Colleges

Candace Stillman, an adjunct faculty member of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, applies to her teaching the techniques she learned in overcoming childhood learning challenges. She takes great pains to make sure the coursework is meaningful to students and takes delight in sharing a particular phrase about how God operates.

Dr. Dwight Farris, who teaches information technology and cybersecurity in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, spoke recently to KJZZ National Public Radio field correspondent Matthew Casey about the Department of Homeland Security’s steps to elevate cybersecurity across the government.

Dr. Dan Reis has an interesting mix of degrees: His master’s and doctorate are from seminaries, but his bachelor’s is in accounting from a state university. And the latter is what he teaches — he’s a Professor of Accounting in the Colangelo College of Business. But he has combined those very different areas of study into his writings on how business and free enterprise relate to biblical principles.

Seven awards were distributed Thursday night in the GCU Film Festival, held outdoors to celebrate a year’s worth of students’ hard work during a uniquely challenging time. “What I really liked about the films we got this year is that I think they represented making lemonade out of lemons,” Film Department Director Lisa Tervo said. “There’s so much creativity and so many interesting turns that they took to be able to create these films against so many obstacles that it was amazing to see what they were able to do.”

Students in GCU clubs related to STEM fields really wanted to hear from female experts in the field, so they launched a virtual “Women in STEM” panel discussion Wednesday that attracted five women at the top of their fields. The five pros gave advice for women navigating the male-dominated world of science, technology, engineering and math.

Another successful academic year wouldn’t be complete without an Honors College Banquet to celebrate the students’ accomplishments. They were recognized Wednesday for their hard work during the pandemic. “We’re extremely proud,” Program Manager Dennis Williams said. “It’s been a very challenging year for them, but we’ve seen so many of our students step up as leaders, step up in all these areas. This is, I think, going to be an extra special year.”

GCU online student Lanna Thompson faced a dilemma. Both she and husband Kyle are GCU online students. But they live in Iowa, home to the Iowa Hawkeyes, GCU’s opponent in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Saturday. Not only that, her late father-in-law was a Hawkeye booster known across the state. Which team to cheer for? It seemed obvious for a family that “bleeds black and gold.” Not so fast — they’re Lopes fans now.

One teacher bought a special seat cushion to make a child with autism feel more comfortable in the classroom. Another grew a garden. The stories of what GCU alumni did with the money granted by Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers are inspiring. The organization sponsored by GCU helps those teachers make their students’ dreams come true, too.

Dr. Afiya Burson, an Online Full-Time Faculty member in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is passionate about advocacy, self-care and self-awareness. She shares an interesting story about an encounter with a student helped her grow as a person and as a teacher, and she also opens up about what she collected as a child — she still has 200 of them today.

At the one-year anniversary of when COVID-19 first affected GCU’s campus, it’s a good time to reflect on how we endured. These five Lopes provide prime examples of determination, ingenuity and resolve who didn’t settle for just making it through but making it better. Reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine.