Colleges

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.

Fifteen beautiful pieces of choreography premiered at the Spring Student Spotlight Dance Concert on Tuesday night in Thunderground. The show offers choreography in several different styles of dance, showcasing the wide range of talent coming out of GCU’s Dance program. The second and final night of the concert starts at 7:30 today.

Lopes Leap to Teach always draws a lot of school district representatives eager to hire GCU students. The vibe at Thursday’s event centered on the importance of creating teachers who are leaders and can fit into a faculty well — a specialty for GCU’s College of Education. Howard Paley of the Isaac School District said he has found that GCU students are “much more willing to accept a broad variety of colleagues. … They’re looking for a good team.”

Mark Snyder, President of Snyder Nationwide Real Estate, spoke to graduate and Hospitality Management students Thursday about he injects his faith into the business world. “I’m going to do what’s right every time,” he said. “I pursue God daily. God’s the kingmaker, not your talents.”

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.

It was in 2017 when the Sports Medicine Club first volunteered for Run to Fight Children’s Cancer, offering to help with first aid. It also was the year spectator Perry Harris suffered a heart attack. He might not have survived if not for the quick thinking of Sports Medicine Club students and their advisors, and for nearby athletic trainers. Three years later and the University ran through its first Special Event Medical Emergency Exercise on Tuesday behind the GCU Innovation Center at the 27th Avenue complex. Ten departments trained for a medical emergency by running through a mock scenario. “A situation can occur at any time,” said Canyon Health and Wellness Clinic registered nurse Ian Youngblood, one of the mock scenario participants. Nurse practitioner Bethany Whitson added, “That’s why we do the drills.”

The College of Science, Engineering and Technology’s Forensic Science Department has done it again, this time with the addition of some new booths at Forensic Science Day on Tuesday. The forensic odontology booth showed the visiting high school students how to use bite marks to solve a crime, and there also were new fingerprinting and impression-evidence booths. The visitors also watched a live police dog demo, met with the Phoenix Police Department’s Special Assignment Unit and heard from guest speakers in the field.

Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremony showcased several of GCU’s most inspiring stories from alumni who have made a impact on their communities and careers throughout the years. One of this years inductees was Reginald Freeman, who received his masters from GCU in 2008. Since Freeman has surpassed numerous milestones in the Firefighting field and continues to give back to his community in Hartford Connecticut. This year’s other inductees included Randi (Johns) Riggs, Hagir Elsheikh, George Holm, and Sharky Baker.

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.

Creativity was abundant at the College of Fine Arts and Production’s Film Festival last night. Students from all genres of film flocked to Ethington Theatre to see the winners in eight categories. The one-night event was three nights in the past, and Lisa Tervo, Chair of GCU’s Department of Digital Film Production, said, “I think a lot of people just are really excited and pleasantly surprised by what they end up seeing.”