Photos by Ralph Freso
It was the best of times; it was the busiest of times.
Welcome Week wrapped up on Saturday with the American Swing Kids Dance Night and a women’s volleyball game vs. Oregon State, both of which followed on the heels of Friday night's high-octane, spirit-filled Lope-A-Palooza.
Move-in was condensed into 2 ½ days, with students moving into the campus’ residence halls long into the night so that they would have more time to enjoy the more than 50 Welcome Week events (not counting repeat events) dappling the campus, including a big Tuesday that featured Project L, Silent Disco and Welcome Back at the CAC (Silent Disco was so popular that the line to get into Global Credit Union Arena stretched all the way to GCU Stadium).
The weather was toasty as always, with temperatures peaking around the 109-degree mark.
Here are a few fun numbers and notes from Welcome Week, and here’s the final slideshow, from Lope-A-Palooza:
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– 75: The number of years GCU has been around (it was founded in 1949 in Prescott, Arizona)
– 125,000 projected enrollment for the fall, the largest in GCU’s history. That includes 25,000-plus ground students and roughly 100,000 online students.
– 32 living facilities with …
– 1 apartment building, Gila River Apartments, under construction
– 1,200 apples ordered for orientation groups
– 600 ribbons, approximately, tied on the Prayer Fence, as of Tuesday morning
– 23 golf carts commandeered by the busy Welcome Programs staff
– 140 walkie-talkie radios used by Welcome Programs, along with 300 chalk markers, 200 foam glow sticks and 80 A-frame signs
– 3 big events (Project L, Silent Disco, Welcome Back at the CAC) converging on one night for the first time
– 1 big concert, Christian artist Chris Renzema
– Best-selling item at the Lope Shop: lavender Nike crewnecks (honorable mention: the ZooZatz Women’s lavender crew, a top five seller for the fourth consecutive Welcome Week; all 288 were sold out)
– 21% increase in Monday’s sales at the Lope Shop, compared to last year
– Best-selling category at the Lope Shop: Women’s fleece
– 109 degree high for Monday move-in – relatively cool considering the temperature for Monday move-in in 2023 was a record 117 degrees
– 110 student clubs on campus this year
– 15 students checked into Acacia Apartments in the first hour of move-in, from 6-7 a.m. on Monday, with 168 expected at check-in by the end of Monday
– 24th best college campus in the United States, according to Niche’s Best Colleges for 2024 at niche.com. GCU also is ranked No. 4 in best college dorms and No. 21 best college food by niche.com for 2024
– 2,250 fruit snacks consumed
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Related Welcome Week content:
GCU News: Welcome to the club, all 110 of them
GCU News: Freshman enjoys spirit of move-in during university's milestone 75th year
GCU News: 75th anniversary brings largest enrollment ever at Grand Canyon University
GCU News: Welcome Week operations mastermind helps keep things running smoothly
GCU News: Sports club creates own legacy with third female president
GCU News: Message to students at emotional commissioning: 'You are not alone'
GCU News: Campus celebrates 75 years with surprise at move-in
GCU News: Welcome Week is thrice as nice thanks to trio of big events
GCU News: GCU's Welcome Week spirit anchored by faith
GCU News: These students came to play at Intramural Sports Field Night
GCU News: Welcome Week Monday slideshow
GCU News: Student, family commissioning ceremony
GCU News: Welcome Back at the CAC, Silent Disco, Project L
GCU News: Spirit rally for President Brian Mueller
GCU News: Intramural Sports Field Night
