Online Life

Pursuing a doctoral degree is one of the most challenging endeavors in academics. But Dr. Michael Berger, Dean of the College of Doctoral Studies, and his staff have developed a program that gives learners multiple ways to receive assistance. “We can’t make it easy, but we try to make it easier by the addition of all the great support services that we have,” he said.

John Catania was close to completing his engineering degree, even landing an internship. But the deeper he dug into the program, the more he knew he didn’t feel a connection to what he was studying. He had no passion for it. So he switched his career track to nursing — a decision he hasn’t regretted. One moment comes to mind when he knew he was meant to be a nurse. It was when a patient suffered a heart attack while he was making rounds at the hospital, and he helped save the man’s life. Catania, a GCU online student from Port Charlotte, Fla., who is pursuing his master’s degree to become an acute care nurse practitioner, received the national DAISY Award this summer. The award recognizes exceptional nurses for the work they do.

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.