Grand Canyon University of Phoenix, Arizona, United States for Thursday, 7 September 2017 "GCU Alumni E-Newsletter: September 2017"

Grand Canyon University of Phoenix, Arizona, United States for Thursday, 7 September 2017 "GCU Alumni E-Newsletter: September 2017"

SEPTEMBER 2017

Alumni Parents at Welcome Week
Lope families share their experiences at GCU during Welcome Week.
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Spotlight
Alumnus hits the heights with passion for climbing - the tallest peak in North America.
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Grand Canyon University alumnus Tim Campbell stands at 17,200 feet on his way to the top of Denali, the tallest peak in North America. by Karen Fernau, GCU News Bureau
Grand Canyon University graduate Tim Campbell sets high goals.
Really, really high. Like climbing 20,310 feet above sea level to North America’s highest peak.
In June, the 2015 nursing graduate climbed to the peak of Denali, a rugged Alaskan mountain battered by ferocious weather.

The climb up Denali meant surviving some tough weather.
“I am very goal driven and was determined to get to the summit,” said the one-time horseshoer turned nurse.
“When I set my mind to something, I do the work it takes to achieve the goal.”
That’s exactly what Campbell, 58, did when he enrolled in GCU’s online nursing program. A graduate of a two-year community college nursing program, he decided to earn a bachelor’s degree to be able to move up into management.
“A group of us at the hospital went through GCU together, and it was challenging but worth the effort,” said Campbell, now a nursing supervisor at a hospital in Yakima, Wash.
While attending GCU and working as a nurse, the avid outdoorsman still found time to hike, hunt, fish and camp.
After graduation, he began climbing mountains. In the last five years, he has reached the top of Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood and all five Washington volcanoes – St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, Baker and Glacier.
Preparing for Denali required more time and effort than any previous climb.
“I knew I needed to be in top shape for Denali, that I needed to be able to carry 128 pounds in supplies,” said Campbell, who prepared by spending last winter pulling a 50-pound sled for a total of 250 miles and snowshoeing with a 45-pound backpack.
His rigorous training, however, failed to protect him from the unrelenting winds that nearly sabotaged his climb. He and seven other climbers had hoped to reach the peak on Father’s Day but instead were forced to hunker down in Denali’s 17,200-foot camp waiting for the wind to die down.
“I was really disappointed and figured I was not going to make it to the top. Our supplies were running low and I thought we might have to start down the mountain,” he said.
Seventy percent of Denali climbers are waylaid by weather, and Campbell figured he would be one. That was until a sudden break in the wind and temperatures warming 20 degrees to a palatable 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Campbell’s group spent the next eight hours in near perfect conditions climbing to the peak, taking the West Buttress route up Kahiltna Glacier on the west slope of the towering mountain.
On the top, he cried, shook hands with fellow climbers and took pictures he will cherish forever. The views were even more spectacular than he imagined.
“It was so beautiful – overwhelming, really. There was snow as far as you could see. Glaciers after glaciers and a monstrous mountain range,” Campbell said. “I felt like a dot.”
A happy dot. To celebrate, he called his girlfriend, Melanie Neddo, on a satellite phone.
Turns out that Denali probably isn’t Campbell’s final climb. He’s trying to convince Neddo to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, on his 60th birthday.
“I guess I always need a goal to work toward,” he said. “I start planning my next climb on the way down the mountain. There’s just something nice about knowing there’s another mountain to climb.”
Contact Karen Fernau at (602) 639-8344 or karen.fernau@gcu.edu.

Spotlight II
Mike 'Big Dog' Abell is blind, but he still completed his graduate degree and launched a support group!
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Don’t think of him as blind – ‘Big Dog’ is a cowboyJuly 31, 2017 / by Laurie.Merrill / 0 Comment Story and photos by Laurie Merrill, GCU News Bureau
The first thing you notice about Mike Abell isn’t that he’s blind.
take in his height and his manner of dress. He’s a tall cowboy from the tip of his ten-gallon hat to the bottom of his crocodile boots, and he has a nickname to match: ”Big Dog.” You recognize that he has a joviality as wide as the open prairies.
only later that might you wonder why he’s wearing black sunglasses inside – that is, if you haven’t already noticed how his fingertips brush the walls and surfaces of the rooms he navigates.

