Student Engagement

The roar of voices in hundreds of conversations permeated Thunderground on Wednesday afternoon, a testament to the success of the Out-of-State Social. Students from Maryland to Minnesota to Miami met and talked, creating new bonds. Over 400 students attended and stayed double the scheduled time, thanks to a willingness to meet each other amid an assortment of dynamic activities, including Uno card games, bowling, billiards, Foosball, ring game and Jenga.

How do thousands of GCU students and their families make their way in cars, vans and U-Hauls from the perimeter of campus to their well-appointed residence hall rooms? Thousands of volunteers welcome them and move them in under the direction of Charity Norman, Director of Welcome Programs. GCU senior writer Theresa Smith embedded with Norman on Tuesday. One day earlier, she was shadowed by a video crew. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Move-In.

The leaders of the Associated Students of GCU (ASGCU) are running a small business this summer. In preparation for the school year, they are planning events, budgeting, hiring vendors and student leaders, and publicizing their efforts to maximize student engagement. Each of the four leaders brings leadership experience to their collaborative effort, thanks to their campus jobs.

It might appear to be time for summer chill instead of summer sweat, yet with hundreds of events and activities to plan the mode is busy for the 14-member staff of GCU’s Office of Student Engagement. Nearly 600 activities were planned and executed under the umbrella of Student Engagement last school year, not including hundreds of events managed by the 126 clubs. “It’s not the volume [of events] but the engagement,’’ said Jeremy Mack, director of Student Engagement. “We want to make students feel welcome on campus while making friends.’’