Signs of growth were everywhere on campus and at the 27th Avenue office complex.

(Editor’s note: This story is from the May 2016 issue of GCU Today Magazine. To view the digital version of the magazine, click here.)

GCU Today Magazine
Photos by Darryl Webb

Grand Canyon University continued to be an impact player in west Phoenix and beyond in 2015-16. Here are the stories that made the most impact:

The newly renovated Grand Canyon University Championship Golf Course opened and was an immediate hit.

1. Community revitalization

The local crime rate goes down 30%, home values go up 30%, and the Habitat for Humanity and Neighborhood Safety initiatives continue to make a difference as GCU fulfills its lead role in transforming west Phoenix.

2. Hotel, golf course open

The University provides jobs for both students and the community by re-opening two local businesses as the Grand Canyon University Hotel and Grand Canyon University Championship Golf Course. Both thrive.

3. Growth in academics

The accent on STEM education takes shape as GCU offers engineering degrees for the first time, and the new hospitality management and golf course management programs open in conjunction with the new venues.

Enrollment continued to grow rapidly.

4. Growth in K-12 initiatives

Students Inspiring Students is created to provide up to 800 full-tuition scholarships for high school seniors, and the STEM Scholars partnership and the Learning Lounge continue to benefit all pre-college students.

5. Growth in enrollment, grads

Ground campus enrollment reaches 15,500, and the University passes a huge milestone by reaching the 100,000 mark in alumni — after adding a whopping 68,426 members between 2010 and 2015.

6. Growth on campus

The new engineering building, Lopes Way and The Grove residence halls open. Next up are the Student Life Building, soccer stadium, three apartment buildings and a second engineering building.

7. Athletics on rise

The men’s basketball team wins 27 games, including its first two Division I postseason victories, and the men’s and women’s track and field teams sweep titles in the Western Athletic Conference indoor championships.

8. Worship Arts album

The new recording studio gives Center for Worship Arts students a place to work with state-of-the-art equipment to create great Christian music, and they use it to produce the second-year program’s first full album.

Students pitched in on Habitat for Humanity projects that renovated nearby homes.

9. Speech and Debate

The Speech and Debate Team ranks in the top 25 in two different categories, wins its third straight Division III title in the Christian College Forensic Invitational and is chosen to host the event next year.

10. Nonprofit effort ends

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOPE) announces that it is terminating its current effort to convert Grand Canyon University to a nonprofit entity after the Higher Learning Commission denies the request.

Honorable mention

GCU freezes tuition for the eighth straight year, President Brian Mueller is voted Businessperson of Year by the Phoenix Business Journal, the GCU Foundation Run to Fight Children’s Cancer attracts thousands of runners and cancer survivors, students and staff continue to bring their passion to mission trips around the world and community outings close to home, and the University is again the home for significant events such as Forensic Science Day.

Center for Worship Arts students, including Maddison Harris (above, singing), produced their first LP.

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GCU graduate Ashlyn Tupper

(Editor’s note: This story is from the May 2016 issue of GCU Today Magazine. To view the digital version of the magazine, click here.)

Story and photo by Laurie Merrill
GCU Today Magazine

When Ashlyn Tupper was a freshman in 2012, Grand Canyon University didn’t have a speech and debate team, and that didn’t faze her.

After all, she had logged four years of speech and debate at North Pointe Preparatory high school in Phoenix, and she was ready to end that chapter of her life.

My, have things changed! Four years later, not only does GCU have a speech and debate team that is rocking the competition, but Tupper, the only senior, is one of the keys to its success.

So what changed her mind?

In the spring of 2014, six months after College of Humanities and Social Sciences instructor Barry Regan started GCU’s first Speech and Debate Team, Tupper found herself in his public speaking class.

She had no idea he was the team’s director. So when he asked students to talk about themselves, Tupper thought nothing of discussing her years competing in speech during high school.

“He spent the rest of the semester talking me into joining the team,” Tupper said.

It wasn’t until the fall of 2014 — and after much prayer — that Tupper attended a practice.

“I just felt suddenly this clarity that this is where I belong and need to be. It was a community I hadn’t found in two years at GCU,” Tupper said. “I found my peeps.”

Since then, the team has grown from about a dozen students to more than 20, and the coaching staff has more than doubled.

The team collected a cornucopia of titles this year. It finished No. 25 in the nation of out 199 in parliamentary debate. It was Division III champion in the 2016 Christian College Forensic Invitational. And, in perhaps the highest honor, GCU was selected to host the 2017 National Christian College Forensics Invitational.

Tupper believes GCU’s shiny new national reputation will attract students who want to compete in speech and debate.

“I think people will come here for us,” she said.

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu. 

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Brandon Coleman is a VA whistle blower who refused to turn away from suffering veterans.

Story and photos by Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

Turning away from trouble was never an option for GCU adjunct professor Brandon Coleman.

It wasn’t when he was actively serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps, and it wasn’t when he witnessed the suffering of suicidal combat veterans while working for the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Even after he was placed on leave from the VA after filing a formal complaint about veterans whose cries for help he said were ignored, Coleman wouldn’t be silenced.

“There was nothing being done,” said Coleman. “Those on the brink of suicide were falling through the cracks.”

On Friday, the VA whistleblower whose relentless efforts to tell the truth ignited a national investigation that revealed systemic, life-threatening problems at the VA, shared his riveting story with GCU faculty and staff members.

“No matter what the VA does I can sleep at night because I’m telling the truth,” said Coleman, a disabled veteran, recovering addict and father of six who teaches classes in psycho-pharmacology and group and addiction therapy.

Coleman worked directly with veterans in his role at the Phoenix VA and also ran a drug rehabilitation program. Between January 2012 and January 2015, he said six veterans he was treating committed suicide as a result of shoddy VA practices.

Coleman shared his story with a riveted audience at GCU.

Suicidal veterans brought to the emergency room often left because of improper security, he said.

In January 2015, he filed a formal complaint. As a result, the VA put him on administrative leave and shut down the drug rehab program, which was treating 71 vets.

Coleman said the VA also filed a complaint against him, improperly examined his protected personnel file, intentionally humiliated him and required him to check in with police before receiving treatment for his disability at the hospital.

“Wow,” he said about that. “I defended this country. I did nothing wrong except tell the truth but was treated like a criminal.”

In the year that followed, Coleman gave hundreds of interviews to the media, testified before Congress and gained the support of powerful people.

A national investigation was launched that revealed many problems preventing the men and women who served in the military from receiving help in a timely manner.

Coleman has been reinstated at the VA and continues to teach at GCU.

“I think this man is a miracle,” said Denise Krupp, a College of Humanities and Social Sciences counseling instructor. “God uses people to help His other people. I don’t think anything he did was by mistake. He was out there holding the cross.”

Kathy Britton, a CHSS counseling professor, said that Coleman’s story provides a strong lesson to future counselors regarding professional ethics.

“He was put in an impossible position and had to call out his agency,” Britton said.

Courtney Campbell, a senior psychology and criminal justice double major and student worker for the CHSS, said Coleman is another example of the depth of experiences many GCU professors possess.

“There are so many dimensions to the people at GCU. It’s very cool that he’s faculty here.”

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu. 

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Jennifer Smestad records “It’s Only Rain” in the GCU studio.

Story by Karen Fernau
Photos by Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

When Jennifer Smestad sings, she hopes the message of her lyrics matches the strength of her voice.

That message: Music heals. The 23-year-old Gilbert singer stands as testament to its truth.

