Online Life

After getting dismissed from her college music program, Dr. Cheryl Lentz let that feeling of failure persuade her into quitting music. Little did she know that what she considered a failure would lead to a career that she loves — she’s an educator and public speaker. It also led to another dream: giving a TEDx talk about the importance of looking at failure with a positive perspective.

Veterans Day has extra meaning in the Colangelo College of Business, which is led by two former Air Force officers. Dean Dr. Randy Gibb says his military service helps him relate to veterans, and Dr. Mark Clifford uses it to govern the standards he sets in the classroom. Another CCOB administrator, Erin Boling, calls their leadership “inspiring” and has noticed that a lot of applicants for adjunct positions have a military background.

Chevy Humphrey’s journey to becoming the President and CEO of the Arizona Science Center was not easy. But her inspirational story made her the winner Friday of the Public Sector category in the 2020 ATHENA Awards. Humphrey is a member of the Board of Directors for Grand Canyon Education and also is finalizing work on a doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University.

Even though Fall Commencement had to be a virtual ceremony, it didn’t detract from the graduates’ achievements. One after another, they shared their stories of what it took to finish their course work during the pandemic — in some cases, after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Online graduates will be celebrated Saturday morning in Fall Commencement, and GCU Today is celebrating, too: Our very own Ashlee Larrison has earned her Master of English degree. Ashlee tells what it has been like to be both an employee and student and how GCU has changed her perspective — and her life.

Dr. Katherine Fetter, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Lead for the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, communicated with her learners so well, a colleague wanted to see it for herself. But that isn’t the only way that Fetter has bucked the trend — check out what happened when she rode a bull.

Beverly Galbreath gave up a chance at higher education because she was raising her family, but she was determined that her only daughter wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Now she can look proudly at Dr. Trish Galbreath-Varner, who not only is the family’s first college graduate — she has earned her doctorate.

The College of Doctoral Studies has learned a lot about its learners over the past 10 years, and that’s why it’s introducing a 2.0 version of its programs. This redesign will take tools such as the dissertation template and early dissertation focus and build upon them to address both quantitative and qualitative research. A higher emphasis also will be placed on better preparing students for dissertation writing.

It took GCU’s talented and dedicated staff and faculty one week to make the transition to an online platform when the pandemic struck last semester. For the upcoming academic school year GCU is building on that success to offer an effective and smooth option for students to continue their studies.

Alexander Manire never thought that his attempt to prove the Bible wrong would result in his conversion to Christianity, nor did he know that it would turn him into a Christian author. Now, with multiple books published under the pen name Chris F. Walker, Manire has taken on a new journey: the path to his GCU degree in Christian Worldview.