Monday night marked the final Canyon Worship Songwriters Showcase for Katie Brown and Harrison Russell, and the two stars of the Worship Arts program went out with a crescendo — they performed side by side for two songs. The way one of those songs came together is an interesting story, and so are their thoughts about their experiences in the program and where it’s headed.

Washington High School senior Juan Ballez has watched his father struggle with mobility in his hand and, for years, wished there was a way he could help. Now, on the cusp of graduating, he thinks he knows a way — by becoming a biomedical engineer. His dream of helping people, like his father, came closer to fruition Tuesday at GCU, when he found out he was one of 43 students in the neighborhood surrounding GCU to receive the Students Inspiring Students scholarship. “It feels like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Juan after receiving the scholarship, which covers four years of tuition and books. “… I was determined. I was like, I can’t have my parents pay for it (college). I don’t want that burden on them.”

All the world’s a stage, as Shakespeare said, and GCU’s Theatre Department is taking that to heart with a new theatre troupe, Parables, which will leave the comforts of the GCU campus and take the show on the road, so to speak, to local schools in the community. What’s also different about this performance group, actually made up of two ensembles, is that its main focus is to spread the Gospel through theatre.

Grand Canyon Theological Seminary, which opened in 2016, reached another milestone recently when it received full accreditation for five degree programs from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). It’s a big step, but even more significant was the impression the University left on the visiting ATS site team.