Colleges

Dr. Charlotte Wheeless’s journey to receiving her doctoral degree had it’s fair share of obstacles, one of which included the unexpected loss of her husband Gene just three months after her first residency. Yet she decided to persevere and since graduating in October has advanced in her career at Williams Baptist University from assistant professor to associate professor and was granted endowment for her chair position as well.

Dr. Jason Ward, Faculty Manager for the College of Doctoral Studies, knows his way around the world — and around its languages, too. Check out how many continents, countries and states he has visited and how many languages he has studied. He also has a long list of scholarly presentations. But the key to his classroom presence, he says, is humor.

In what might be an appetizer for the continuing growth of entrepreneurship on campus, the founders of LopesEat won the Canyon Challenge on Friday afternoon. It’s not just that Kevin Vega and Suman Dangol have shown a lot of talent and innovation with their idea. The biggest headline of all is that they’re both freshmen and met just six months ago.

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.

It was a year of firsts for GCU’s 2020 Homecoming Celebration, and based on Alumni responses, may not be one of lasts. Along with the beloved homecoming traditions such as the Derby car races, the homecoming tailgate and the Hall of Fame ceremony, alumni also got to participate in a Campfire and Cocktails social event at Canyon 49, an Alumni Reunion Mixer at GCU Arena Hall and a Golden Lopes Ceremony at the tailgate. “We’re really trying to build out some lasting traditions at the university and a reunion is something that I think resonates with a lot of people,” Alumni Relation Specialist Brianna Bell said.

Photos by John Spooner GCU News Bureau The Spring Student Spotlight Dance Concert is an opportunity for students to showcase their choreography to the GCU community. 

Tonight is the last chance this spring to view the choreography talents of students in the College of Fine Arts and Production’s dance program. The Spring Student Spotlight Concert, at 7:30 in Thunderground, features 17 student pieces. “The show is very diverse, and it shows a lot of different facets to dance,” said Bekki Price, Program Development Specialist for the College of Fine Arts and Production. “It’s a really fun and unique way to come get exposed to the arts and what we have to offer at GCU.”

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.

It was a dark and stormy night … no, not really. Actually, it was a sunny Tuesday morning at Grand Canyon University for Forensic Science Day, where 1,400 high school and community college students created blood spatter, analyzed a crime scene, searched for clues in a scavenger hunt, visited with Phoenix Police Department’s Special Assignments Unit, toured cadaver and DNA labs and visited with a forensic artist, to name a few of the activities. The goal? To introduce students not just to GCU but to the Forensic Science program and the multitude of jobs available to them in that field.

Dr. Jimmy Brown, Academic Quality Reviewer and Dissertation Chair for the College of Doctoral Studies, hasn’t just worked for a lot of different companies and organizations; his career has taken him to places all around the United States and beyond. Check out how many cities, states/provinces/prefectures and countries he has been employed in. But being at home with his family still is his favorite activity.