Staff Profile

Traveling the country in a van for GCU isn’t a bad way to spend the summer, as Spencer Fehrenbacher and Trevor Roberts are discovering while hitting some of the biggest festivals in Christian music. They’re at the halfway point, and this weekend they’ll be in Rapid City, S.D.

Administrative assistants asked for — and got — a weekly refresher class to help with various computer programs they need to know to be proficient in their work. Executive Assistant Lisa Reznick made it happen, and Technical Support Specialist Bill Yearnd has stepped up as a capable instructor.

Everyone has their own way of getting away from the daily grind. For a trio of GCU staffers, they hit the road — or sometimes trails — on their bikes. The three are Dr. Brian McGuire, executive director for the Office of Institutional Research; Head Athletic Trainer Geordie Hackett; and Enrollment Counselor Lance Hinderleider. They’re competitive cyclists, and two of the three have major events coming up.

Road trip! Those two words, guaranteed to make any college student’s heart skip a beat, describe the monster summer that’s ahead for GCU junior Spencer Fehrenbacher and recent graduate Trevor Roberts. Starting next week, they’ll be on the road through early August for the University’s Office of Faith-Based Development, hitting nine major Christian music festivals from California to Georgia.

In the blink of an eye, Dr. Mark Wooden signed on for one of the busiest summers of his life. Barely two weeks before convocations and Commencement, GCU announced that it would merge the colleges of Liberal Arts and Health Sciences effective May 9 and that Wooden, the dean of Health Sciences, would become dean of a new College of Arts and Sciences.

By Jennifer Willis Communications Staff “Bring your lunch, bring your Bibles and bring an open heart to the Lord, and let the Spirit work.” That’s the motto of the Bible study at Peoria II every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. According to Dennis Cox, a military enrollment counselor and retired Air Force officer who leads the weekly group, the members are Christians who enjoy fellowship and discussing God’s Word. It might not seem like a big deal. But in a world wrought with turmoil and a country where separation of church and state is an issue, it’s unusual for a group to come together to pray and talk about spiritual matters in an office setting. In fact, it’s almost unheard of. Yet that’s part of what separates GCU’s employees and students from the rest. “It’s great that our company allows this,” Cox says.  Online Pastor Ryan Maguire agrees.  “As part of a Christian university, gathering together to talk with God and study the Bible is our privilege,” Maguire says. “These study and prayer groups exist to encourage and refresh the employees of GCU. Gathering around God’s Word reminds and motivates us to carry out His purpose, as we provide guidance for students who […]

By Jennifer Willis Communications Staff If there is one thing Ruth Douthitt has learned over the last 20 years, it’s to follow your dreams and never give up. Douthitt has a busy life. She is a wife, a mother, a curriculum developer at GCU for the colleges of Liberal Arts and Fine Arts and Production, a devout Christian and now a published author of a children’s chapter book. Like most things that are worthwhile in life, the last of these did not come easily. It all started when Douthitt was a young Marine wife living in North Carolina. Her love of art led her to want to illustrate a children’s picture book, so she began spending time at the library. As her research progressed, so did her imagination, and ideas began to form in her head about a young boy and his adventures with dragons. Writing a children’s book, as Douthitt soon discovered, was not as easy as it seemed, and the everyday tasks of life forced her to put her book on the back burner several times. Inspiration from her young son — and the realization that there weren’t many books out there for young boys — gave her […]

With Tonja Smith, GCU’s corporate travel manager and senior event planner, the engine is always running. There is no “off” switch. It’s running when she shows up for work at 5 a.m. in Annex II, ready to jump on the phone and dash off emails from her cubicle. It’s even running when she’s delivering a baby and the Antelopes’ head baseball coach is trying to reach her to make a change in plans for a trip. (True story. Happened four years ago, and she got kicked out of the hospital’s recovery room over it.)

The Office of Campus Life tapped a Grand Canyon alum to fill the new position of intramural and recreation director. Kris Hayes has served across campus, both as a student and staff member. “When students buy into something, they provide the strongest case for why we should invest in what they want on campus,” Hayes says. “Students have a voice on campus. What they are into is what will happen.”

Chuck Howard has a reputation as a drill sergeant with the GCU athletes. He is also a tireless physical trainer giving his student-athletes the tools for physical and spiritual health.