Smestad, who graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2015 with a communications degree, was diagnosed at age 10 with Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and sounds.

She sang to tame uncontrollable neck ticks. She sang to calm obsessive hand washing. She sang to push through the paralyzing anxiety that made her dread school. She sang her speech as a candidate for Chandler High School’s student council — and won.

Smestad says her goal is “to share with others the healing power of music.”

Today, the 2013 Miss Arizona sings to help others overcome their own challenges.

“I want to share with others the healing power of music,” she said.

Her first single — “It’s Only Rain,” recently recorded at the invitation of GCU President Brian Mueller in the campus studio — does just that.

In a voice that is both trumpet and flute, strong and calming, she sings, “Whatever this world wants to throw our way, it’s only rain.”

There’s no trace left of the child who feared being ridiculed and avoided talking to others. Smestad now thrives on singing in front of a packed house.

Along with music, she credits her parents, Gary and Brenda Smestad, for what she calls “her cure.” They encouraged her singing, soothed her fears and refused to accept the neurological disorder as a life sentence.

They researched treatments and chose acupuncture, an ancient Chinese treatment to balance the flow of energy through the body, over brain surgery.

Smestad is unable to explain exactly why or how, but she can say with certainty, “The acupuncture worked.”

According to Brenda Smestad, her daughter began belting out songs at 3 years old. She and her older sister often fought over their favorite toy — a microphone.

“I’m glad Jennifer is using song, something that helped her so much, to inspire others,” she said.

For her first single, Smestad co-wrote the music and lyrics with Trent Willmon, a Memphis-based singer and songwriter.

Chris Bandusty, a bandmate in Hillbilly Deluxe and fellow musician at Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert, plays backup guitar. The record’s producers are Eric Johnson, GCU recording studio manager, and John McJunkin, the studio engineer.

Smestad, who won the talent segment of the Miss Arizona competition with her singing, is devoting all her time to music and helping others with Tourette.

It was during her reign as Miss Arizona that Smestad first talked publicly about her struggles with the neurological disease and the obsessive-compulsive behavior it triggered. She talked of writing and obsessively erasing sentences in her schoolwork. She talked of being so anxious about school that she would cry herself to sleep.

Along with giving others with Tourette hope, she said, her goal is to raise awareness of the disorder. The hallmark signs of Tourette are tics or sudden, intermittent sounds. They range from mild to severe and, for many like Smestad, make it difficult to function daily.

“Tourette is different for different people, but I’ve talked to people who have reached out to me and we share the same pain,” she said.

“It’s Only Rain” is expected to hit the airwaves this fall. Smestad plans to release her first album within a year. Her goal is to become a country western star on par with her idols — LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood.

Smestad knows it will be a difficult journey, a longshot.

But so was taming Tourette.

Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or karen.fernau@gcu.edu.

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By Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

Change? Who wants to do that?

It’s hard enough convincing people to change, and it’s harder still if it comes with a price tag or requires giving  up a favorite pastime.

So, what’s the best strategy for motivating people to change?

Over the summer, Denise Krupp, College of Humanities and Social Sciences lead counseling instructor, conducted sessions with two groups of Grand Canyon University employees — Super Team 7’s counselors and student conduct coordinators — that provided answers to that very question.

Krupp instructed them in motivational interviewing, a process she has used with success in her second job counseling court-ordered clients.

Denise Krupp

“It’s an approach to meet a person where they are at, to listen to them, learn what their needs are and help them,” she said.

At its core, motivational interviewing encourages connecting instead of persuading. Clients are more open to new ideas when participating in a conversation than when they are getting a lecture from a stranger.

“Ask about their day or how they are doing, what their goals are, what their values are,” Krupp said. “You have to build rapport or they will not engage.”

Persuasion is eschewed in motivational interviewing.

Krupp, for example, doesn’t try to convince her clients who face drunken-driving charges to enroll in alcohol-rehabilitation programs. Instead, she asks how alcohol is causing problems in their lives, and she and the client team up to arrive at solutions that, in the end, often include a rehab program.

Paul Fernandez, a University Counselor Manager (UCM), first heard about motivational interviewing from his wife, Robin Fernandez, an online instructor who teaches addiction counseling.

Fernandez is one of five UCMs who manage 12 counselors each on her team. He saw team members who wanted to grow but needed a new direction or focus.

“What I saw was people who wanted to get better,” he said. “I didn’t have a conceptual framework to help them grow.”

He reached out for information and was thrilled when Krupp volunteered to train more than 60 university counselors.

“She was awesome, and the team was pretty bummed out that school is starting because they know they won’t see her as much,” he said. “She loves motivational interviewing and is really good at it.”

Alan Boelter

He said her coaching made his team members more confident and skilled in their conversations. Krupp helped them change their performance at work — so they could help GCU students make a change in their lives.

“She encouraged us to listen more, to not throw a whole bunch of information at them and see what sticks,” Fernandez said.

Student Conduct Manager Alan Boelter, who oversees five coordinators, said his department already had been considering motivational interviewing when Pastor Tim Griffin, GCU’s dean of students, connected him with Krupp.

Boelter said his department is shifting from a more punitive approach to one that motivates students to embrace growth.

“We probably see students at their lowest point,” Boelter said. “We want to work with them and develop them as global citizens.”

Boelter said a key suggestion was to help students realize that the payoff for change — a college degree and more satisfying jobs — is greater than the payoff for continuing down the same path.

“It’s finding the positive motivational thing to help them get to their next step,” Boelter said.

GCU, Krupp said, is a family, and she enjoyed using her skills to help out her family members.

“We are all in this together,” Krupp said. “We all have the same goals. Why not work together to use each other’s skills to meet our goals?”

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu. 

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Story by Rick Vacek
Photos by Darryl Webb
GCU News Bureau

Arizona Sen. John McCain likes visiting Grand Canyon University. He has been to the campus often in recent years and says that of all of the events in his re-election campaign, “the greatest event I’ve had so far is attending a Lopes game.”

Arizona Sen. John McCain speaks to a big crowd Thursday afternoon in the Student Union.

So it was no surprise that McCain chose GCU to be the site of another campaign event Thursday afternoon. Only this time, instead of taking in a game, he was speaking to a packed, largely purple-shirted audience of about 500 students and staff on the fourth floor of the Student Union.

GCU President Brian Mueller noted that any event involving McCain or Jerry Colangelo, the Phoenix sports and business icon who is so closely aligned with the University, is even more beneficial for students.

“Obviously, he’s a successful politician, but he’s just a good person,” said Mueller, who estimates that he has visited with McCain at least a dozen times. “I think that’s how you last in that business for that long. He’s very genuine. He’s authentic. He’s a family guy. He’s lived a very honorable life, obviously.

“When I think about our students and the role models we could put in front of them, having Mr. Colangelo in front of them a lot, having Mr. McCain in front of them, those are examples of how to live your life.”

The GCU students who work in McCain’s office as interns witness that example every day. Three of them were there Thursday, wearing their McCain T-shirts.

McCain began his visit by spending time with the University’s executive team. From left, Dr. Stan Meyer, chief operating officer; McCain; Brian Roberts, general counsel; President Brian Mueller; and Dan Bachus, chief financial officer.

“He’s got a great personality,” said Isaac Steiner, a sophomore pursuing a degree in Government with an Emphasis on Legal Studies. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not smiling. He definitely has a great spirit about him.”

