Online Life

Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Waters, now a GCU student, refused to leave the battlefield when his convoy truck was blown up in Afghanistan. Even though he initially was knocked unconscious by the blast and faced enemy fire, he still assisted the wounded when he came to, ignoring his own injuries. All survived the 2008 incident, and for his bravery Waters was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony in Michigan. He still remembers their screams: “Doc! Doc! Help us!”

Students are the top priority at GCU, of course, but that ideal is shown in many ways. One of them is web shows featuring students talking about their time at the University, and the latest one is “Living as Lopes,” which aims to give current and prospective students insights into the many activities on campus. “I feel like it’s a really cool opportunity because it shows our genuine lives, but it also shows that we’re all so different and unique and we all love such different things that it just shows from different perspectives what you can do, what the options are,” said Hailey-James Hines, one of several “Living as Lopes” cast members.

Gina Meyer, a member of the College of Education staff and adjunct faculty since 2008, died of breast cancer on Tuesday. She will be remembered for always looking for ways to incorporate innovative technology tools to bring the course content alive for her online students, advocating for her students, serving as a resource for the online adjunct faculty … and how much she loved GCU.

When Grand Canyon University’s Associate Professor Kimber Underdown submitted her video for a shot at becoming a member of Flipgrid’s new Executive board, she never thought that she would be selected. Yet in early June, Underdown was notified that she had in fact been selected. Underdown will be one of 24 executive board members in the world for the video platform, and she was both surprised and excited about the opportunity. “It’s really exciting because I do love the technology, I have gone to the Flipgrid Live last year, I presented there last year and so I feel like I know them and they know me,” she said. All 24 for the executive board members will be publicly announced and celebrated at Flipgrid Live Tonight at 7 p.m.

Effective communication is a key component of GCU’s online education program, and it is aided by Loom, a Google Chrome extension that allows both professors and students to create short videos. “It’s a really neat way to communicate with your professor if you’re strictly taking an online program,” said one student.

When the Dean of Bethany College in West Virginia resigned in the fall of 2014, all Associate Dean Levi Esses wanted was to become the new dean of students for his alma mater. Unfortunately, there was only one thing in his way: the fact that he didn’t have his doctoral degree. That experience is what drove Esses to pursue his doctoral degree, ultimately leading to his graduation this past April. “God had a plan Honestly, it all happened I think largely part to my doctoral degree, that I had it finished and my experience in higher education,” Esses said.

Five years, 13 operations and yet another leg amputation later, and Eric Gabriel has reached the finish line on his journey to earning his doctoral degree. After living with one leg for the past 25 years, Gabriel learned in November to adjust to life with no legs, all while finishing up his doctoral studies. “If I didn’t have GCU and my schoolwork to do, I would have gone crazy. You know I don’t even know where I would be today,” he said.

Members of the College of Education are praying for Joe Popma, an adjunct faculty member since 1994 who is battling cancer. Popma, who has been teaching for 66 years, worked as faculty in GCU’s first distance learning program, which delivered content via VHS tape, and helped develop GCU’s first online program, M.Ed. in Education Administration. He also was a faculty supervisor for teacher candidates as well as principal interns.

Editor’s note: This story is reprinted from the February issue of GCU Magazine. To view the digital version, click here.  By Lana Sweeten-Shults GCU Magazine Say “senior” on a college campus and a picture emerges of students distracted by picking out their cap and gown as they study for finals. But Judith Cobb of Columbus, Ohio, isn’t the typical senior. The 82-year-old nurse who has retired twice decided that any kind of restful retirement just wasn’t for her. Instead, she barreled forward and returned to college, enrolling in Grand Canyon University’s master’s degree program in Addiction Counseling in May 2018. It wasn’t the first time she has sought an “encore education.” “I was always older than the instructors,” Cobb said with a laugh. “I got my bachelor’s degree in ’97 when I was 61, and I was 52 years old when I got my first degree (an associate’s degree).” Cobb retired from community health nursing in 2005, when she was 69. But rather than downshift, she landed a job with Columbus Public Health, where she worked until 2010. Not eager to rest on her laurels, Cobb said her ears perked up when one of the sisters in her professional nursing […]

Mark Snyder, President of Snyder Nationwide Real Estate, spoke to graduate and Hospitality Management students Thursday about he injects his faith into the business world. “I’m going to do what’s right every time,” he said. “I pursue God daily. God’s the kingmaker, not your talents.”