Michael “Big Dog” Abell, who received his master’s in Professional Counseling from GCU, recently launched a support group for the visually impaired.
Abell, who just finished a master’s in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University, began losing his vision after a firecracker accident in 1968 and lost it completely in 2003.
“Blindness doesn’t define me,” he said. “It isn’t who I am. It’s just something I have.”
It’s also something that makes him especially able to counsel visually impaired clients at Family Ministry Counseling and Psychotherapy Services at 700 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix.
In January, he launched a support group for the visually impaired, called “Visionaries,” that has the slogan, “Helping individuals to find their eyes in the dark.” It has grown from two to eight members since then.
“God has been involved from the beginning,” Abell said.
God led Abell to GCU more than once, he said, and the University led him to his purpose: providing counseling to others without sight. This fall, Abell plans to return to pursue his Ph.D. in counseling with the goal of eventually teaching at GCU.
Vision challenge couldn’t stop him
The firecracker accident that took the sight from his right eye when he was 9 didn’t stop Abell from earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology and religion from GCU in 1988.
It also didn’t stop him from becoming an ordained Southern Baptist minister or keep him from marrying his wife of 35 years.
But the slow disintegration of his remaining vision over the course of more than three decades, despite numerous surgeries, did slow him down for a stretch.
During that time, Abell found himself sitting at home in the dark day after day listening to his favorite show, “The Price is Right.” One day, a power outage forced him out of the house with his cane – and eventually sparked his decision to enroll at GCU for his master’s degree.
He wobbled to Walgreens to use the phone that day only to realize he couldn’t find his way back home.
When he finally returned, he said he promised God that once he got the electricity turned on, he would go through the Vocational Rehabilitation program offered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
A few months later, in January 2014, he had a computer, speech software and admittance to GCU for his master’s degree. It wasn’t long before Abell, his wife and children moved into a new house in downtown Phoenix.
In January 2016, when Abell was searching for a counseling internship as part of his degree program, he turned to God.
“Well, God, You led me over here,” he said. “Where do You want me to serve?”
Abell was interested in Christian counseling as well as narrative therapy, a method that separates the person from the problem, offering a new perspective that allows them to rewrite their stories.
“Dr. Thomas Lewis was the first name that cropped up,” Abell said. So he contacted him.
Lewis, who practices at Family Ministry Counseling and Psychotherapy Services just down the street from Abell’s new house, admitted that he dodged Abell’s request for an interview at first because he wasn’t sure about the idea.
“One day I came to work and he was outside my hall, all jovial and everything,” said Lewis, who had just moved to Phoenix from Colorado and who also has an interesting nickname, ”Too Tall,” and stands about 6-foot-9. Lewis couldn’t help but offer him an internship, and Abell enthusiastically accepted.
“Our stories are so similar,” Abell said of his 80-year-old mentor. “We really are made for each other.”
The next day, Lewis said, he took a call from a visually impaired man and realized how much Abell could be of service.
“It was a great decision,” Lewis said. “He amazes me.”
Processing by grieving
Most people with visual impairment don’t receive counseling, and many expend a lot of energy just coping and getting through everyday life.
Whether they were born without it or lost it afterward, Abell said, “most never actually deal with the loss of their vision.”
One goal of the “Visionaries” support group is presenting the opportunity to use grieving to help process the loss of sight, he said.
Other topics the group addresses include intimacy, relationships and dignity.
Dignity, he said, means something different for everyone.
Abell quoted from Bob Dylan’s song “Dignity,’’ saying, “Somebody got murdered on New Year’s Eve, somebody said dignity was the first to leave.” Also, a “blind man breakin’ out of a trance, puts both his hands in the pockets of chance, hopin’ to find one circumstance of dignity.”
“Dignity is something we all possess, something we all have, and it needs to be acknowledged,” Abell said. “It’s the ability to stand, to be recognized. It’s profound.”
Abell has been asked to speak about intimacy in November at VRATE 2017 (Vision Rehabilitation & Assistive Technology Expo), to be held in Glendale.
“That validates me,” he said, “They are looking at my counseling skills, not about (me) being blind.”
He is also highly regarded by GCU employees such as Beth Jamison, Disability Services Manager of Academic Compliance and Regulation, and Dr. Nóe Vargas, Assistant Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
“‘Big Dog’ has been an exemplary student at GCU,” Jamison said. “He is dedicated not only to his own educational goals but truly has a helping heart for his fellow students. Over the years that I have interacted with him, he has offered to mentor fellow students, or as he would put it, ‘give them some real talk.’ …
“And, of course, he cannot be missed when he comes on campus in his big cowboy hat!”
Vargas said, “Michael has a very uplifting and hopeful outlook at life. … He feels he has been called to serve others by providing counseling services, in particular to those suffering from visual impairment.
“I have learned from Michael that there is no physical limitation a person cannot overcome when there is a will to keep making a difference in this world.”
Abell has an equal regard for GCU professors, staff and students.
“GCU helped me define myself,” he said, grinning. “This is who I am – from my cowboy hat to my crocodile boots.”
Contact Laurie Merrill at (602) 639-6511 or laurie.merrill@gcu.edu.

