Online Life

(Editor’s note: This story is from the August 2016 issue of GCU Magazine. To view the digital version of the magazine, click here.) By Laurie Merrill GCU Magazine How helpful are certain plants in cleaning toxins from soil? Will 3D printing technology eventually create anatomical replacements? Can a fitness curriculum help firefighters prevent injuries? What is exciting about these topics — and about 17 more like them — isn’t that students and faculty at Grand Canyon University are posing such questions. It’s how they will attempt to arrive at the answers  that is of major significance. In the dawning of a new era, GCU’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) this fall established a scientific research program on campus. “One of the things I was brought here to do was to revisit the idea of whether we could build a research capability for the faculty and students,” said CSET Assistant Dean Jon Valla, who came to GCU in June 2015 after working at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz., and Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. The resounding answer, Valla learned, was yes. Once it was proposed, science faculty and students began flocking to the fledgling program. The reasons are clear. Promoting a […]

Vanessa Johnson, a GCU online student who lives in Tampa, Fla., has dedicated herself to helping others — such as the people of Flint, Mich., during their water crisis — through her nonprofit, Blue Moon 211. Johnson is making the most of the second chance she got in life after she tried to commit suicide more than 20 years ago.

Two online students with far-reaching goals to help others have begun working toward their GCU degrees thanks to the “We Care for America” full-tuition scholarships they received recently. Kristen Stark, a neonatal nurse, would like to take her skills to countries that lack proper health care, and Michele Vogel, the 175th Wing Command Chief in the Maryland Air National Guard, would like to help military families.

GCU has introduced cybersecurity degrees to teach students to be “hackers with halos,” graduates armed with tools necessary to join the fight against cybercriminals. It’s part of GCU’s initiative to roll out a rapidly multiplying list of online and ground STEM degrees as it continues its mission to produce well-trained, highly competitive graduates in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.

Dr. Mike Baird doesn’t put on airs. That’s not the kind of guy he is. But the 17th professor emeritus in GCU history is beloved by both College of Theology students and faculty for his knowledge and his charm. GCU Today has the story of what makes him special.

Story by Laurie Merrill  Photos by Darryl Webb GCU Today Magazine In the heralding of a new era, Grand Canyon University is rolling out a new series of online science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees in subjects ranging from digital design to cybersecurity. The seven bachelor of science degrees represent the tip of the information-age iceberg. GCU is seeking to ramp up its online offerings as it escalates its emphasis on STEM subjects for all students. “We are designing cutting-edge programs that represent the future of STEM education,” said Dr. Hank Radda, the University’s provost. “We have innovative ways of delivering STEM education to online populations.” This initial crop of online STEM degrees, with plans underway to offer more in the future, are the latest moves GCU is making to produce well-trained, highly competitive graduates in these subject areas as well as to make the degrees more accessible. The number of STEM students GCU graduates each year is growing, and so are the number of opportunities to apply their skills, said Dr. Mark Wooden, dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. “There is a huge job market in this area,” Wooden said. According to the Economics & Statistics Administration […]

Neither rain nor lightning nor dust storm nor traffic could detract from Grand Canyon University’s online commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday. Once the attendees were safely inside GCU Arena, which took some doing when the dust started blowing Friday, there were congratulations for a job well done and triumphantly raised fists to signify an impressive achievement.

One of the new online instructors in the Colangelo School of Sports Business is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, but that’s just one of a number of impressive roles and accomplishments Mark Clifford has had in his career. Among them was national collegiate boxing champion, and his coach just happened to be Dr. Randy Gibb, dean of the Colangelo College of Business. Read more about Clifford in this GCU Today story.

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.