Steiner started working for McCain after taking a photo with him at one of those GCU games the senator enjoys so much. As a member of the Havocs student cheering section, Steiner had purple paint all over his face — not exactly the type of thing that would impress most politicians.

But McCain is different. He loves the spirit he sees at GCU. So he suggested to Steiner that he might want to look into working for him, and Thursday Steiner and his fellow interns were sharing the front row with members of the University’s military community — another favorite McCain cause.

McCain got to campus shortly after 2 p.m. and met with University executives briefly at GCU Arena, where he was shown two recent videos that captured highlights of the past year at GCU.

He then was driven on a campus tour, which included a close-up view of about-to-be-opened GCU Stadium, before being taken up to the top of the Union.

University Provost Dr. Hank Radda shakes hands with McCain as he is welcomed by a long line of staff members.

There, he was greeted with the Thundering Heard Pep Band playing “Anchors Aweigh” (one of his favorites), and the crowd stood and applauded with the same fervor as the most avid McCain rally.

Many student leaders have returned to campus in anticipation for Welcome Week on Aug. 22-28 and the start of the academic year on Aug. 29, but Mueller still was impressed by their willingness to change their plans and roll out the welcome mat.

“Our students are amazing,” he said. “They’ll stop what they’re doing at the drop of a hat and they’ll get over here, and they’re energetic and they’re enthusiastic and they’re supportive. It’s just a blessing to be around the kinds of students that we have.”

It’s just one of the things McCain loves about the University.

“Congratulations for attending one of the premier universities in America, with great faculty, great facilities and great leadership,” he said when he greeted the throng. “Go, Lopes. I’m proud of you.”

● Here’s a slideshow from McCain’s visit.

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

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By Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

New courses, more faculty and important twists on the current curriculum are some of the changes in store for College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) students when classes begin Monday, Aug. 29.

New program highlights include:

• A major revision in the Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies
• New Professional Writing programs
• A Bachelor’s of Science degree in Sociology with an Emphasis in Social Work.

Dr. Sherman Elliott, College of Humanities and Social Sciences dean, is excited about the new school year.

The social work degree is attracting a surprising number of enrollees, said Dr. Sherman Elliott, CHSS dean.

“It’s taken off,” Elliott said. “We have double the enrollment we anticipated.”

More than 53 ground students and more than 150 online students had enrolled in the program by early August.

Elliott also is hoping for high enrollment in the new degree programs, a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Professional Writing Emphasis and a Minor in Professional Writing.

These degrees are designed to attract not only communications and English students but any student at GCU, Elliott said.

“Whether a student is going into business, music, theology or more, it makes sense to pick up a minor in professional writing,” Elliott said. “You’ve got to be a good writer in any field today.”

Elliott said he is “extremely proud” of Justice Studies faculty members Kevin Walling and Colonel Stemley for their wholesale revision of the program to reflect the evolving needs of society and its relationship to police.

“The program shifts the nature of policing, focusing on community policing and handling unique populations, such as the mentally ill and minorities,” Elliott said.

The program is a move away from the enforcement/firepower model of policing.

“Our future officers will take psychology and learn to handle conflict resolution and interpersonal-relationship building,” he said. “The program will include police intelligence and analysis, for example — how to use big data for things like crowd control and gangs.”

Also new to CHSS this fall are six new faculty members, three who will teach mathematics and one each to teach English, sociology and communications.

Three are former GCU adjuncts, which reflects Elliott’s preference to promote from within.

“I hire from within because adjunct professors have a chance to prove they are successful with the GCU student body and culture,” Elliott said. “I use adjuncting as a trial.”

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu. 

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By Rick Vacek
GCU News Bureau

The success of the Integration of Faith, Learning and Work initiative at Grand Canyon University has been the result of strong faculty participation, so much so that they now have a key role in running it.

Dr. Jason Hiles, dean of the College of Theology, decided earlier this year to form a task force to help plan and operate the program, which includes six “Lunch and Learns” for faculty during the school year.

Dr. Jason Hiles, dean of the College of Theology, formed a faculty task force to help him plan and execute the popular “Lunch and Learns,” the centerpiece of the Integration of Faith, Learning and Work initiative at GCU. (Photo by Darryl Webb)

Beginning in March, the task force — which includes a representative from each college — met regularly to plan the 2016-17 overall theme and individual topics, conduct and evaluate a faculty survey, and get more individual feedback from peers.

“Anything related to integration of faith in this whole process, if he communicates at the meeting, then we would be collaborating at the college level with our dean and our fellow faculty and seeing that it is being implemented,” said one of the eight task force members, Dr. Daisy Savarirajan of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.

“Since we are very much moving around with other faculty, we know what the concerns are and what the challenges are. We’re kind of mediating between the deans and the faculty, which is a pretty responsible job.”

Some of the results of the group’s meetings: This year’s theme is “Things That Really Matter,” and each session — starting with the first one at 11:15 a.m. Friday in Howerton Hall — will feature two presenters from two different colleges rather than one and a separate discussion led by panelists, which on Friday will include students as well as faculty.

Hiles wraps up each session with a talk on a related topic. The complete schedule of topics and presenters is listed below, and lunch is provided.

One of the first things the task force did last spring was design and conduct an IFLW workshop/retreat before faculty members left for the break.

“We had this whole day where it was our faculty who led the songs, prayer and meditation from the Bible,” Savarirajan said. “We were the ones who did our own getting into the Bible, seeing how we find relevant passages that apply to our teaching of the sciences.

“It was a very big success, and the feedback I got from the faculty was that they just loved it — it was the best retreat they have experienced so far.”

Joshua Danaher

Hiles also met with the task force to examine GCU’s doctrinal statement and explore how the history of Christianity fit with what the University is trying to accomplish.

Then there was the survey. Another member of the task force, Joshua Danaher of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said it demonstrated why the group is important. In addition to the written survey, task force members also met one-on-one with other faculty in their college.

“We have a better understanding of, just from informal conversations, the feedback that other faculty have with the initiative,” he said. “We can get more specific feedback from our colleagues. That’s already shaped what we’re going to do with the Lunch and Learns.”

Toward the end of the summer break, Savarirajan met with a group of scientists who are committed Christians. “Everything that I learned, I’m going to impart it to my classes,” she said.

That’s the main reason for the IFLW, of course. And that’s the whole point of this year’s sessions.

“Let’s try to determine what really matters, what we’re doing together and how we can get it to our students,” Hiles said.

Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

LUNCH AND LEARN SCHEDULE

SEPT. 16: “THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER”

Description: The first lunch and learn offering of the fall will set the stage for the entire academic year. This session interacts with Jesus’ teaching that we should not live “by bread alone” and explores the things that really matter to God.

Faculty presentation: Dr. Moronke Oke, Colangelo College of Business (CCOB) and Joshua Danaher, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS)

Panel participants: CCOB, CHSS and selected students

Theological perspective (Dr. Jason Hiles): Not by bread alone (Luke 4)

OCT. 21: “CHRISTIAN EDUCATION”

Description: Education represents a perennial “hot button” topic because it is an important means of impressing key values on the next generation and setting the trajectory for our society’s future. This session will discuss the significance of forming students’ hearts and minds from a Christian perspective.