Career IMPACT Center
Expand your opportunities by getting involved.
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Career Services: Opportunities to get involvedAugust 17, 2017 / by rick.vacek / 0 Comment by Katherine Urrutia, Career IMPACT Center Do you remember participating in Serve the City? Canyon Cares Christmas? Or the Run to Fight Children’s Cancer? As Grand Canyon University students, you had many opportunities to serve the community.
Why should that stop now that you are among the alumni? The answer is, you don’t have to! The Bible states, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38). Just as God has given us the opportunity to rejoice in our achievements, it is also important to remember the good you can do by giving back.
As members of the GCU community, you learned that serving others was a key aspect of your daily student activities. As alumni, it might seem that many of those opportunities were limited to the campus, but guess again!
There are several different organizations seeking volunteers. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, there are opportunities available to give back, and they’re not overwhelming at all.
Although it might be hard to step away from your busy schedule, there are always different opportunities that you can take part in when it comes to volunteering. Whether it is caring for animals, assisting veterans or teaching the English language, there are several different places looking for volunteers to assist in their programs.
It is always an important aspect to remember that organizations sincerely appreciate your involvement, even if it is just for an hour once a month.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Habitat for Humanity

(623) 583-2417

info@habitatcaz.org

***

Phoenix Dream Center

(602) 346-8723

volunteer@phxdreamcenter.org

***

Arizona Humane Society

(602) 997-7585

volunteerapp@azhumane.org

Keep in mind that volunteering may also open doors of employment because you will build relationships with like-minded companies. Of course, that is never the purpose of giving back so do not go searching for opportunities. If you become aware of a position which fits your interests, skills and values, you could definitely stand out as a contender!
Remember, GCU Career IMPACT Center is here to help you navigate your career path! Visit www.gcu.edu/careerservices to utilize any of our online tools to identify your ideal profession, build your resume, research career options or apply to current job postings! Employers are encouraged to apply for a Career Connections account to post jobs and/or internships for GCU students and alumni.

