Recent News

The Songwriters Showcase, a twice-a-year gathering on the Canyon 49 Grill patio to hear the latest songs Worship Arts students have written, once again featured several who have been regulars on the Canyon Worship albums, but there were plenty of new faces and sounds Monday night. “It’s so neat to see people rising right up and filling spots when people leave,” said Dr. Randall Downs, Coordinator of the Worship Arts program.

From GCU-branded sherpas, socks and ties to a Stay-and-Play package for golf and a stay at GCU Hotel, you’ll find something for every Lopes fan in the family in our first Christmas gift guide.

GCU baseball players didn’t hesitate delaying their trips home for the holidays so they could help St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance on Super Saturday. The team spent six hours at the Moon Valley Safeway collecting turkeys, nonperishable food and cash donations for the nonprofit organization, which expects more than 12,000 families to stop by today, Tuesday and Wednesday to pick up turkeys and other Thanksgiving meal items. “I could have left Thursday. But I had this; this is important,” said pitcher Cole Hoskins, who was planning to hit the road after his volunteer shift for a five-hour drive back home to Anaheim, Calif., for the holiday. The team collected more than $2,080 and 81 turkeys for SMFBA.

GCU News Bureau The GCU Robotics team, the Thunderbots, competed earlier this month in the VEX U Fall Tournament, a preliminary/practice competition, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. The team earned the Judges Award, given to a team the judges felt should be recognized for its efforts and outstanding character. “I am extremely pleased with their performance as a team. We have a large number of freshmen on the team this year that haven’t experienced a collegiate-level competition. I think that everyone learned from this experience, and we are well prepared to redesign our robots for the spring competition,” said Ed Koeneman, team advisor and an electrical engineering technology instructor in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. GCU Robotics has had a busy semester, not only in preparing for the practice competition, but in hosting the Girl Powered STEM workshop for fourth through eighth grade girls. The next competition for the 19-member Thunderbots is Feb. 22 at Embry-Riddle.

One of the concluding events of Money Week featured a panel of longtime financial services professionals talking to students about the future of the industry, and their insights included interesting observations about the direction of personal banking. Students entering the profession can expect to see a movement toward helping educate consumers.

GCU senior Gavin Thompson liked to shop in thrift stores. He knew other people didn’t like to spend the time but liked the merchandise. That’s how his Wear Old secondhand clothes business was launched. His story highlights the path more students are taking in addition to classes — hustling to start their own business.

Dance Director Susannah Keita is passionate about exposing students to dance education and their options in dance outside of just studio classes. That is why she and senior dance students Justine Bach and Carissa Eubank presented their work in the Arizona community through the Elementary Dance Tour program at this year’s National Dance Education Organization conference in Miami. “It was exciting to see different ways to incorporate other subjects into dance but also maintaining the integrity of dance and what you have in your classroom,” Eubank said.

Chapel talks get personal sometimes, and adopting children is about as personal as it gets. But Danielle Rinnier, GCU’s Director of Spiritual Life, had a good reason for making that her focus Monday — she wanted students to think about what it really means to participate in what God’s doing. “If we don’t say yes, we settle for a life that’s mediocre,” she said.

Colangelo College of Business students aren’t the only ones who need to learn how to handle personal finances, of course, so Money Week was expanded this year to College of Education classrooms. Dr. Suzanne Zentner, Assistant Superintendent of Strategy and Business Development for Gilbert Public Schools, is sharing her district’s holistic approach to its employees.

Sometimes, you just need someone to be there for you. It was exactly what GCE employee Krystina Whitten (pictured) needed several years ago when her great-grandmother passed away. But as she explains in today’s My LopeLife feature, it was what happened more recently that showed God’s hand in all of this.