Introduction: Dr. Wayne Schmidt, College of Doctoral Studies (CDS)

Faculty presentation: College of Science, Engineering and Techonology (CSET) and Curriculum Design and Development (CDD)

Panel participants: CSET, CDD, College of Education (COE)

Theological perspective (Hiles): A house built to last (Luke 6)

NOV. 18: “THE CHRISTIAN LIFE”

Description: Conversations about faith often turn toward beliefs, doctrines and worldview commitments, but a genuinely Biblical faith results in a wonderfully unique style of life. This session will explore some of the practical differences that the Christian worldview makes when one truly follows Jesus.

Faculty presentation: COE and College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (CONHCP)

Panel participants: COE, CONHCP, CDS

Theological perspective (Hiles): Following Jesus (Luke 5)

JAN. 13:  “CHRISTIAN LOVE”

Description: “Love” is an incredibly flexible term used to describe feelings as different as loyalty to a football team (“I love the Cardinals”), enjoyment of food (“I love pizza”) and affection for another (“I love my spouse”). But the Bible insists that Christian love is a particular sort of love rooted in a deep and absolute commitment to the God who lovingly made us in his image. This session will consider how this kind of love has the power to change everything.

Faculty presentation: CDS, College of Fine Arts and Production (COFAP)

Panel participants: COE, CSET and College of Theology

Theological perspective (Hiles): Loving our enemies (Luke 6)

FEB. 17: “JESUS AT THE CENTER”

Description: The modern world often seems confusing, conflicted and perhaps even a little disappointing. Many different things vie for our attention and energy, but, in the end, only a few things really matter. Jesus does not offer a return to simpler days when things were better. Instead, He gently and lovingly offers the hope of a life that is centered on what really matters.

Faculty presentation: COFAP, CHSS

Panel participants: COFAP, CHSS, COT

Theological Perspective (Hiles): Who is Jesus, exactly? (Luke 9)

MARCH 17: “FOLLOWING JESUS”

Description: Imagine a world in which everyone lived and loved as Jesus did. It would be absolutely incredible to inhabit a world in which people truly loved one another and, indeed, even loved their enemies. Jesus was willing to pay a high price to change the world, and He called others to follow him in this way of life. The final Lunch and Learn of the year takes a close look at what it takes to follow Jesus as he leads us to take hold of the purpose God has for each of our lives.

Faculty presentation: CCOB, CSET

Panel participants: CCOB, CSET, CHSS

Theological perspective (Hiles): The cross of Christ (Luke 9)

The post ‘Lunch and Learns’ demonstrate faith in faculty appeared first on GCU Today.

By Mark Heller
GCU News Bureau

The juxtaposition between discussing “living by not eating bread alone” while eating sandwiches wasn’t lost on the audience Friday at the Integration of Faith, Learning and Work event for Grand Canyon University faculty, but this dialogue wasn’t about carbs. Or even food.

The first of six IFLW “Lunch and Learn” speaker series events during the 2016-17 school year revolved around Biblical and philosophical concepts of bread: materialistic and often unfulfilling pursuits in life.

Dr. Jason Hiles

College of Theology Dean Dr. Jason Hiles referenced Luke 4: 3-4, in which Jesus fasted for 40 days only to be confronted by the devil, who asked Him to turn a stone into bread. Jesus refused: “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone.”

Instead, Hiles said, conversations, relationships, discussions, words and actions sustain happy, healthy and meaningful lives.

Dr. Moronke Oke from the Colangelo College of Business spoke of the relationship between our pursuits of “bread” in the business world. She used a “Pyramid of Priorities” to explain how many modern businesses and our individual professional goals are misaligned. Position, profit and performance are atop the pyramid, with purpose, principles and people at the bottom.

“It should be the other way around,” she said. “It should start with people. … If you love thy neighbor as yourself, you’ll still achieve good results.”

Joshua Danaher from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences spoke of ways to integrate spiritual life and communications into our daily interactions and actions.

Danaher said being authentic in conversations and interactions and in your daily actions can challenge you and others by bringing out your true self, thoughts and feelings. This kind of transparency “helps us be critical of what we are, what we know and our world around us.

Josh Danaher

“Cheap talk is very expensive,” he said.

A four-person panel of GCU teachers and students then shared their experiences, ranging from collaborations with students, to getting involved, to helping find your own “community.” Both self-reflection and authentic conversations help open the mind and prioritize what is truly important in work and life.

Hiles noted that “living by bread alone” often leads to focusing on the “mundane, busyness and creates anxiety.” The lure of many rewards often leaves us ultimately unsatisfied, creates needless competition and reinforces a desire for more that can lead to restlessness.

“Not living by bread alone allows us to focus on other things and pursue something better,” he said.

Hiles then posed two questions to the capacity crowd:

• Are you tempted at any points by the “bread alone” approach to life?
• If so, what is the “bread alone” lifestyle that presents the strongest temptations?

“Are we driven by titles, success and money, or what really matters?” Oke said. “It’s up to us to be the master of our own time and lives, or someone will do it for us.”

Contact Mark Heller at (602) 639-7516 or mark.heller@gcu.edu

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By Mark Heller
GCU News Bureau

Even during a 2,600-mile journey, Larry Hinkle is on a deadline.

The former United States Marine needs to reach Camp Pendleton near San Diego by Nov. 10. And since it’s an hour flight or six-hour drive, it shouldn’t be difficult.

Except Hinkle is walking.

Larry Hinkle (left) stopped at Grand Canyon University on Wednesday to visit with other veterans.

He began from North Carolina in early April and continued through Wednesday’s stop at Grand Canyon University.

The former Marine did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. The plan was to travel the country on a self-discovery mission: “To see our country and see what I was fighting for,” he said.

Walking wasn’t his original plan, but he’s on his 11th pair of shoes and fifth knee surgery. For the purposes of raising money and awareness for fellow veterans, blisters, a bad back, sore hip, and the agony of walking through the South and parts of Texas in the middle of summer is worth the wear. There also was a three-week pause for an injured Achilles tendon and another week lost to a staph infection.

The planned 27-week meander on both interstate freeways and back roads is instead approaching its seventh month.

“I’ll probably be using a walker after this,” he joked while showing a few of his (literal) battle scars.

Energetic, affable and approachable, Hinkle arrived in Phoenix last week. After setting up his truck and trailer in an RV park in Tempe, he has walked around the city. He visited the VA Hospital, where he bought lunch for fellow veterans, and plans to visit Valley firehouses, police departments and meet first responders.

When Hinkle met Chris Landauer, GCU’s regional director of operations for military enrollment, last month in El Paso, Texas, Hinkle agreed to stop by GCU for a campus tour and to meet some military students.

Hinkle’s preconceived notions of GCU and its Veterans Center didn’t stick.

“My eyes have been opened here. I never knew this type of place existed,” he said inside the Veterans Center while visiting with students.

Then he laughed: “I’d have been in so much trouble if this was my college experience.”

He plans to resume his commercial pavement service job when he returns to North Carolina, a long way removed from a $100 weekly per diem he gives himself on this journey. The rest of his funds (gas for the truck, camping costs, military organizations) are raised through donations, including shoes from Brooks and Saucony.

Students who passed in and out of the Veterans Center on Wednesday — and a few who stayed through Hinkle’s visit — harkened to a common phrase heard throughout the day: “Keeping up the good fight.”

”It’s different than what he and most people normally see,” said GCU senior Francisco Quijada, who did a tour in Afghanistan. “We have that environment and community you can’t find anywhere else.”

As the current and former military student populations continues to increase, GCU Veterans Resource Coordinator Hattie Douglas estimated that nearly 300 traditional students on campus have military experience while nearly 500 are commuting to campus. Wednesday, Douglas discovered that she and Hinkle had worked together on a project in Afghanistan back in 2002.