Campus Accolades
GCU named one of top 10 college campuses in U.S.
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GCU named one of top 10 college campuses in U.S.
Students embrace the culture at Grand Canyon University, and that’s one of the reasons GCU made the list of the top 10 college campuses in the United States. by Jeannette Cruz and Rick Vacek, GCU News Bureau
The student leaders gathered at Grand Canyon University Arena on Friday morning probably weren’t surprised to hear that GCU has been named one of the 10 best college campuses in the United States.
After all, their appreciation for life at GCU is one of the reasons they were willing to cut short their summer vacation and begin training for the new academic year. Student opinions were part of why Niche, which specializes in data on educational institutions, put GCU on a prestigious list that includes Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Yale University.
But for many people at GCU, the news was both affirming and exciting. Among the many big moments and initiatives they’ve experienced in recent years, this is a big one.
“GCU has grown so fast, a lot of people don’t know what’s happened here,” said Dr. Tim Griffin, Pastor and Dean of Students. “The fact that people are starting to notice is pretty flattering, and I think students will be excited to hear that.
“But the students already know how great this campus is. For the staff to get this kind of recognition will give them a great sense of accomplishment.”
The Niche list wasn’t put together randomly. The company takes information from the U.S. Department of Education, plus college statistics and student reviews, and combines it with ratings of classrooms, labs, performance venues, housing, food and recreational facilities.
Senior Sandy Morton was moving into campus to finish off her final semester in the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions when she heard the news.
“Wow! This makes me feel more at peace with the fact that I chose the right university,” she said while unloading her car.
When asked if she was surprised by GCU’s recent accomplishment, Morton said the University “really does a great job of taking care of us and definitely accommodates the extra needs as we experience more students.”
Meanwhile, her friend Adrianne Mejia grew emotional as she loaded her car to leave the University. Mejia graduates from the College of Nursing next week.
“Grand Canyon has grown so much in every aspect – from student life to facilities to its nursing program – and it’s great!” she said. “I like walking around campus and seeing all of the familiar faces … I’m honestly very sad to be leaving this place, but it has helped me grow a lot.”
Over at GCU Arena, Matt Hopkins, Director of Residence Life, looked out at the throngs of student leaders and said, “They’re the engine of the deal. They make the culture attractive. There’s no way we could do it without them.”
Jeremy Mack, Director of Student Engagement, also was at the Arena for the training. “I think we’ve got phenomenal students, and we wouldn’t be top 10 if we weren’t attracting students on that level,” he said. “And I don’t think we’re by any means done with what God has called us to do.”
But the campus culture also is the result of considerable staff planning and input, and that’s why Janay Poole, Director of Housing, said she wasn’t surprised by the top-10 rankings. “Everything is so student-centric here, and we move so fast,” she said.
“The interesting thing about GCU,” said Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology, “is that because both the student leaders and student body contribute so much to the campus, when you ask them how they feel about the campus experience, they’re so invested they’re going to think highly of it.”
Moyo Harris, Student Engagement Manager, put the spotlight on student advocates on campus.
“The Associated Students of GCU really tries to be in tune with its role on campus – including taking surveys, listening to the students’ needs and wants, and creating a more uniform vision on how to support students all across campus,” she said. “We have a marketing team, the Senate, diversity awareness, spiritual life, volunteer opportunities – our students are amazing.”
Michael LaHaye, Veterans Resources Coordinator, said the University is working hard to embrace student-veterans and set them up for success.
“We really care about engaging students. Speaking specifically about our veteran population, it helps empower them. College life should be memorable, and we understand that they are unique students not only because of their military experiences, but most of them also have families at home, children and they are working full-time while working through school. This is their city. This is their life.”
To make sure student-veterans feel welcomed on their first few days on campus, LaHaye said he is hosting a large barbecue to create community and connections.
“My goal is to put my hand on them from day one and learn how I can help them individually,” he said. “A lot of them have anxiety when they come, and they use the Veterans Center. It is through that positive interaction that they learn to adapt outside the wire.”
“What we’ve done at GCU is how universities should be run, and I think people are finally paying attention to that. It’s only a matter of time before we are number one,” said Dr. Joe Veres, executive director of Student Development and Outreach and manager of the Learning Lounge, where students can get peer-to-peer assistance with their academic challenges every day. “Whatever we can do to support our students, we are willing to do.”
Teja Dightmon, a Food Services employee for three years, expressed her joy walking onto campus every day.
“I love my job, and that’s why I’ve stayed for so long,” she said. “People here are just nice, and they create a positive working environment. I can’t wait for them to come back. They always ask how I’m doing or how my summer went. Those interactions are pretty special.”
GCU faculty member Sheila Jones and student Audrey O’Sullivan were meeting up for coffee at the Student Union.
“We do this at least once a year,” said Jones. “She called me because she is getting ready to come back to school, so we are just catching up on things.”
When they heard the news, Jones and O’Sullivan exchanged smiles.
“I’m not really surprised that we are in the top 10,” said Sullivan. “I have really good counselors and supporters who try to work with me and fit me into what my needs are and what my abilities are.”
Jones added, “I love all of my students and the families that come to campus. I feel like I am part of something bigger here. I think that’s what GCU does so great – we make sure that our students are more than just a number.”
Public safety officer Jerry Coleman was overjoyed to hear the news.
“This is a big deal for me because I’ve been here for over two years, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to get my master’s degree and was also accepted into the doctoral program at GCU,” he said. “GCU will help you to reach your purpose. It’s a great time to be a Lope.”
Contact Jeannette Cruz at (602) 639-6631 or jeannette.cruz@gcu.edu.
Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

