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The Learning Lounge is making an immediate impact on students at Westwood Elementary. Based on first semester test results, 50 percent of the third and fourth grade math students improved by one to two grade levels as opposed to no grade level growth among students at a control group school. Targeted lessons developed by Learning Lounge leaders and implemented in small group instruction by GCU students, known as LEADs (Learning Advocates), are paying off.

John Iannarelli worked some high-profile cases when he was with the FBI — the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the Oklahoma City bombing. He spent some time Wednesday speaking with students about his work with the FBI and qualities that make a good leader. Iannarelli was on campus as part of the Provost Speaker Series.

College of Education students from Grand Canyon University are taking advantage of an innovative pre-service resident teaching program that enables them to create and implement lesson plans and work directly with students on an accelerated basis. These benefits are evident at Westwood Elementary, where GCU students are putting educational theory into practice.

GCU’s Academic Excellence Site (AES) partnership with Westwood Elementary is multi-faceted, from a pre-service resident teaching program to the Learning Lounge, Canyon Professional Development, Leadership Coaching and Parent View. Among the many positive results: Westwood students are building skills, gaining momentum and developing a vision for higher education.

The sun wasn’t even up and the temperature was a frigid 40-something degrees. But that didn’t dissuade more than 200 Lopes from showing up, ready to paint and landscape, for the semiannual Serve the City. And for just the second time, Parent Council members, along with other parent volunteers, served alongside their children to make a difference in the Canyon Corridor, helping move GCU and partner Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona closer to their 700-homes-renovated goal.

When students identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle to fit in socially, GCU leaders collaborate with solutions. In Part 2 of GCU Today’s series, Dr. Tim Griffin, Pastor and Dean of Students, Dr. Sherman Elliott, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the father of a son on the spectrum and Student Disability Services director Beth Jamison discuss their experiences supporting students on the spectrum.

As Grand Canyon University grows, more students arriving on campus are identified with autism spectrum disorders. Efforts to welcome and include these students occur naturally on a campus where students look out for each other. Intentional efforts are expanding all across campus, from faculty members to Student Disability Services staffers who have implemented a new program, ASD Connection, to boost social and academic support. Part 1 of GCU Today’s series on the University’s approach to students on the spectrum includes the viewpoint of Austin Forney, a GCU junior who shared the highs and lows of navigating college life.

Men’s soccer coach Schellas Hyndman wanted one thing for youth attending Saturday’s Future for KIDS soccer camp: To have fun. But he also encouraged them to exhibit good sportsmanship, practice, work hard and to value their education, much like the soccer players who conducted the camp do. More than 160 youth, ages 7 to 12, attended the event, which marked the first time GCU men’s soccer has hosted a camp with Future for KIDS, a mentorship program that emphasizes education, ethics and athletics.

Kara Morrow is the first GCU Honors College student to be selected for a White House internship. The 2018 graduate is surrounded by exceptional students. Her sister, Kelsey, is a 2015 GCU graduate slated to complete chiropractor school in May, and her brother, Kaleb, a GCU freshman, is a National Merit Finalist and an aspiring forensic scientist.

The platforms are prepared, the debate topics are polished and the flyers are posted for the next election cycle for the president and vice president of the Associated Students at Grand Canyon University (ASGCU). In one corner, Samuel Yonan is running for president with v.p. running mate Bret Malkin versus Jacob Montgomery, an aspiring president, and Anthony Clark, his v.p. choice. The debate will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, on the first floor of the Student Union, North Dining Hall. Refreshments will be served as the candidates share their vision for the 2019-2020 academic year.