It’s a small world, which is kind of Douglas’ point in speaking about training faculty and offering additional programs and services to military students. And it’s also Hinkle’s point when he shares the resources and programs available to first responders and military personnel.

“We like (the Veterans Center) to be a safe place where students who’ve experienced so much in their lives can go to get help with homework, or relax, and share those incredibly unique relationships and experiences,” Douglas said.

In a few days, Hinkle heads to Tucson, then back up to Casa Grande, west to Dateland and Yuma, then across the California border to San Diego and Camp Pendleton.

He expects to return in 2017 during another planned cross-country excursion of visits and speaking engagements. It won’t be on foot, but he still plans to pay his knowledge and experience forward.

“I’m sore and my body hurts, but I’ve never been happier in life,” he said of his journey. “It’s lit a fuse and I’ve felt great about what I’ve learned, so I want to take that feeling and pass it on through my (military) brothers and sisters.”

Contact Mark Heller at (602) 639-7516 or mark.heller@gcu.edu

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One of the biggest events at Family Weekend is the introduction of the men’s basketball team at Midnight Madness.

By Karen Fernau
GCU News Bureau

Kathy Seter returned home last year to California from Family Weekend at Grand Canyon University tired, but content.

“I left with the reassuring knowledge that our daughter Elizabeth is in a safe and nurturing environment. The weekend built a strong connection with campus that lasted long after my husband and I left for home,” said Seter, now a member of the GCU Parent Council.

Family weekend is a great way to bring students and their families together.

This weekend, the Seters return for Family Weekend, joining a record number of families visiting campus Friday to Sunday for an event-packed celebration with tours, soccer games, bowling, chapel, a fun run and hugs from students.

More than double the thousands of families — from parents, grandparents to siblings — are expected to attend the 2016 Family Weekend over last year.

“The interest this year has been incredible,” said Jeanne Lind, Parent and Family Programs Coordinator for GCU Office of Student Engagement.

Family Weekend allows families to visit students six weeks after moving into dorms and apartments on campus. The majority are families of freshmen and sophomores.

“It’s a great time of year, and students have been on campus long enough to have gained their footing. The time is right for a weekend visit with their parents, their families,” she said.

The weekend also is designed to showcase GCU’s campus, academics, restaurants, sports, arts and spiritual life.

Bowling is part of the fun at Family Weekend.

An inaugural nine-hole golf tournament and cheer and dance clinic are newcomers to the annual weekend lineup, which includes an outdoor movie, Thunder Run, ArtsJam!, introduction of the men’s basketball team at Midnight Madness and informal family dining at GCU eateries.

The most popular event is expected to be Saturday’s Chapel service led by President Brian Mueller.

Lind said the weekend offers events to keep families busy on campus while at the same time allowing for unstructured time together.

“We try to maintain a balance. We want to offer enough things to do, but not so much that they don’t have free time together. This is a weekend for families to reconnect,” Lind said.

Family Weekend also provides GCU an opportunity to show parents how important they are to their child’s university experience.

The most popular event at Family Weekend is expected to be Saturday’s Chapel service led by President Brian Mueller.

“They entrust us with their child and we want to let them know that they are always welcome,” she said.

This year the Seter family plans to attend as many activities as possible, including a repeat of last year’s hands-down favorite — Midnight Madness. The turbo-charged, smartly choreographed pep rally turned the Seters into avid Lope basketball fans who watch live games streamed to their computers.

Along with spending time with their daughter, the couple will be busy stockpiling visual images to take home to Redlands.

“We had a blast last year and left with a wonderful visual image of where Elizabeth was living and going to school,” said Seter, an elementary school math teacher.

“We want to do it again this year, so when she tells me about a volleyball game or a place she went to eat on campus, I’ll know what she is talking about.”

Because of this year’s heightened interest in Family Weekend, events requiring registration booked up nearly a week in advance. The following is a sampling of Family Weekend activities:

Friday, Oct. 7: Recreational activities, shotgun golf tournament, bowling, campus tours, movie and Midnight Madness.

Saturday, Oct. 8: Thunder Run, chapel, recreational activities, tours, cheer clinic, art’s jam and men’s soccer game.

Sunday, Oct. 9: Goodbyes and women’s soccer game.

Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or karen.fernau@gcu.edu.

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Speech and Debate Team Director Barry Regan, center, with team members Thomas Rotering, left, and Zach Kuykendall, two of the GCU’s top parliamentary debaters.

Story and photos by Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

One of Grand Canyon University’s winningest teams is back at it, notching a sensational victory in its first contest as it anticipates its best year yet.

The Speech and Debate Team was so successful that the Aztec Invitational tournament at San Diego State University last weekend ended 90 minutes early because all the semifinalists were from GCU.

“Seniors Zachary Kuykendall and Thomas Rotering as well as juniors Genevieve Mason and Taylor Alandzes all won their quarterfinal rounds, which means we become the first team (in two years) to ‘close out’ multiple rounds of a tournament in IDPA debate,” said Barry Regan, Speech and Debate Team director and College of Humanities and Social Sciences instructor.

“Overall, this is the most dominant performance in our team’s history in debate.”

If the first competition is any indication, the Speech and Debate Team — a rising star on the national circuit after ranking as high as No. 16 in the country last year in parliamentary debate — is going to have a blockbuster year.

TaylorRae Humbert riveted a GCU audience with her portrayal of a rape victim during a speech and debate team performance last year.

Last year the team repeated as Division III champion even though it had a large freshman contingent. This year, it boasts 12 returning team members.

The team has 21 members compared to last year’s 15. Even more telling is that about 80 students applied for nine openings, Regan said.

“This year’s team is the most adaptable we have ever had,” Regan said. “It’s very special because it can debate both sides of any philosophical or current debate issue, and do it admirably.”

GCU students and employees have at least three chances to see their champion team perform at home.

The team is scheduled to hold a mock presidential debate, with members playing the roles of Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and moderator.

The free event will be held from 11:15-noon Oct. 21 at Ethington Theatre. The “candidates” will answer questions on significant issues and policies without combativeness, Regan said.

Team members will perform an array of speeches during a Speech Showcase that will be held next year. In addition, GCU was also selected to host the 2017 National Christian College Forensics Invitational March 18-20, another achievement reflecting the University’s increasingly impressive stature.

Speech and Debate member Thomas Gleason makes the audience laugh during a showcase last year.

The tournament will bring in as many as 400 people, most of whom will stay in the Grand Canyon University Hotel, Regan said.

Senior Alaina Owen said she expects the team to continue growing as a family.

“I want to leave the team with a strong sense of family, a strong sense of commitment, and first and foremost, centered around the Lord,” Owen said.

TaylorRae Humbert, a sophomore, said she also expects continued growth, no matter how well the team performs — “growth as a team and growth individually.”

The list of the first competition successes goes on:

• Kuykendall, Rotering, Mason and Alandzes finished in the top four overall in IDPA debate and were named Top Four Speakers of the tournament in the event.
• The team of Kuykendall and sophomore Kara Sutton made it to the quarterfinals in parliamentary debate.
• “Even more amazingly,” Regan said, “freshman JT Winkler (who joined the team two weeks ago) earned second place speaker out of 60 in parliamentary debate.”
• Senior Tatum Kaizer took first place in novice Poetry Interpretation and second place in novice Impromptu Speaking.
• Junior Swade Potter finished first in novice Impromptu.
• Sophomore Thomas Gleason took second in open Persuasive Speaking
• Freshman Grace Laidlaw took fifth in open Prose Interpretation.
• Owen took fifth in open Extemporaneous Speaking.