Welcome Week
Even the people on campus who have seen move-in before find it irresistible. It's a moving experience for everyone.
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Move-In is a moving experience for everyone by Rick Vacek, GCU News Bureau
What is Move-In at Grand Canyon University?
Arriving students and their parents are greeted by cheering, screaming volunteers at Move-In. (Photo by Slaven Gujic)
It is, first and foremost, an experience like no other, befitting a university that created a basketball game experience like no other.
“It just shows how amazing our culture is,” Havocs President Karsten Kem said Monday morning as he surveyed the scene of student volunteers.
It is the welcoming chants of the volunteers beginning to echo across campus … a little after 6 a.m.
A long line of cars already had formed. Dr. Tim Griffin, GCU’s Pastor and Dean of Students, took particular joy in watching the sleepy faces of the arriving students and parents turn bright as they got a first look at the spirited sights and sounds. “They were beaming,” he said.
It is being the first car in line – and what it takes to grab that honor. This year the winners were the Gardners, who left their Los Angeles home at 10:30 p.m. Sunday and arrived on campus at 3:50 a.m.
You want to talk dedication? Malik Gardner’s dad, John Michael Sr., got off work at 9 p.m. Good thing John Michael Jr. was able to drive.

Volunteers were everywhere as the cars arrived. (Photo by Travis Neely)
It is an experience that whets the appetite of the incoming students. Griffin told the story of a freshman last year who was dropped off outside the gates and had to be brought in via golf cart.
Then he got a look at the Move-In scene. Even though he really wasn’t getting to fully experience it, he said without hesitation, “I want to do that next year.”
It is a student arriving in similar fashion Monday. No problem. Volunteers quickly descended upon the cart, asked the student’s name and got him where he needed to go.
Hang around the volunteers long enough, and you hear dozens of conversations just like this: “Hi! Welcome to GCU! What’s your name? Where are you from? You’re going to love it here …”
It is moms high-fiving the volunteers and dads with hands off the steering wheel doing a double Lopes Up. One parent brought candy and threw it out the window.

No box is too big for the volunteers. (Photo by Slaven Gujic)
No matter how many times you witness this, there’s something about it that’s electrifying. People are drawn to happiness.
It is parents taking videos of the scene as they walk in after parking their now empty cars.
They saw the craziness as they drove through it (and took a video then), but now they want it from another angle. Pieces of classic art don’t get this kind of attention.
It is a mom yelling out, “You guys are live on Facebook! My daughter’s name is Cameron!”
“Hi, Cameron!” the volunteers shout back.
It is the volunteers singing and clapping along as “This Is Amazing Grace” blares over the loudspeakers. They know all the words.
Safe to say that’s not a scene that plays out across other college campuses too often. Like ever.
It is a crowd of volunteers so thick, it looks like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as the cars move through.
The students are at least three deep on each side. Before the week is over, 1,500 will work the 7 a.m.-1 p.m. shift. Some will do it every day, just because they like it.
It is an attitude.

You never quite know what you’re going to see at Move-In. (Photo by Slaven Gujic)
As senior Peter King, a resident advisor, put it, “It’s really a great chance to honor and serve.”
It is an experience enjoyed by student-athletes, too. Coach Ann Pierson was out there with her softball team, but she remembers the days when GCU had only two residence halls and athletes were the only ones who moved everything in – it was part of their summer training.
“It’s nice to see so many people involved now,” she said.
It is, on this morning, a time to be careful because the solar eclipse started right in the middle of Move-In. The volunteers were warned at orientation Sunday to not look at the sun.
But then a cloud cover moved in right along with the arriving students, obscuring the eclipse for long stretches. It created an odd-looking haze – and welcome relief for the volunteers. “You’ve got to pace yourself,” King said.
It is a new beginning, one the volunteers look forward to with such intensity, they have trouble sleeping the night before.
“There’s nothing like it,” Griffin said after high-fiving a bunch of them. “The kids are phenomenal. I get choked up even thinking about it.”
That’s what Move-In is. It is amazing.
Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

