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18 | CANYON CORRIDOR CONNECTION 2016
Under the direction of
Dr. Joe Veres (front, center),
Learning Lounge leads
such as (top, from left) Fin
Barrozo, Norberto Rayas and
Juan Villegas and (bottom
left) Justin Owens and
Leslie Pace regularly serve
local students who come to
campus for tutoring help.
PHOTO BY DARRYLWEBB
5 ON 5 WITH
Dr. Joe Veres, Learning Lounge
Grand
Canyon
University:
By the
Numbers
In 1949, the Southern Baptist
Church opened Grand Canyon
College’s doors in an abandoned
armory building in Prescott,
Ariz. The school moved about
100 miles south to west Phoenix
in 1951 and changed its name
to Grand Canyon University
nearly 40 years later. In 65
years of graduation ceremonies
for traditional and online
students, the ranks of the alumni
community have swelled to
100,000 strong. Here’s a tip of
the mortarboard to them:
23
administrators,
faculty and staff
in 1951
6
graduates in the
Class of 1951
1,869
graduates in
the traditional
Class of 2015
10,018
alumni living in
California, second
only to Arizona at 31,617
108,787
degrees awarded since 1951
258
doctoral
studies degrees
awarded
SOURCE: GCU OFFICE OF ALUMNI
RELATIONS, AS OF FEB. 10, 2016
H
e’s “Dr. Joe” to the GCU students in the
University’s exceptional on-campus tutoring
center who help other students crack their
math, science, English, history and other books. Since
opening in September 2013, the Learning Lounge has
served nearly 1,800 students who have spent more than
47,000 hours studying there. And once they arrive,
many don’t want to leave. Dr. Joe Veres, (’13, Ed.D.
in Organizational Leadership in Effective Schools),
executive director of student development and
outreach, is a big reason.
What was your toughest subject in high school
and how did you get help?
Biology II, mostly
because I didn’t put in the effort and my teacher, Mrs.
Ashley, held me accountable. She took a gamble on me,
helped me with my class and changed the course of my
life.
At what point did you know the Learning Lounge
was going to succeed, and what’s a typical day
like?
I knew about 30 seconds into my initial
meeting with (GCU President and CEO) Brian Mueller.
His passion for the community embodies everything
we do at the Lounge. But there is no typical day. I’ve
seen intense learning sessions, captivating magic
shows, group debates, tamale taste tests, white-board
equation discussions, guitar practice, prayers, kickball,
volleyball skill-building, spelling contests, timed
mathfact practice, storytelling, whole family visits and
lots of smiles.
What’s the most unexpected question you’ve
gotten from a Learning Lounge parent?
A
woman visited the Lounge hoping that we could
work with her daughter, a kindergartner. At that time,
we only worked with high school students, but her
request made us think about how we could do more.
And now, we open the Lounge on Saturdays to students
in kindergarten through eighth grade.
How do you use your dissertation, “Blended
Learning: A Case Study on Teacher
Effectiveness,” in your work at GCU?
The
challenge for my dissertation was to reinvent education
for the 21st century, be innovative and be different.
That’s at the heart of the Lounge. We look at everything
from every angle and work to be different, to be better
and to challenge the status quo.
How do you help your kids with their
homework?
I am thankful my kids (grades 2, 5,
7 and 10) are smarter than me. But on the rare occasion
I need to help, I have learned to be very efficient and
effective in Google searches on my phone. Also see
page 22-23 and 35.
(continued on page 35 Learning Lounge)
1
2
3
4
GCU Learning Lounge K-12 hours: Monday-Friday from 3PM to 8PM (only high school grade levels)
Saturdays from 8AM to 6PM (K-High School and open to all schools in the community).
High school students in west Phoenix have access to
a new pay-it-forward program — Students Inspiring
Students: A Neighborhood Scholarship. GCU
President Brian Mueller predicts it will be “the most
transformational thing that has happened in inner-
city neighborhoods in America.” Building on the
success of its popular Learning Lounge, the University
announced in January it has created a fund to provide
200 full-tuition GCU scholarships a year to qualified
seniors from its neighborhood partner high schools.
Donations already had reached more than $750,000
in late February. To donate, get information about
requirements or apply, visit gcuscholarshipfoundation.
org or call the admissions office at 800-800-9776.
See full article on pages 22-23
Communi t y Highl ights
5
Canyon Corridor Neighborhood Scholarship