Grand Canyon University

It was a productive semester for students looking to attend graduate school as the Honors College wrapped up its Pre-Law and Pre-Health Professional, Academic and Career Programs. Both programs, one of which made its debut this semester, played a role in helping prepare students for what they can expect when it comes to graduate school. “From my point of view, it was very helpful and very informative,” said government student Madeline Landes, who attended all of the Pre-Law P.A.C. sessions this semester. “I would recommend this because I think it’s a very informative program.”

When the Honors Institute debuted with 59 students in 2013, no one could have known how far it would come just eight years later. As the University prepares to celebrate another graduating class, the Honors College will celebrate its own impressive accomplishment — surpassing 1,000 graduates. “It’s great that we’ve reached this milestone of 1,000 graduates, we are thrilled and ready to celebrate; but, this is definitely not the last chapter in our book,” said Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli. “There is plenty more to come, and we’re excited to keep challenging ourselves and our program to rise to the occasion.”

There was no shortage of inspirational redemption stories at Wednesday’s Phoenix Rescue Mission Signing Event as three of four scholarship recipients signed their letter of intent to attend the University in the fall. The recipients, who have completed the nonprofit’s Recovery Program, include Amanda Jaramillo, Jacqueline Mix, Brian Farretta and GCU 2019 alum Jesse Dalla Riva. “These people have had some significant challenges and they’ve taken the first step now, they’ve gone through the Phoenix Rescue Mission Program, they’ve come out of it successfully and they’ve started their new life,” said GCU President Brian Mueller. “For us to be able to offer them this opportunity to take their life now to a whole new level is a blessing.”

GCU’s summer sports camps are again ready to roll after a year off because of COVID-19. Registration is open to secure spots with no initial fee while awaiting NCAA approval, which is expected within the month. Camps not only teach a participant how to dribble a basketball or perform a perfect set in volleyball, they help improve interpersonal and group skills, said Theon Carrier, Director of Camps.

Setting a $3.2 million pledge goal was lofty in a year of uncertainty, said Dr. Tacy Ashby, Senior Vice President of K12 Educational Development. Yet despite the roadblocks COVID-19 has presented, GCU and GCE employees reached that ambitious objective. “We’re thrilled to have reached the goal, and it is a reflection of the caring and committed GCU community,” Ashby said.

Sonya Berges, Assistant Professor in the College of Education, loves distance education. She especially loves it when she can reach out to adult learners who share their struggles. “While I may not be able to share the story of Christ with every student, I believe that my actions of grace and compassion, especially over the past year, model a bit of the love and grace Christ offers,” she wrote. 

While pet harnesses are already available on the market, no standard exists to test them. So GCU students designed a canine crash test dummy to help make those pet harnesses safer. Another team developed their Smart Valet to help travelers traverse the airport with ease. And a third team developed a seating system for students with disabilities. They were just a few of the 30-plus projects presented at Monday’s virtual senior Engineering Capstone Showcase.

After he won the Mr. GCU talent competition in February, Jard Cassell spoke for a lot of people when he said of the fall semester, “I’m looking forward to seeing faces again. Faces at GCU are so warm and welcoming.” Indeed, it is a universal hope and dream that masks will no longer be necessary when the students return in late August. But there are plenty of other things to look forward to as well. Reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.

How people communicate has changed drastically over the past several years, and anyone with a mobile phone knows just how crazy that can get. GCU will equip students for those continued changes with six new programs of study. New bachelor’s programs in Social Media and Professional Writing and three new Communications emphases will launch in the fall and highlight the ethics, civility and judgment in media and communications that are sorely needed these days.

The Masters Tournament made it a big weekend in the golf world, but every weekend is big at GCU Golf Course. The reputation of the facility GCU completely redid in 2014 continues to rise along with the amount of use it’s getting thanks to its affordability and playability. And not only is the course a boost for west Phoenix — the Lope House restaurant also is open to the community.