College Corner
College of Theology - spiritual enrichment on campus (and online) keeps adding value.
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Spiritual enrichment on campus keeps adding value by rick.vacek
Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology, has expanded the offerings in the Ministry Forum and newly renamed One Foundation. by Rick Vacek, GCU News Bureau
Grand Canyon University students, faculty and staff will have even more opportunities during the 2017-18 academic year to deepen their faith and expand their knowledge of Christianity.
Anyone who can’t attend Chapel, scheduled for 11:15 Monday mornings in GCU Arena, will be happy to know that the entire 45-minute session – including the music by the all-student Chapel bands – now will be live-streamed on youtube.com/gcu. The first Chapel of the fall semester, with GCU President GCU Brian Mueller as the speaker, is scheduled for Aug. 28.
But the expansion doesn’t stop there.
The late afternoon sessions of the Ministry Forum, where students munch on pizza while discussing important theological questions with College of Theology (COT) faculty, will continue and will be built this fall around the Reformation. This year is the 500thanniversary of that historic event.
But two additional lunchtime sessions have been added, and they’ll be with church leaders from the community instead. (Yes, there will be pizza.)
The idea is to give it the informal feel of Ministry Forum but make it more of a roundtable discussion as opposed to a presentation, according to COT Dean Dr. Jason Hiles.
“They’ll be able to actually hear from people first-hand what’s going on out there,” he said. “What’s going on in the field? What are you doing in your ministry? What are the struggles? What are the challenges? How can I connect?
“We’re hopeful that some of the folks we bring to campus will connect with our students and the students will find opportunities nearby.”
The monthly program for faculty also is being broadened.
What previously was known as the Integration of Faith, Learning and Work now will be called One Foundation and will give faculty a look at the principles taught in Christian Worldview, a required class for all GCU undergraduate students.
It still will be a “Lunch and Learn,” but it will introduce the concept of Worldview and talk about why that’s the starting place for faith integration, Hiles said. Faculty can sign up here before Sept. 6 to reserve a lunch for the first session.
Faculty and staff can dig more deeply into Christian worldview topics by logging onto the Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching (CIRT) site and working through on-demand content that features short posts, COT faculty videos and a link the ebook used in CWV-101.
Hiles said the One Foundation adjustment grew out of GCU’s mission, as laid out in President Brian Mueller’s five-point plan for the University and its west Phoenix neighborhood.
“We’re talking about the foundation that we put in place with Christian Worldview that the rest of the faculty built on in other areas throughout the student experience. That’s where we began,” Hiles said.
“The more that expanded into the life of the University, the more you would hear Brian talking about different aspects of the school’s mission, the identity, values that the Christian world is touching. It had become so comprehensive, we decided we needed something broader.”
But, again, the expansion doesn’t stop there.
A faculty member who wants to go even further can plug into a community group under the coordination of Todd Forrest, a member of the COT faculty. Faculty from several colleges will facilitate discussions in these groups each month.
“The idea is that it’s all-encompassing,” Hiles said. “We have this shared foundation.”
MINISTRY FORUM
Afternoon sessions (5-6:30 p.m., Howerton Hall)
Monday, Sept. 25 – “The 500-Year Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation: Why Did the Reformation Happen?”
Who were the main actors? What were the main doctrinal issues? This will be a historical and theological assessment that reflects on the nature and significance of the Reformation.
Monday, Nov. 6 – “Reformed and Always Reforming: Why Does the Reformation Still Matter?”
Do the reasons that caused Christians to “protest” Rome’s perception of Christianity still exist today? Or were the distinctions merely cultural differences held by Renaissance Europeans that no longer apply to a more sophisticated and less divisive 21st-century Christianity?
Morning sessions (11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Building 6, rooms 221-223)
Wednesday, Sept. 13 – Why Should I Attend Seminary?
A panel of local pastors, full-time professors, adjuncts and other Christian leaders will share about their ministry. The panel will be interviewed by Dr. Pete Charpentier from the College of Theology.
Wednesday, Nov. 8 – Surge Network
Featuring the Surge Network and pastors connected to its ministry. The panel will be interviewed by Dr. Justin McLendon from the College of Theology.
ONE FOUNDATION
Lunch and Learns (11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Building 57, Room 131)
Friday, Sept. 8 – “Creation”
Friday, Oct. 6 – “The Fall”
Friday, Nov. 10 – “Jesus Christ”
Friday, Jan. 12 – “Rescue, Redemption and Renewal”
Friday, Feb. 9 – “The Kingdom of God”
Friday, March 9 – “The Christian Life”
Contact Rick Vacek at (602) 639-8203 or rick.vacek@gcu.edu.

