Recent News

GCU CityServe has received more than $2.1 million of donated goods from major retailers at its warehouse since its opening in August, including its latest donation from Phoenix-based Lectric eBikes. The company, co-founded by Robby Deziel and GCU alum Levi Conlow, recently donated 110 electric bikes worth $100,000 to GCU CityServe. “Think of the impact we can have with injecting these bikes into certain people’s lives who really need a form of transportation,” Conlow said.

Stephen Lagerberg would be on Zoom one night as he pushed ahead to finish his dissertation and the next night might include a bombing at Bagram Air Base, where he was an air traffic controller in the closing weeks of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. His wife Tiffany was often up in the middle the night in Texas helping him with files. Tiffany and the family joined him at GCU graduation in April, and this summer he begins teaching a psychology course at GCU. And you thought you had a tough road to a doctorate.

Iris Cato-Smith views vacations as a chance to serve, not relax. The 2014 GCU graduate with a degree in Christian studies turned a trip to South Africa into an opportunity to affiliate 15 faith communities there with her church in Denver. “They had never seen people from America,” said Cato-Smith, who added that her GCU studies were instrumental in helping her plant new churches.

Just as there’s a serious shortage of teachers and nurses, the need for electricians vastly outstrips the workforce. So, once again, GCU is doing something about it. Thanks to a $669,000 grant from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and additional funding from Rosendin Electric, the University will launch a Pre-Apprenticeship for Electricians pathway in the fall. But the goal isn’t just to find more electricians; it’s also to re-establish respect for the trades.

Ukraine has a special place in Sven Olson’s life. His last post in his 27-year military career was at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. It also was where Olson, an adjunct professor at GCU, met his wife, Iryna, and volunteered his time helping American families hoping to adopt Ukrainian children. Olson recently was part of the Ukrainian Crisis Task Force for the U.S. Department of State and started a nonprofit with his wife whose first project is to help rebuild Ukraine. But most incredible of all is how Olson regained his sight and ability to move after a scuba diving accident.

GCU News Bureau Julie Blair, Assistant Director of Academic Programs for the College of Education, knew where to go for subjects of her videos. She reached out to former colleagues in the Special Education Department of the Peoria Unified School District. The result was innovative teacher preparation courses to train Grand Canyon University students to work with K-12 students who have moderate to severe disabilities. The videos are found in each course of the program and share a “day in the life” of working in the classroom environment. Curriculum developer Lisa Tourek assisted Blair in their development. Grand Canyon University Curriculum Design and Development and Academic Web Services collaborated with Sunflower Center in Peoria on the following videos: Survey of Moderate to Severe Special Education  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4e2QbOeWYmPoXfQNPEI29nD Moderate to Severe: Professional, Ethical, and Legal Practices  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4f5d_aLk-rHl3wAPh-7487Q Assessment and Eligibility in Moderate to Severe Special Education  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4dnOjXJfYxXlkgT44Oj4IO6 Moderate to Severe: Care, Collaboration, and Communication  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4fygXY8dKD74_Kq2i8ANXLg Moderate to Severe: Instructional Planning, Strategies, and Assessment  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4dra040OfaVuZPqL_0cKSFS Moderate to Severe: Classroom Management and Behavior Analysis  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4f1VH03N9CFT0hVBGQ_36Lk Postsecondary Transitional Planning for Moderate to Severe Exceptionalities  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4c-n4aKxchIzZdykxmWhgO5 Moderate to Severe: Adaptive Communication  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4efLDr2A44b29TBPs7WZkFO Moderate to Severe: Methods of Teaching Functional Mathematics and Science  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUILpQb1wc4dOmnxI3WZEoOsagUC0gH1U Moderate to Severe: Methods […]

It was more of a giant leap than a small step for the STELLAR research team, which in its first year launched its first project, a microbial fuel cell, into space. The battery, which harnesses the power of a bacteria called shewanella to turn waste into energy, has been on the International Space Station since April 27. The STELLAR team has been busy on Earth receiving and analyzing data so it can improve the fuel cell while it prepares for the next step: to take the battery to underdeveloped communities on mission trips.

When the grueling fourth installment of the Army Combat Fitness Test was rolled out, Maj. Troy Merkle, the officer in charge of GCU’s Army ROTC, connected with Exercise Science faculty to help cadets improve their fitness even more. Exercise Science adjunct professor Anthony Acevedo answered the call, assessing cadets’ fitness and nutrition levels, meeting with squad leaders to improve workouts and more. But the heavy lifting begins this fall as faculty develop a tactical athlete certification course for ROTC cadets. “We’re using science to advance their training,” said Acevedo.

A diverse group of child welfare professionals from across Arizona tackled goals to improve foster care in Arizona on Thursday at the Foster Care Summit at GCU. Arizona first lady Angela Ducey and Director of the Department of Child Safety Mike Faust challenged the group, with representatives from nonprofits, churches and government agencies, to place more children with kin. ““The state does not make good parents,” Ducey said.

After Dr. Ray Phillips completed his dissertation and earned his doctoral degree from GCU, his chair recommended that he keep writing. It was the push he needed to write his first book, “Finding Joy in Leadership by Developing Trust You Can Count On,” which can be purchased on Amazon. The former Air Force officer is a pilot for Frontier Airlines, and the book has been used for a course in aviation leadership at the University of Kentucky.