Colleges

The Homecoming festivities wouldn’t be complete without the induction of some very special Lopes into the GCU Hall of Fame, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday in the GCU Arena Hall. Making a difference in the lives of future generations was a common theme for this year’s group of inductees, professionals who have spent their careers doing just that.

GCU’s Film Festival brought a multitude of different emotions to an audience of eager film viewers Friday night. Within the eight categories, film students highlighted the talent emerging from COFAP’s film department. The top three films within each category, with the exception of music videos with four, competed for the trophy. “It’s a huge honor and there’s a lot of really talented film makers so I’m really blessed just to be able to come away with any win,” Matthew Wagner said about his film’s win in the comedy category.

Mark Fearey of the College of Fine Arts and Production has a lot of titles — Faculty Coach/Accompanist, Associate Director of Choirs and Faculty Music Director. But he’s equally well known for his performances. He estimates that he’s part of 75-100 concerts a year, including recitals on campus.

The Sports Business program brought together its first “Women Leaders in Sports” panel on Friday, giving students an opportunity to hear from four women who have accomplished a lot and want to share what they’ve learned. Among the panelists was Jamie Boggs, GCU’s Interim Vice President of Athletics, who said, “The industry has changed so much.”

Teen dating violence affects 1.5 million young people in America, which is why the University’s HOSA Future Health Professionals chapter thought it was important to partner with the New Life Center and bring a panel to campus for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Representatives from Bloom365, one-n-ten, the New Life Center and GCU on Thursday spoke about the red flags to teen dating violence, how to help those experiencing it, the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships and more.

After reading a book by Alan Alda, South West Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation speech language pathologist Patricia Backus came up with the idea of incorporating improv into therapy sessions. She reached out to GCU’s Theatre Department and was connected with the Cantalopes, and for the past several months GCU’s improv group has worked alongside SWAN Rehab professionals to teach improv techniques to both staff and patients.

Dr. Noe Vargas remembers what it was like to be new to America. He came from Mexico at 16, and one of the first people he could talk to in Spanish was his school advisor. He continues to pay it back. On Wednesday, he helped a group of detained immigrant minors see the possibilities of the American dream of education on a tour of GCU.

Producer/director Michael Matheson Miller wanted to critique the big business of the poverty industry in his award-winning documentary, “Poverty, Inc.,” which ponders the question of who really benefits from all the humanitarian aid and “social engineering” — the new, politically correct word for poverty — directed at poverty-stricken areas of the world. The film was screened on campus Wednesday, and Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of Theology, says he hopes the screening will start a conversation on campus about how we engage in our work in the community and in charitable causes.

Most of the presentations at the Dr. Kevin McClean Research Colloquium on Wednesday afternoon centered on improving the student experience at GCU, and one of them improved a student’s experience in a big way: Junior Weston DeCambra was the only student presenter at the event and shared his research on the antimicrobial qualities of marine plants.

Dr. Anthony “Tony” Paterniti of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is a longtime authority about Florence Nightingale and has given numerous presentations about the founder of modern nursing. His collection of Florence Nightingale items is so impressive, it’s on display in Texas. The focus of his teaching methods is simple: “I consider myself a partner with each student in the class,” he said.