Movement Day Arizona
Saturday, Sept. 16; GCU Arena at 8:30 am
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Meet the Firms
Monday, Sept. 25; GCU Arena from 8:30 am - 4 pm
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Harlem Globetrotters
Saturday, Oct. 28; GCU Arena at 7 pm
*Enter code "DAVIDG" for a special alumni discount
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Men's Soccer
Jackson garners preseason conference recognition
>> READ MOREReigning WAC Player of the Year lands spot on preseason first team

DENVER - The Grand Canyon men's soccer team was picked to finish fifth and reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year Niki Jackson landed a spot on the Preseason All-WAC Team in the conference's preseason voting announced on Tuesday. Polling was done by the WAC's 11 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.
Despite Jackson leading the WAC in goals (16) and being named WAC Offensive Player of the Year at season's end in 2016, UNLV's Danny Musovski was voted the Preseason Player of the Year. Musovski netted 12 goals for the Rebels last season. Jackson did, however, land a spot on the All-WAC Preseason Team after finishing third in the nation in goals per game (16 goals in 18 matches) a year ago.
The preseason conference recognition comes on the heels of Jackson being named to the MAC Hermann Watch List for the nation's top collegiate soccer player last week.
After finishing fifth in 2016, a five-spot improvement from the previous year, the Lopes are picked to finish fifth in the 2017 Preseason Coaches Poll. GCU is just two points behind fourth-place Air Force. UNLV, Utah Valley and Seattle U claimed the top three spots in the poll. Grand Canyon is set to end the regular season by facing all three of the top teams in the preseason poll at GCU Stadium.
The Lopes wrap up their training in Sedona this week before heading off to Albuquerque, N.M. for a closed exhibition match against preseason No. 20 New Mexico. The tune-up match will serve as a precursor to the regular season opener on Friday, Aug. 25 at Omaha.
2017 Men's Soccer Conference Awards
Award Player, School
Offensive Player of the Year Danny Musovski, Sr., UNLV
Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Aune, Jr., Seattle U
2017 Men's Soccer Preseason All-WAC Team
Position Player, School
Forward Austin Dewing, Jr., Air Force
Forward Paul Hoffmeister, Sr., Utah Valley
Forward Niki Jackson, Sr., Grand Canyon
Forward Danny Musovski, Sr., UNLV
Midfielder Tucker Bone, Jr., Air Force
Midfielder Timo Mehlich, So., UNLV
Midfielder Sergio Rivas, Jr., Seattle U
Defender Nathan Aune, Jr., Seattle U
Defender Jamie Carey-Morrell, Sr., CSU Bakersfield
Defender Giovanny Vazquez, Sr., Utah Valley
Goalkeeper John Wendt, Sr., Air Force
2017 Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches Poll
Rank Team (First-place votes) Points

