Recent News

What started out as a conversation at a meeting between Greg Harman, Assistant Vice President of Academic Alliances, and Dave Donaldson, co-founder of CityServe International, has turned into a something amazing — a partnership that led to GCU distributing 2,100 boxes of food to more than 20 community organizations as part of the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. It was an achievement recognized at last week’s CityServe Virtual Celebration, which included not only Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President, but Harman, who was a featured presenter.

One in four Arizona classrooms need a teacher, and the pandemic made it worse. GCU has launched an initiative to help certify more teachers, called Canyon L.E.A.P. to Teach, an alternative route to licensure. The program kicked off with hits first cohort in late December and already is having success.

In advance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, GCU’s Black Student Union hosted the virtual presentation “I Have a Dream for a Healthier and Happier You and Me.” A panel of three health experts not only detailed risk factors for COVID-19 and how to avoid it but gave advice on mental health care and self-advocacy.

Dr. Tim Griffin learned about the importance of margins when, as a youngster new to life on a farm, he invaded the personal space of a chicken. As the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dean of Students and University Pastor has watched the world’s challenges peck away at all of us, even online, in the last year, he has become increasingly aware of how we must manage those margins. And it starts, he told Chapel on Monday, with making the Bible our manager.

GCU is stepping up to assist with COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Arizona by becoming a public Point of Dispensing (POD) for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. The University’s commercial hub at 27th Avenue and Camelback Road will serve as one of seven POD sites in Maricopa County.

The Lope Shop wanted to do something more for the community so, for National Opposite Day, it is collecting sweatshirts to be donated to GCU community partner Phoenix Rescue Mission the week of Jan. 25. To get ready for the event, the Community Relations Department has organized its second Town Hall Informational to connect the campus community with Phoenix Rescue Mission “to understand how we’re connected and the impact we’re making together,” Community Relations Director Debbie Accomazzo said.

We needed this. In a time of strife that never seems to end, a ray of hope and joy came from 26 students and their families from poor neighborhoods around GCU on Tuesday and Wednesday. They were awarded full-tuition Students Inspiring Students Scholarships, and the tears flowed. “I’m doing this to repay them,” said Dah Htoo of her parents, who brought her to America for a better life through an education.

Terry Mackey is such a powerful speaker, his forcefulness practically burst through the computer screen in his livestreamed Chapel talk, released Monday. The Pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church had a lot to say about the danger of pride and the importance of continuous prayer, and he brought the whole message together with the biblical story of King Uzziah.

Let’s just say it — 2020 was the year every event got canceled or moved online. Here’s to hoping 2021 won’t suffer as many slings and arrows when it comes to events. Here’s a look at a few things that have been scheduled for the spring, from Mr. GCU to “Henry V” and “Misanthrope” from the Theatre Department, to that big men’s basketball game against New Mexico State.

It’s a window of opportunity for Student Leaders. The window is on the Student Life Building, where a large graphic art piece was installed Tuesday that showcases student leadership and the chance for students to apply for positions for next academic year. It’s not the biggest that GCU graphic installer Martell Robinson has done, but it’s close. Even bigger is what it represents: Student Leaders who set the tone for campus life.