Not all team members competed in the first contest. Other team members are freshmen Ashley Hoftiezer, Danny Williamson, Matthew Calderwood, Megan Truesdall and Vanessa Young; sophomores Brian White, Jasmin Sharp, Amanda Ostrem and Keliann Nash, and junior Genevieve Mason.

The next tournament, the Robert Barbara Invitational at Cal State Northridge, is scheduled for Nov. 4-6.

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu.

The post There’s no debate: This team’s on fire appeared first on GCU Today.

Jedidiah Woods hopes to fill GCU Arena for a TEDx event in March. Photo by Darryl Webb, GCU.

Story by Karen Fernau
GCU News Bureau

When business major Jedidiah Woods decided to bring TEDx to Grand Canyon University, he turned to President Brian Mueller for support and to the Project Management Club for muscle.

Woods received both. Today, armed with GCU’s backing, club leaders are busy planning what they predict will be the largest TEDx program ever held in Arizona.

The all-day event is scheduled for March 2 in GCU Arena.

“I’ve loved TED forever, and I have no doubt we will fill the Arena for the local program,” said Woods, a resident assistant at Sedona Hall.

TED is a nonprofit founded in 1984 that converges Technology, Entertainment and Design concepts and spreads those ideas in short, powerful talks, covering topics ranging from science to business to global issues. In 2009, TED launched TEDx with the goal of bringing the TED experience to local communities, from cities to universities.

A 10-student planning committee, led by Woods and Austin Mosher, vice president of Project Management Club and TEDx planning director, plans to select as many as 20 speakers. The speakers will likely range from famous to the unknown.

“We are just looking for people with a passion, an emotional story, who can share it with others,” said Woods, a Michigan native who co-founded Storage Together, an online marketplace business that links those with storage space to those in need of storage.

TEDx topics are expected to run the gambit, but Woods expects that several will address Conscious Capitalism, a free market system described as ethical, noble and heroic. The theories of Conscious Capitalism are the foundation of GCU’s business curriculum.

For Woods and other club members, TEDx offers an opportunity to gain real life experience.

“The great thing about this specific TEDx is that it is almost entirely organized and directed by students,” said Woods, a student leader easily recognized by his long, blond hair, skateboarding prowess and quick smile. “This empowers students with the kind of extraordinary leadership and project management skills that most career professionals never have the opportunity to experience.

“We are empowering our generation by giving GCU students the opportunity to do something great.”

Dr. Randy Gibb, dean of the Colangelo College of Business, agrees: “It was a student idea, organized by students, pitched to President Mueller by students, and brings to life principles of project management. Thus, TEDx GCU is as much about the process as it is the final product — students living out servant leadership.”

TEDx also illustrates the magnitude of opportunities offered by GCU’s fast-growing, hard-working network of clubs. There are 82 campus clubs, and GCU expects the number to increase to 90-100 by next spring. Nearly 3,500 students attended a recent club fair.

And who’s to thank for GCU’s club mania? Students.

“Staff provides support, but it’s the students who are driving the popularity of clubs. It’s a way for them to make their college experience what they want it to be,” said Pablo Ciscomani, GCU clubs and organizations coordinator.

Students draft proposals and craft mission statements for clubs that are submitted for approval by the Student Senate.

Ciscomani said GCU clubs range from social, political, professional to spiritual and showcase the diversity of interests on campus. Clubs are focused on debate, theology, forensic science, justice, sports medicine, computer gaming, scuba diving, math and chess, to name just a few.

“The list of our clubs shows the diversity of the campus. They target people of all backgrounds and interests,” he said.

Student clubs do, however, share common threads. They build campus unity, give students a feeling of belonging and promote leadership.

Some of the most popular include Defenders, a club promoting Christian faith, and the Outdoors Club, which organizes weekly trips to mountains, caves, lakes, canyons and snow-capped peaks.

Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or karen.fernau@gcu.edu.

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By Mark Heller
GCU News Bureau

There’s more to a successful business than making money hand over fist.

Sustainability, social and environmental impact, and conscientiousness are more important than ever, and their importance is growing by the year.

Pantheon Enterprises co-founder and CEO Laura Roberts’ message to Grand Canyon University students in the Colangelo College of Business on Wednesday was widely applicable for future business professionals:

Learn. Think critically. Understand. Act. And, if necessary, rebel.

Roberts pointed to what she believes is one of the worst mantras the business world has fostered: “That’s the way we’ve always done things.”

Laura Roberts

“That’s intolerable,” she said. “That can’t be the way. It has to be better.”

Roberts knows. She began her startup business in 2001, was told “no” by a variety of investors “about 400 times,” but eventually raised $30 million in capital for her business. Her privately-held organization is a chemical manufacturer of environmentally safe industrial products.

An advocate for conservation and sustainability of products, Roberts is also a member of Conscious Capitalism, an organization dedicated to promoting higher purpose in business, and has served on a variety of organizational and leadership boards throughout the Valley.

“Business can be a force for good,” she said. “If you only do it to maximize profits, then a whole lot of stakeholders will be negatively impacted. There needs to be a higher reason than just making profits.”

Her endeavors into chemicals and other potentially harmful substances used in everyday goods and manufacturing were partly influenced by the harms often created and a lack of transparency. She urged her audience of next-generation business professionals to advocate change, responsibility and the difference between “transaction” business and “interpersonal” business.

In citing the aluminum industry, along with companies such as Patagonia outdoor clothing company and The Container Store, Roberts pointed out how potential negatives (not seeking maximum profits, minimalist expenses, poor labor practices, etc.) can be turned into positives through sustainable practices that preserve our environment for the next generation.

Doing so through organizational change and transparency may cost time and money up front, but can still boost the bottom line over time.

“Sustainability isn’t a stand-alone concept,” she said. “Whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, accountant, mathematician, engineer, (human resources), anything, there’s sustainability within every field.”

The conscious capitalism theme is a thread in CCOB’s Speaker Series this year. Colangelo College of Business Dean Dr. Randy Gibb emphasized the concept is an integral part of GCU’s servant leadership.  Roberts, who spoke earlier in the day to a group of law and ethics students, shared her multi-dimensional expertise that includes women in leadership, women in STEM subjects, chemistry, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

“We’re going to repeat these types of presentations over and over to expose (students) to conscious capitalism and having a higher purpose,” Gibb said. “You have to have a higher purpose in how you do business.”

That includes preserving our world, the people who live in it, and making a positive impact beyond bank accounts.

“This generation is so influential to help create solutions for our world, and there are solutions for everything,” she said. “You can change the conversation, and it can happen whether you’re at the helm or want to be soon enough. You can have an impact no matter where you sit.”

Contact Mark Heller at (602) 639-7516 or mark.heller@gcu.edu

The post Laura Roberts preaches responsibility, sustainability in CCOB talk appeared first on GCU Today.

Wayne Purdin (left) and his wife, Julie, share their views about the need to go back to our Christian roots in their weekly radio show on KFNX.

By Mark Heller
GCU News Bureau

We’ve lost our way.

It’s a national and societal concept Wayne and Julie Purdin feel strongly about, which is why they’ve taken to radio and Internet podcasting as a means to share their – and others’ – perspectives.