1 

UNLV (5) 90

2 

Utah Valley (3) 89

3 

Seattle U (3) 87

4 

Air Force 72

5 

Grand Canyon 70

6 

CSU Bakersfield 54

7 

San José State 37

8 

UT Rio Grande Valley 33

9 

Incarnate Word 29

T10 

Houston Baptist 22

T10 

Kansas City 22

Women's Volleyball
Volleyball set to battle in 2017
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2017 GCU Women's Volleyball Preview
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Grand Canyon University
GCU women's volleyball head coach Tim Nollan previews the upcoming season. For more information, please visit gculopes.com.
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Men's Basketball
Casey Benson comes home to GCU, brother
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Coro: Casey Benson comes home to GCU, brother by: Paul Coro
Story LinksCasey Benson already lived a basketball dream with a hometown Final Four appearance this year, but his storybook finish is still to come.
After the Tempe, Ariz., product helped Oregon to the NCAA semifinals at University of Phoenix Stadium, Benson's thoughts quickly turned 9 miles east to the Grand Canyon campus where he now resides and plays.
A Havoc-hooking image of Benson in Lopes purple fell together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Casey graduated in three years, enabling a transfer with immediate eligibility. His older brother, T.J., is a GCU assistant men's basketball coach. The Lopes are planning for their first year of NCAA Division I tournament eligibility. GCU needed a point guard and leader to fill DeWayne Russell's void.
"It's amazing how all the stars aligned," Casey said.
The stars are lining up in the Lopes' backcourt, where Casey takes over the point alongside his former youth recreation league teammate, GCU shooting guard Josh Braun. Casey won three consecutive Arizona state championships at Corona del Sol High School and tallied the second-most wins in Ducks history (90), but he is just as enthralled about GCU's offering of family in town, faith on campus and freedom at the point.
It is a feel-good story to see Casey and T.J. standing side-by-side at practices, which the team started last week in preparation for three games on an Aug. 15-23 trip to Spain. T.J. and their soccer-playing sister, Holly, also started collegiate careers elsewhere before finishing at GCU -- but not with the fanfare Casey brings to campus.
The Lopes landed a consummate point guard, a 6-foot-4 left-hander who led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as Oregon's starting point guard in 2015-16. He also brings reliable spot-shooting after making 40.5 percent of his 3-point tries for last season's Pac-12 champion. Collegiate one-year transfers can prove tricky, but Casey is a treat with the team-first approach and court intelligence to quickly fit in.
When Casey returned from Oregon to Arizona in recent summers, he spent his days at GCU playing pickup with some of the players who are now teammates.
"Going to the Final Four and Elite Eight (the past two seasons) were both so fun, but to be the first team in school history to go to the NCAA Tournament would be the same kind of thing," Casey said. "It'd be awesome to know that you blazed the trail for teams to come with so much momentum gaining, the crowd and the administration backing basketball."
Casey is all in, living on a college campus for the first time with teammates Fiifi Aidoo, Oscar Frayer and Ibrahima Sankare as roommates.
Casey, nine years younger than T.J., grew up intently watching – downright analyzing – each of T.J.'s games. At GCU, their basketball relationship gets to evolve and expand just as they return to the brotherly bonds of dining or watching television together.
"Our relationship was a huge piece of him coming back here," said T.J., entering his sixth season on the Lopes staff. "As his brother, I wanted what was best for him. If I didn't feel comfortable with it being the right fit, right place, right time, I would have said, 'Go to Butler' or "Go to Wisconsin.' But with all the things going on here right now, it's night and day from when he was coming out of high school."
After 30 major programs contacted him about transferring, Casey visited Butler and Wisconsin but figured a GCU ending was inevitable. About 30 more coaches also did, saying they would not bother with trying to recruit Casey away from T.J.
"I knew this is where I wanted to be and where I should be," Casey said. "I couldn't pass it up."
Casey and T.J. separately repeat the notion that Casey was once T.J.'s biggest fan and now T.J. is Casey's biggest fan. As a small kid, Casey improved rapidly by hanging around T.J.'s teen crowd and trying to get in their games.
Internally, Casey carries a competitive fire that his entrepreneurial father, Tim, who runs a basketball club, carries outwardly. His calm, cool way and spiritual depth come from his mother, Judy, an elementary school teacher like Holly.
"Me and my dad joke that he's 22 going on 40," T.J. said of Casey. "He finds a way to lead in the right ways, and guys follow him."
As an Oregon junior, Casey accepted an in-season switch to a bench role that moved him off the ball. Back at the point, Benson relishes how GCU head coach Dan Majerle's pro-style offense puts decisions in his hands.
"He's my kind of point guard, just like DeWayne was," Majerle said. "A guy who plays hard, is very smart, knows how to play and is going to make everybody better. He'll have more freedom to look to score. I know he'll have a great year. The most important thing is that he'll make us better."
On April 1, Casey was checking into a national semifinal game with five seconds remaining and his team trailing by one point. Each relative and friend was anticipating that a game-winning shot attempt might come his way. It never materialized, but his homecoming chronicles still might have a storybook finish.
Casey is back in Arizona – to stay this time.
"It's not as if I'm starting over," Casey said. "It's like I'm stepping in with a running start."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." (Lamentations 3:22)

Grand Canyon University

3300 West Camelback Road

Phoenix, Arizona 85017, United States

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