Recent News

Craig Detweiler has had a long career in the arts. He wrote, directed and produced The Disney Channel’s “The Duke,” and he’s the author of several books, including his latest, “Deep Focus: Film and Theology in Dialogue.” But his life in the arts is only half of his story. GCU’s new dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production also is dedicated to his Christian faith and has spent the last few decades trying to bring those two passions together. Said his wife, Dr. Caroline Cicero: “He was told when he decided to become a Christian that he had to throw his artistic interests away, that he had to shove those in a drawer, and that is not true.”

GCU Engineering, which debuted just six years ago, has been making big strides lately. Several of its degree tracks received ABET accreditation, considered the gold standard in engineering and computing accreditation, and now the department is getting set to launch three new programs: industrial engineering, computer engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with an Emphasis in Aerospace.

Jason Cantanese, a math teacher at Pueblo Del Sol Elementary School in Phoenix, learned early in his career that the school didn’t offer algebra. He knew his students needed it to succeed, and he came up with a creative way to make it happen. Cantanese was one of four panelists at the College of Education’s Virtual Dean Speakers Series Wednesday, and his story revealed why he wanted to teach, a theme of the event. “If you are in a classroom and see a problem, don’t wait. You can be part of that change,” he said.

The first Students Inspiring Students Golf Classic drew a sold-out field, which means more than $300,000 for the full-tuition scholarship program. But it also gave the participants a chance to meet some of the students whose lives have been changed by the program, and the students got to express their gratitude, too. “I couldn’t be any more grateful to everybody who donated money to get me to the position I’m in,” freshman Derek Coles said.

Grand Canyon University, in partnership with Chicanos por la Causa, will host the inaugural Students Inspiring Students Golf Classic at the Grand Canyon University Championship Golf Course on Thursday, November 18. Presented by Pacific Office Automation, the Golf Classic is expected to raise more than $300,000 for GCU’s Students Inspiring Students (SIS) scholarship fund.

Anyone who has walked down the Promenade during the lunch hour on Mondays probably has wondered about the drum circle in front of the Student Advising Services Building. Dr. Tim Larkin of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences has been making it happen for eight years simply because he wants to give students a place to de-stress. Here’s where Larkin got the idea and why some students like it so much.

Most of the Promenade was lined with tables set up by school district representatives Tuesday, eager to hire GCU’s aspiring teachers. Nearly all of the recruiters were at the Lopes Leap to Teach & Lead career expo were from Arizona, but Mark Vingoe stood behind his table covered with a map of Alaska. Sure, the temperature was 4 degrees below zero there on Tuesday, an 85-degree difference from the GCU campus. But they need teachers, and he was promising adventure.

Outdoor Recreation’s Base Camp just might be the best known secret on campus. It’s where students and employees can rent outdoors equipment — everything from sleeping bags and sleeping pads to paddle boards and tents — for a budget-friendly price. It’s also where the campus community can stop in to get tips and advice or even take a class on such topics as first aid in the wilderness. Said Outdoor Recreation Manager Chad Schlundt, “We want students to have a better time at college, get off campus and build that culture and community with people.”

It probably isn’t a stretch to suggest that not many people in the Chapel audience had heard of Mephibosheth before Monday. They have now thanks to Jason Fritz of Illuminate Community Church in Scottsdale, who shared a story that is far less romanticized than David vs. Goliath but has every bit as much meaning for our lives. Fritz called it “one of the all-time great stories of God’s grace.”

About 20 GCU students picked up trash on Saturday and discovered the treasure of community. The students volunteered for the fifth Love Our Community Street Cleanup, a neighborhood mobilization effort by several organizations. “It was a great team effort with so many from the community coming together to make a difference,” said Dana Drew Shaw, GCU Director of Government Relations, who helped spread the word about the event to the campus community.