Wayne has been lead curriculum editor at Grand Canyon University for seven years. Julie is a teacher in the Cartwright School District in Phoenix. On Saturdays, however, they co-host the “God and Country” radio show on KFNX (1100 AM) from 11 a.m. to noon.

The shows often revolve around their guests, who include a wide swath of religious and cultural backgrounds, perspectives and opinions. Guests often present a broad spectrum of political, social and economic thought leaders:

• Al Fadi: a former Islamic jihadist who’s now director of the Center for Islamic Research & Awareness
• Stephen Limbaugh: musician, composer and cousin of nationally syndicated conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh
• Dannion Brinkley: author and “New Age” thought leader following three near-death experiences
• Ravi Batra: award-winning economist
• Elbert Guillory: former Louisiana senator, lawyer, Navy veteran and U.S. congressional candidate

Julie and Wayne Purdin

“We’re all looking for answers,” Wayne Purdin said. “Whatever the religion or politics, it seems like God is missing and we need to get back to our roots.”

GCU faculty members also are occasional guests. The Sept. 24 show featured Kevin Walling, a fourth-year full-time faculty member in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and also a former civil attorney and judge in Arizona. They discussed civil liberties, the Constitution and governments’ various roles (or non-roles) in society from what Walling called “more of a libertarian lens.”

“We have local TV and local radio that deals with politics and government,” he said. “It’s not uncommon, but I think it’s something of a new thing for GCU to engage in by allowing faculty and staff to participate.”

While the opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts and/or guests, the opportunity to speak and share isn’t lost on the hosts.

“The world is kind of a classroom for the journey of our souls,” Julie Purdin said. “People are so caught up in gratifying the finite desires of their human bodies and psyches that they’re missing the eternal joy of spiritual fulfillment. What’s important is to do God’s will in their lives, but it seems as though people are finding ways and creating diversions to do the opposite.”

Since KFNX provides a wider forum for those wishing to broadcast via radio or podcast, securing advertising, sponsorships and donations is key to sustaining air time and perhaps expanding the show’s length and frequency.

“We just want to educate people, to know about the realities beyond themselves and their own individual little worlds,” Julie Purdin said. “People have often missed the real pursuit of happiness. It’s a conservative message about not being caught up with ego or outward appearances. That pursuit will not give lasting happiness.

“People lie to support an agenda these days. It’s a shame, but we hope to regain some of that honesty of our spiritual roots. That’s a big part of spiritual fulfillment.”

You can listen to their shows here or follow them on Facebook.

Contact Mark Heller at (602) 639-7516 or mark.heller@gcu.edu

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Hundreds of students packed an event to meet potential practicum employers.

Story and photos by Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

With resumes in their hands and smiles on their faces, hundreds of Grand Canyon University students flocked to meet representatives from as many as 17 behavioral health organizations Tuesday at the first annual Counseling and Psychology Career Practicum.

The event, co-sponsored by GCU’s Career Impact Center and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, was as much a win for the organizations seeking interns as for students seeking practicum placements.

Kathy Britton, of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, was one of the event organizers.

“This is so wonderful,” said Susanne Tso Grant, a second-year master’s student in Professional Counseling. “It’s pulling all the information together that I have been trying to gather on my own with little success. It’s eye-opening.”

Every student working toward a master’s in counseling is required to undergo an eight-month practicum, said Kathy Britton, GCU’s counseling program manager and the recruiter of the organizations in attendance.

“One of the biggest fears from Day One is, ‘Where am I going to do my practicum?’” Britton said. “This brings the companies to the students.”

And not just any company, but those that have brought on at least one GCU student intern in the past and are excited about working with more in the future.

Several representatives visiting campus once were interns who were hired by the organizations after they graduated. One of them, Carly Kerr, said she was able to stay on at Banner Thunderbird because it tends to hire from within.

Cindy Elms, co-owner and dietician of the Glendale-based Empowerment Treatment and Counseling center, said they had a positive experience with one GCU intern.

Master’s in Counseling students, undergrads and more benefited from talking directly with organization representatives.

“Now, we’re are looking for two more,” Elms said. The center has positions in the Intensive Outpatient Program for eating disorders.

Jacqueline Smith, executive director of GCU’s Career Impact Center, said the event was one of a series the center is organizing that brings employers on campus to interview students from particular colleges.

“It is so important for students to have a meet-and-greet with prospective employers before they are ready to graduate,” Smith said. “This is a safe place for them to practice interviewing and job-seeking skills.”

Up next is an IT Career Consortium, scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 2 outside Building 57, said Alexa Wennet, Career Impact Center employer outreach supervisor.

Students said it was rewarding to meet with representatives from such places as Touchstone Health Services, Arizona Trauma Counseling and the Meadows of Wickenburg addiction treatment center.

Student Roger Wallmueller said the two hours he spent at the event were invaluable in learning about his practicum.

That sentiment was echoed by Nicole Baker, a Master’s in Professional Counseling student. “This is a great opportunity,” Baker said. “I can talk to so many companies at the same time.’’

“I love it,” Master of Science in Counseling student Shayna Landry said.  “It has been incredibly helpful.”

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu.

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Senior Tim Dombroski (left) and instructor Kimbel Westerson, with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, look forward to National Day on Writing.

By Laurie Merrill
GCU News Bureau

Whether we realize it or not, we write every day.

We text and send emails. We record events and feelings in journals and diaries. We jot ideas and reminders on sticky notes.

That’s what the Oct. 20 National Day on Writing  — which GCU is celebrating — is all about, said Kimbel Westerson, English instructor for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“It’s about celebrating how we use language and the written word to enrich our lives,” said Westerson, chair of the committee organizing GCU’s activities.

The National Council of Teachers of English says on its website that the writing day was established “in light of the significance of writing in our national life, to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and to help writers from all walks of life recognize how important writing is to their lives.”

Organizers hope to attract many members of the University community to fun and popular events.

From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 20, passersby can enjoy writing activities at two tables on the Promenade outside Buildings 6 and 16.

There will be four “extend-a-story” boards on which each person adds a sentence to a story.

“It was really successful last year,” said senior Tim Dombroski, Friends of the Pen president, Startlebloom editorial board member and National Day on Writing master of ceremonies.

One story, he said, was originally about a traveler in a mystical, warlock-filled land. But one contributor added a random sentence, posing a challenge for those who followed.

“It forces you to be really creative as the next person has to level things out to continue the narrative,” Dombroski said. In the end, he said, the whole story wound up as a dream.

In another activity, participants can find their inner poet by using sidewalk chalk made available for the purpose of creating “chalk poetry,” Westerson said.

Also, using markers and sticky notes, passersby can sum up their lives in six-word autobiographies. The results will be placed on an easel to encourage others to contribute, Westerson said.

The last event of the day is a Friends of the Pen literary reading, with Dombroski as emcee, which will take place from 5-7 p.m. Submissions were requested and the winning entries selected, Dombroski said.

GCU’s literary community is flourishing and attracting more writers in part because of a new degree, Dombroski said.

“We just recently got a new major, a (Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis on Professional Writing), which is a huge, huge thing for this school and something that Friends of the Pen has been pushing for,” Dombroski said.

The degree is broader than just writing English essays, Westerson said.

“This is about building skills that people actually take to the workplace,” Westerson said. “The English department is offering classes on grant writing, multimedia journalism, writing for the 21st century workplace, technical writing and more. We are all very excited about growing the program.”

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu.

The post Day of activities to celebrate writing appeared first on GCU Today.

