Online Life

There’s a simple reason why GCU’s online student population has grown to more than 80,000: It also has 182 full-time instructors that make those students feel connected to the University. Reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine.

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.

The February 2020 issue of GCU Magazine will be a keepsake for students, faculty, staff and alumni. The special dedication to GCU’s stunning transformation in the last 10 years includes stories, photos and videos covering every aspect of this remarkable story — academics, spiritual life, campus life, community outreach, athletics, online education and alumni — plus President Brian Mueller’s personal thoughts about what it has meant to him. Here’s the digital version.

There’s a lot more to Jay Harrison than his National Hockey League career, which spanned 2005 to 2015. He operates a consulting practice for athletes, and he’s pursuing his Ph.D. in Performance Psychology through GCU’s College of Doctoral Studies. “Education actually allowed me to be the best player I could be,” he said.

Running is an outlet for doctoral learner Debra Bartkowski, but last year she stepped up to the next level — the 250-mile level. Surviving the “3 Days at the Fair” ultra-marathon has sparked her drive to complete her degree. “My takeaway from all this is that you can do anything that you set your mind to,” she said.

Every year, we get a few heartwarming stories that make you shake your head when you realize what people do to make the world a better place for their families and their communities. GCU Today picked 10 from the last year that stood out in our minds. Here’s an opportunity to catch up on the ones you missed … or maybe enjoy them again.

Children often have a lot in common with their parents, but Sydney Teerink and Tori Triguero now have one more thing in common with their parents. Teerink and her mother, GCE employee Ra’Lene, as well as Triguero and her father, Dan, can all now call themselves 2019 GCU graduates.

One of the concluding events of Money Week featured a panel of longtime financial services professionals talking to students about the future of the industry, and their insights included interesting observations about the direction of personal banking. Students entering the profession can expect to see a movement toward helping educate consumers.

Katia Cheetany, didn’t let the language barrier stop her when she immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon 26 years ago. Now she refuses to allow the obstacles that have come up throughout her doctoral journey keep her from furthering her education and achieving her goal. “From every professor I learn something. At the end of every class I walked out with something,” She said. “To me I feel like every single class gave me an opportunity to grow academically and personally.”

Saturday was a day of celebration as Grand Canyon University’s Alpha Chi chapter inducted 1,212 new members into the prestigious honors society. Only students within the top 10% of their graduating class in each of their individual colleges are eligible. “GCU does attract a lot of exceptional learners,” Honors College Associate Dean Breanna Naegeli said.