Recent News

Most counselors and therapists want to be able to “do good” by their clients, but what does “doing good” really mean? That was the main topic of discussion at Thursday’s continuing education ethics workshop hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Speakers from GCU and NAU offered professionals working in the field of counseling and social services a free way of receiving their CEUs (Continuing Education Units) that they are required to renew every two years.

GCE Regional Director of Operations Luke Hansen didn’t know how he and his wife could afford to send their children to Christian school. But then when he got his bill for tuition for his oldest son, Lincoln, he was surprised to see a big chunk of the cost taken care of by his peers, who had diverted some of their tax dollars to Hansen’s son through the employee-giving program, Donate to Elevate. GCU and GCE employees so far have pledged $2.95 million for the 2019 pledge year through the initiative. That tops the goal for the year of $2.8 million, and the pledge year hasn’t ended. Employees can still participate this year by signing up for Donate to Elevate by the end of September, before the next giving season kicks off in October.

Eighteen GCU-connected nonprofits filled the lobby at Building 71 on Wednesday for the third Serve with Purpose Employee Volunteer Fair. Representatives of various organization, from the YMCA to Feed My Starving Children and Treasures 4 Teachers, to name a few, visited with GCU and GCE employees about their mission in the community — and signed up a few volunteers for their organizations, too.

It seemed like a half-baked idea: Build a bridge using … potatoes. But Sevilla West MESA Team students did just that at the first Engineering Shops Tour and Workshop in GCU’s Engineering Building. It was the first tour of its kind and the neat thing about it — it was student-conceived (by recent electrical engineering graduate Michael Erisman) and student-led.

The Collegiate DECA chapter in the Colangelo College of Business came through with another outstanding finish in the competition at the recent International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla. For the second time in three years, a GCU student — freshman Noah Schultz this time — took first place, and the chapter had three other top-10 finishers. Co-advisors Dr. Kelly Damron and Marnie Davis also were honored.

GCU’s recent nursing graduates posted an impressive 98.21% first-time pass rate for the first quarter of 2019 on a rigorous national examination nursing candidates must pass before receiving a license and working professionally in the field. Of the 112 GCU nursing students who took the standardized exam from January to March, 110 passed the test on their first go-round. “It’s really a testament to the quality of the program and the engagement of the students,” said Amy Leach, National Council Licensure Examination Success Manager.

GCU students and staff will fan out across the globe again this summer on mission trips, but several already have taken place. One of them was this spring, when 14 students went to the Dominican Republic to conduct Bible studies, serve special needs children and reach out to people on the streets and in prison. Students who hardly knew each other before the trip ended up growing close by the end of the week. Colton Davis, one of the trip leaders, said it showed him “how to actually love people the way that we’re supposed to love as believers.”

Spring commencement set a record for the number of doctoral graduates (140), and there’s a reason for that: The reputation of the GCU program continues to grow. Talk to the newly minted doctors who just went through it, and you find out why.

After starting as a business major in her freshman year of college, having two sons diagnosed with autism inspired Ember Freitas to pursue a degree that would enable her to help others like them.

Graduates of the GCU online program routinely tell incredible stories of perseverance, but Jocelyn Word of Stockton, Calif., took it to the next level. She has done it while raising four children as a single mom and after overcoming a brain aneurysm and the loss of two jobs. “I feel absolutely amazing,” she said.