Photos by Darryl Webb
GCU News Bureau

“Of Thee I Sing” opens today at Ethington Theatre, a welcome respite from Presidential election fever. This singing and dancing political satire has been making audiences laugh and hum since 1931. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and Oct. 21-22; 2 p.m. Oct. 16 and 23. Tickets are available here, and students get tickets free with ID.

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Mary Turner (Grace Henderson) and John Wintergreen (Alexander DuBois) get married for an old fashioned reason: love.

Story by Laurie Merrill
Photos by Darryl Webb
GCU News Bureau

“Of Thee I Sing,” opening Friday night at Ethington Theatre, offers an energetic diversion from real life with a superbly acted political satire designed to keep you smiling, laughing and humming.

It’s a show filled with amusing one-liners, catchy tunes and memorable lyrics, a grand spectacle of entertainment that harkens back to a different time while conveying universal themes. It gives the audience a delightful reason to laugh at a fictional presidential campaign.

Turner and Wintergreen are in love and in the White House.

The delight comes in all forms, from the 1930s-era costumes, a stage filled with stars and stripes, humor ranging from subtle to slapstick, singing that is at once beautiful and hummable, and a cast full of actors who clearly enjoy the art of comedy.

“This is a political satire set in the ’30s, but it is far more than that,” said College of Fine Arts and Production Dean Claude Pensis, the show’s director and lighting designer.  “It’s amazing how some of the topics that are lampooned are still with us today.”

The show, first performed in 1931, won a Pulitzer Prize and is from a book by George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The music is by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

The show opens with a musical overture and quickly leads into the action, which is raucous and funny. The scene is a hotel room filled with members of an unnamed political party who just nominated their presidential ticket.

Poor Diana Deveraux (Devaune Bohall) won the beauty contest but not the president.

The audience is taken back to a time when men wore hats and carried cigars, when they glad-handed one another and spoke, mostly in New York City accents, in quick witticisms.

For example, when Alexander Throttlebottom appears in the hotel room, no one recognizes him. He insists that he is the vice presidential candidate.

“Alexander, what is your first name?” one asks.

“That is my foist name!” says the character (Levi Roberts), using a common New York City mispronunciation of the word “first.”

Then Throttlebottom attempts to resign from the ticket “on account of his mother.”

“He’s got a mother?” another cracks.

The jokes continue all the way through, some eliciting belly laughs, and a few have a bite.

Candidate Wintergreen is supposed to choose a wife from this throng of beauties.

For example, when we first meet presidential candidate John Wintergreen (Alexander Dubois), he immediately announces he is ready to do any dirty work.

One of the committee members quotes former President Abe Lincoln: “You can’t fool all the people all the time.”

“It’s different now,” Wintergreen says. “People are bigger suckers.”

The men eat pickles and drink soda as they brainstorm a winning platform.

“We’ve got to get something that will sweep the country!” one cries.

“Our country could use a good sweeping!” responds another.

The issue is settled by a hotel maid, who said she likes “love.”

Committee members turn to Wintergreen. “You’ve got to fall in love with a typical American girl! … You’ll be swept into the office on a tidal wave of love!”

Newspaper man Matthew Fulton (Gavin Harris) declares there will be a “love” headline every day in every newspaper.

The singing and dancing is rousing and enhanced by the angelic soprano of Grace Henderson, who plays Mary Turner, the non-beauty contestant who wins Wintergreen’s heart with corn muffins.

Alexander Throttlebottom (Levi Roberts), middle, is told by committee members that vice presidents are supposed to be invisible.

Wintergreen was supposed to marry beauty contestant winner Diana Deveraux (Devaune Bohall). His choice of Mary Turner sparks an international incident with France that threatens to end diplomatic relations.

Deveraux’s songs and acting provide laugh after laugh, as do those of the French ambassador (Andrew Dell). When he prances onto the stage in a red kerchief and black beret, he is accompanied by two French can-can dancers (Laynie Nelson and Anna Chasse) in over-the-top costumes with little Eiffel Tower replicas on their hats.

That Ira Gershwin lyrics are filled with catchy rhymes is, of course, an understatement. In explaining why he chose Mary Turner over Deveraux, Wintergreen sings:

“Please understand — it isn’t that I would jilt or spurn her, it’s just that I love someone else — Mary Turner!”

Or when the president’s kitchen cabinet urges him to quit over the Deveraux jilting, they sing:

“You decline to resign, so we’ll teach you, we’ll impeach you!”

Some audience members might find themselves singing a verse or two from the title song: “Of thee I sing, baby, you’ve got a certain thing, baby!”

The singing, dancing and laughing political satire boasts a cast of 48, one of Ethington’s largest, and more than a handful are freshmen, Pensis said after the energetic spectacle.

Other COFAP faculty and students involved in the show include William Symington, scenic designer and properties designer; Nola Yergin, costume designer; Stacee Martinez, sound designer; Mark Fearey, music director; Jessi Young, choreographer; Miranda Briscoe and Kaleb Burris, hair and makeup designers; and Klay Wandelear, technical director/master electrician.

More information:

Principle cast members include: 
Presidential candidate John Wintergreen — Alexander Dubois
Mary Turner — Grace Henderson
Diana Devereaux — Devaune  Bohall
The French Ambassador — Andrew Dell
VP candidate Alexander Throttlebottom — Levi Roberts

Performances
7:30 p.m. shows today and Saturday, Oct. 15, Friday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22
2 p.m. shows Sunday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 23

Tickets are available here, and students get tickets free with ID.

Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu.

The post Politics is laughing matter in ‘Of Thee I Sing’ appeared first on GCU Today.

By Karen Fernau
GCU News Bureau

Grand Canyon University junior Samantha Ness is dreading the state-mandated certification test she’s required to pass to become a high school history teacher.

“I have to know everything from Jesus to Barack Obama, and everything in between. That is extremely stressful,” she said.

Help is on the way.

On Saturday, GCU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences is hosting its first annual conference to help students prepare for the National Evaluation Series (NES), an exam Arizona students are required to pass before student teaching and to receive the required certification to teach.

GCU’s NES Conference, scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon in North Lecture Hall, is open to freshman to senior students majoring in English, history or math, with an emphasis in secondary education.

Maria Zafonte

Organizers expects 100-150 students to attend the conference-style sessions.

According to Maria Zafonte, associate professor of English and conference coordinator, the conference is more preparation than test prep.

Students will be given tools and resources to prepare to pass NES content exams.

“The goal is to empower students in their knowledge of what is on the exam and by pointing them to resources to help them prepare,” she said.

From 9-10 a.m., keynote speakers will discuss the exam and its importance.  Speakers include Dr. Sherman Elliot, dean of CHSS; Mark McCall, deputy associate superintendent for the Arizona Department of Education; and Dr. Linda Califano, field specialist for Maricopa County Education Service Agency.

The break-out sessions will be conducted by GCU faculty members Dr. David Dean, Dr. Jim Helfers, Dr. Andrea Alden, Heather Brody, Brian Raftery and Kimble Westerson, Raquel Lopez, Jeff Springer, Griselle Torres-Garcia, Shannon Schumann.

Ness plans on attending Saturday’s conference.

“It will be helpful to learn more about the test and what I can do to pass,” she said. “It’s super important.”

There is no charge or pre-registration for the conference. For additional information, contact Zafonte at maria.zafonte@gcu.edu.

Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or karen.fernau@gcu.edu.

The post Never fear, teachers — certification help is on the way appeared first on GCU Today.