College of Theology

“I wanted to pay it back,” GCU Enrollment supervisor Michael Rodriguez said at the GCU Volunteer Fair on Wednesday at the 27th Avenue office building as he signed up at the Big Brothers Big Sisters booth. Rodriguez himself was paired with a Big Brother when he was a kid. BBBS was just one of the 20 GCU-supported nonprofits employees were able to connect with at the fair, an event GCU Community Outreach Manager Debbie Accomazzo calls a “matchmaking opportunity.”

Not many college students get to perform in a venue as big as the 7,000-capacity Grand Canyon University Arena. But that’s not the only boon of performing with the University’s three eight-member Worship Team bands. The student musicians and vocalists also refine their craft, connect with students during Chapel and The Gathering, become family with the close-knit group of Worship Team musicians and, of course, inspire those who listen with messages of faith.

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 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.      

Photos by David Kadlubowski and Travis Neely GCU News Bureau Students from the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Theology and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology participated in commencement Thursday afternoon in GCU Arena. To watch the ceremony, click here.  

The first major graduating class from the Center for Worship Arts was celebrated in the afternoon commencement session Thursday, and leading the way — as she has done so often — was Desiree Aguilar, who was the student speaker for a ceremony that included the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. She told of how she came to GCU after a serious illness and then was able to produce a song that reached No. 1 in the indie charts — all because she said yes to God.

“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 Evangelical Theological Society brought its Far West Regional Meeting to Grand Canyon University for the first time Friday, and the College of Theology took advantage of it to expose students to world-famous scholars. The message: There’s a lot more to learn.

Moving the Canyon Worship Songwriters Showcase to the outdoor patio of the Canyon 49 Grill was a big hit, and so was the music Monday night — one outstanding performance after another. It was especially gratifying for one visitor who has gotten a chance to see what life in the GCU Recording Studio is all about.

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.