Online Life

When Spring Commencement was postponed because of COVID-19, the Graefe family still wanted to celebrate its two graduates: Jake, who had earned his bachelor’s degree, and his mother, Beth, who had just completed her dissertation defense. Beth asked her dissertation committee chair, Dr. JoAnn Foley Markette, if she would give a speech via Zoom for the impromptu ceremony, and Markette delivered a talk they won’t forget. “I got teary eyed because Dr. Markette said such beautiful things,” Beth said.

GCU News Bureau Dr. Scott Greenberger, Research Manager and Assistant Professor, and Rick Holbeck, Executive Director of Online Full Time Faculty, remotely collaborated over the past three months with Scholarship of Teaching and Learning scholars from Penn State University to facilitate a virtual writing retreat. The retreat, “Reflecting on Teaching and Learning: A Virtual Writing Retreat,” utilized the Guide for Reflective Practice, developed by Greenberger for GCU’s Journal of Scholarly Engagement, to coach faculty in reflective writing on SoTL topics and documenting scholarly engagement. The collaboration began when Greenberger and Holbeck were approached by Penn State SoTL scholars following a conference presentation at the SoTL Commons in Savannah, Ga., in February. The remote collaboration and resulting Zoom retreat were a resounding success. A similar retreat is being planned for GCU faculty this summer to support and engage faculty seeking to use reflective practice to publish instructional best practices.

What makes Dr. Brandon O’Neil’s doctoral degree so interesting is where he conducted his dissertation defense: via Zoom while he was on Air Force deployment in Saudi Arabia — and, on top of that, under the threat of a missile attack. Fortunately, it all went well.

When a teaching job for Dr. Steven Mohler (pictured) depended on approval of his dissertation, the College of Doctoral Studies sped up the process. Mohler praised the work of his committee, led by Dr. Kevin McClean. “He was very helpful, very supportive and went to bat for me several times at the college to make sure that the process continued on,” said Mohler, who got the job.

Dr. Eric Peterson refused to let the postponed Commencement ceremony dampen his enthusiasm about earning a doctoral degree. But what stands out about his story is that he had virtually no time to prepare for defending his dissertation because he spent most of the day with his mother at a hospital. It still turned out fine. “God knew what I needed,” he said.

Nikita Ford had several major reasons why she could have just given up trying to obtain her master’s degree, from the births of two sons to the deaths of two family members to the disappointment of failing on her first try. But she came back and tried again, and not only did she succeed — she amazed her counselor by earning the best grades of her life.

Daniel K. Owusu-Bempah had to repeat the sixth grade, but his father kept reminding him that “education is not a race” and there’s no shame in taking a little more time to reach your goals. Now Owusu-Bempah has graduated from GCU with his master’s in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Government Policy and hopes to someday work for the FBI.

The College of Science, Engineering and Technology Research Symposium and Honors Showcase made a quick transition to online when the COVID-19 precautions were put in place. “For a tight three-week timeline, I think our administration, faculty and students did an incredible job bringing their work to life in a virtual manner,” said Breanna Naegeli, Honors College Associate Dean.

A group of GCU Online Full Time Faculty members coordinated this message to students: This is an extraordinary time in world history, and we can rest assured that God is working all things in and through this situation together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). A few of your GCU online instructors got together – while observing proper social distancing – to share a positive message with you that demonstrates God’s desire for all of us as we continue to live out His purpose in our lives.   Know that we are thinking and praying for you and your families. We recognize how deeply isolation can affect one’s mentality, and we want you to know that you are not alone. We are in this together; we will come out of this together. Read the instructors’ message in the collage again. How will Romans 12:12 help you ignite, maintain or regain your momentum to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and this course?

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.