Colleges

It’s hard to tell which Khester Kendrick loves more — being a member of the teaching faculty in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology or reading comic books and watching science-fiction movies. Find out what he loves most about cybersecurity and what kind of television shows his children get him to watch.

The monthly One Foundation faculty gatherings won’t be Lunch and Learns this year because of the pandemic, but the program still will be conducted online. Faculty are urged to join in on discussions about the hot-button issues of our day, coming at them from a Christian perspective.

A panel of “Amazonians” on Wednesday gave GCU students a peek into life at Amazon, the “earth’s most customer-centric company,” as part of the Provost Speakers Series in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. CSET is among several colleges at GCU that partner with Strategic Employer Initiatives and Internships to offer the Provost Speaker Series. The group of mostly software development and front-end engineers also shared their path to Amazon along with insights into the company’s unique culture and how students might also work there.

Three crosses rose on the GCU campus recently just before students return after a summer of national challenges. The crosses symbolize hope in difficult times and a faith that is front and center at GCU. The beautiful location just outside GCU Arena and flanking the Academic Administration Building will become a contemplative location, marking an idea launched by students last year and constructed by students over the summer.

It’s the same scholarship that has been changing the lives of incoming Honors College students for years, but now it has a new name: the Academic Excellence & Servant Leadership Scholarship. The annual reception for scholarship winners had to be conducted online because of the pandemic. “We wanted these students to have an opportunity to engage with one another and have a moment to reflect on how special this scholarship opportunity really is,” Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli said.

Thursday’s celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day has special meaning for the GCU Civics Club, which will initiate projects in the coming weeks at local libraries and schools. The day commemorates the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and efforts by many to become U.S. citizens.

Dr. Shaunna Waltemeyer fervently believes in being a lifelong learner, and she brings that spirit of the educational adventure to her Colangelo College of Business classes. She is adventuresome in other ways in her spare time, both in her love of the outdoors and in her passion for staying fit.

GCU junior Heather Davenport used to join her grandparents to volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Oregon and never forgot the senior citizens starving for social contact. It all came full circle this summer, when the marketing campaign she led for a GCU class became a reality in Oregon. It landed on a billboard and is helping raise awareness of the needs of the homebound population.

The making of the annual Canyon Worship album, with 10 songs entirely by GCU students, is always an interesting story. But this year it got a little too interesting — when the pandemic hit last spring, two tracks had yet to be recorded. But they scrambled and pulled it together, and once again it’s a masterpiece that, most importantly, honors God through music.

Dr. Rich Holland, Assistant Professor in the College of Theology, has some interesting stories to tell about his books, his teaching style and the feedback he has received from students about how he intertwines philosophy and theology. But it all comes down to this: “Being able to have an impact on our students is what gets me up in the morning,” he said.