Online Life

GCU online alum Zenon Castro plans to swap his cleaning supplies for textbooks and become a special education teacher, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Castro began working as a night custodian at Mountain Vista Elementary in Indio, Calif., while earning student teaching hours toward his master’s degree, which he completed in June. He plans to take over a special education classroom at Mountain Vista this fall.

This week’s Antelope Intros feature two Peoria employees — one has fond memories of her “big hair” days and the other is an artist, writer and poet.

Dr. Jean Mandernach has an impressive list of accomplishments especially in the world of academia, having published more than 85 scholarly journal articles and 11 book chapters on online education. But her most recent accomplishment may be her best. Mandernach co-authored “Evaluating Online Teaching: Implementing Best Practices,” the first comprehensive book focusing on measuring quality of online teaching, with Dr. Thomas Tobin of Southeastern Illinois University and Dr. Ann Taylor of Penn State University. The book currently is ranked No. 1 in two Amazon categories.

The first residency for the new master of divinity program in the College of Theology was a resounding success as 21 online students from all over the country met in Phoenix to share life stories and build new relationships. Some of the participants were amazed by how the group bonded in such a short time.

This week’s Antelope Intros feature an online teacher who got turned on to GCU while working in Idaho and a new member of the athletics department whose favorite sport while growing up in Southern California might surprise you.

The new employees in this week’s Antelope Intros both are online faculty members who are at least relatively new to Phoenix. One of them has some impressive coaching accomplishments, and the other takes his love of environmental photography to electrifying heights.

GCU online student T.J. Fischer might be the perfect example of the type of student the University’s online program is designed for. Fischer grew up racing go-karts in Vacaville, Calif., and earned a spot in one of the United Kingdom’s tops open-wheel Mazda Car circuits last March after tearing up California tracks. The move to the UK forced him to choose between a traditional education at Pacific Lutheran University or racing. He found GCU through a friend and used the flexibility of online learning to climb the ladder and join the 2015 Renault series across Europe this year. Read more about Fischer’s racing career in this GCU Today story.

By GCU News Bureau In the cool, crisp minutes before Friday’s commencement at Grand Canyon University, Dr. Michael Berger joked that he’d seen a range of reactions to the suddenly stormy and briefly rainy skies. The locals were the ones bundled up under sweaters and jackets. Out-of-towners didn’t seem to feel the chill in the 60-something-degree air. Still, the rain was minimal, the puddles puny, and anyone unfamiliar with April in the Valley of the Sun had to marvel at how the crystal-clear weather blended with the ceremony message about new opportunities and wide-open futures for GCU’s 560 morning graduates. Their degrees were conferred in the Colangelo College of Business and the College of Doctoral Studies, and most completed their degrees entirely online. Berger, dean of GCU’s College of Doctoral Studies, is a concierge and guest-greeter each year at commencement, actively intercepting anyone he can to route them to tickets, entrances, restrooms or whatever they might need before he has to “step away and do the dean thing” with other University leaders at the ceremony. He is one of hundreds of GCU volunteers who make commencement a warm and inviting atmosphere for locals and visitors alike. Spotting the College of Doctoral Studies regalia in the crowd, Berger introduced himself to learners whom he might have known […]

By Rick Vacek GCU Today Magazine A day in the life of Tom Granado starts like a space launch — early and with a burst of energy that takes it to new heights. He and his wife, Wynn, get up at 4:30 a.m. and pray for a half-hour before she goes to work and he goes to work out. A few hours later, when the founder and CEO of New Horizon Youth Homes arrives in his Tempe, Ariz., office, his staff members say it’s impossible not to know he’s there, such is his considerable presence. They talk fondly about his “Tomisms,” about the way he gets excited about new ideas in staff meetings, and about how the family atmosphere he has created makes it like no other job they’ve had. It takes passion and unflagging enthusiasm to run 14 Valley locations that provide residential and outpatient services to at-risk children, teens and adults. It takes an incredible work ethic to do all that while completing his doctorate at Grand Canyon University. It takes someone like Tom Granado. “Our role model is our CEO,” said Jason Kindred, program director of New Horizon. “What I like,” added administrative director Mindy Leon, “is […]

By Paige Gruner Office of Alumni Relations GCU Today Magazine Catherine Brubaker is a two-time traumatic brain-injury survivor who has taken life by the handlebars. In 2010, Brubaker was assaulted, leaving her with a brain injury that also affected her heart, necessitating a pacemaker. Upon being discharged from the hospital, she was involved in a head-on collision and sustained a second injury to her brain. Three years after her accident, Brubaker was determined to take her life back. She purchased a recumbent tricycle and met Dan Zimmerman, a stroke survivor who was riding the same model. They realized they were riding for the same purpose — freedom. Zimmerman gave Brubaker his card, and on the back was a U.S. map with a red line from Anacortes, Wash., to Key West, Fla. Zimmerman was doing a cross-country bike ride to raise hope and awareness about cycling’s ability to help brain-injury survivors recover and regain their strength. Brubaker, of Tempe, Ariz., later called Zimmerman. She said, “I’m in. I want to do this ride.” She had six weeks to train and raise $10,000, which she accomplished with Zimmerman’s help and that of the community. Along with four other cyclists, Brubaker completed the […]