College of Theology

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.

Worship Arts student artists sing their songs over and over in the Recording Studio, but they don’t get that many opportunities to perform onstage for an audience. That made their experience valuable Friday night when they sang at the first Canyon Worship East, designed to bring their talents to the community.

Mark Rosewaren won’t be on campus for homecoming Saturday, but he’ll be there in spirit — even though he’s on Air Force duty in Afghanistan. But what makes his story interesting is his reaction after receiving some serious GCU swag.

It’s been a big year so far, but there’s more to come in 2018-19. The spring semester will kick off with the grand opening of the new 150,000-plus-square foot Colangelo College of Business Building on Jan. 9 and will barrel forward through April and May with signature events such as the Canyon Challenge, Mr. GCU, the Theatre Department’s presentation of Holocaust drama “Who Will Carry the Word,” Serve the City in February, the Roadshow Tour at GCU Arena, basketball and much more. Check out some highlights from GCU Today’s 2019 Winter-Spring Calendar.

Demolition began Wednesday morning on Building 18, also known as the Media Arts Complex. Most passersby on the Promenade probably have no idea how many interesting uses the building had — even the worst of the Valley heat was no match for one of its features. The new Student Advising Center will be built on that site.

Photos by Slaven Gujic GCU News Bureau The Friday afternoon ceremony at Grand Canyon University winter commencement featured graduates of the College of Education, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and College of Theology.    

The Canyon Worship Songwriters Showcase drew a large crowd to the Canyon 49 Grill on Monday night, and with good reason. The 13 songs featured a lot of new faces, a lot of different genres, a lot of worship and, notably, a lot of engagement by those in attendance. It evoked reminders of how much the program has grown in four years and how it continues to evolve.

The growth of the Center for Worship Arts program at GCU is being felt in churches in Arizona and beyond. Aaron Bolton and Mallory Denson are just two of the students who have graduated and gone on to worship ministry careers at local churches. “We’re thrilled,” said Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology.

“There’s real science going on … there’s real innovation,” Provost Dr. Hank Radda said during Wednesday’s Undergraduate Learning Community and Research Symposium. Student presenters spoke to the audience about everything from the Desert Owl Population Improvement Project to the Bible Virtual Reality Project and one team’s attempt to help nonprofits digitize their paper surveys.

The GCU Recording Studio usually is a busy place, and part of the reason is the relationship that has been built with the high school community. Concert bands, choirs, jazz bands and other musical groups have gotten an opportunity to come to the studio and make professional-sounding recordings, and Valley Christian Schools took it to the next level by turning it into a video.