Honors College

From remote graduation parties to a graduation ceremony on Zoom to a social-distance-minded graduation dinner al fresco from a parking lot across from a Texas Roadhouse, GCU’s Lopes found a way to celebrate even though they couldn’t be together on campus for Commencement.

The postponement of Commencement couldn’t detract from the achievements of the Students Inspiring Students scholarship winners who earned their four-year degrees. The name of the program is apt — their stories of perseverance are inspiring. “The amount of work ethic they have is amazing,” said Dr. Joe Veres, Vice President of Student Success.

The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop the Honors College from holding its annual awards banquet. Associate Dean Breanna Naegeli and her staff just had to find a different way to do it. So for the first time, the banquet was made available via livestream Tuesday night as students celebrated the year with an added benefit — their families could be with them.

For the third year, the Honors College invested in its students and other college and high school students by hosting a leadership conference. The three-day Next Generation Leadership Conference brought in strong, local leaders to speak with attendees and offered breakout sessions on everything from innovative thinking to emotional intelligence. Students also strengthened their leadership skills at a retreat at South Mountain. “It’s an opportunity for us to bring in other industry leaders and for them to pour into these students over three days. … It builds a bigger picture of why they’re here,” said Honors College Program Manager Dennis Williams.

What do you get when you combine the Milwaukee Brewers and GCU’s Honors College? The Brewers STEM Crew after school club. The program for middle school students, who were led by students from the Honors College, highlighted the STEM involved in baseball through an active, engaging approach.

From 2010 to 2019, GCU grew from seven colleges to nine and more than doubled its academic programs from 94 to 238. How did that happen? Simple. “Nothing is slow here,” said Dr. Mark Wooden, Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. “We go after things full blast and make them happen.” Reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine.

After a troubled childhood, Christopher Robinson didn’t want a relationship with God. But when he finally opened his heart to Jesus, it made such an impact on him, he wrote a book and wants to become a youth pastor after he graduates. “It got to a point where God was so real, where I could not deny it, I could not continue to do what I was doing prior,” Robinson said. “It just wasn’t possible.”

The February 2020 issue of GCU Magazine will be a keepsake for students, faculty, staff and alumni. The special dedication to GCU’s stunning transformation in the last 10 years includes stories, photos and videos covering every aspect of this remarkable story — academics, spiritual life, campus life, community outreach, athletics, online education and alumni — plus President Brian Mueller’s personal thoughts about what it has meant to him. Here’s the digital version.

Colangelo College of Business Honors Freshman Noah Viso has done things in his freshman year that some people don’t even do until later in their degree program, or in some cases, even after they graduate. Viso is employed as a student worker, interns at the Canyon Ventures Center, attends networking events for businesses such as Ferrari and communicates with board members of JPMorgan Chase, all while maintain an honors-level grade-point average and attending nearly all of the Honors College’s events.

GCU News Bureau A special edition of the Journal of Instructional Research features several articles from Grand Canyon University faculty. JIR features theoretical and empirically-based research articles, critical reflection pieces, case studies and classroom innovations relevant to best practices in post-secondary instruction (including teaching, learning and assessment). The articles listed below are available here: “Defining Effective Online Pedagogy,” John Steele, Rick Holbeck, Jean Mendernach Ten Strategic Points: A Framework for Doctoral Dissertations Students to Conceptualize their Research Design in a Doctoral Residency Program,” Cynthia Bainbridge, Christie McClendon, June Maul “The Goldilocks Paradox: The Need for Instructor Presence but Not Too Much in an Online Discussion Forum,” Elizabeth Larson, Jacob Aroz, Eric Nordin “Virtual Professional Communities: Integrative Faculty Support to Foster Effective Teaching,” Katie Sprute, Crystal McCabe, Lynn Basko, Paul Danuser “Exploring Quiz-Style PowerPoint Games as an Innovative e-Learning and Teaching Pedagogy,” Nikki Squire “Reflective Practice through Mentorship: A Program Reflection,” Emily Pottinger, Rebekah Dyer and Jena Akard “Using OBS to Create Video Lectures for Online Counseling Students,” Daniel A. Kauffman “Active Classrooms: Great for Academic Performance, but can They Improve Student Health? A Critical Literature Review,” Mike Swoboda The Intersection of Theory and Practice in Teacher Preparation Courses,” Brandon Juarez “Alternative Mentoring for Psychology Students,” […]