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In This Issue |
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• 4th Annual Community
Fall Festival
• GCU Men's Basketball
Kicks-Off Season
• Homecoming 2010
• Athletic Tribute
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Bible Verse
"For God so loved the world He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
~John 3:16 |
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Homecoming 2010
January 29-31
Early 'Lope Special:
Register for 2010 Homecoming by November 15th and bring one guest FREE of charge. Your early registratoin will also enter you into a drawing for a $100 gift card to the GCU Bookstore!
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Alumni Affinity Partners
The Alumni Association has been working hard and cultivating great relationships with other businesses to bring the Alumni community great savings. For information on how these companies can benefit you, please contact your Alumni Association and they will connect you with an Alumni representative. Mention you are a GCU Alumni to receive special Association rates. Click on the following logos to learn more information regarding their services.
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GCU in the News
Click here to read the latest media coverage of the University.
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Happy Anniversary!
As GCU celebrates its 60th year, let’s also take the opportunity to recognize classes that are marking special milestones this year -- Congratulations!
| Class of 1959 |
50 years |
| Class of 1979 |
30 years |
| Class of 1984 |
25 years |
| Class of 1989 |
20 years |
| Class of 1999 |
10 years |
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A Note from the Director:
 The summer temperatures in Phoenix are finally waning, which means we’ll soon be enjoying beautiful Fall weather, as well as some of GCU’s most popular traditions of the year. Some of the wonderful traditions include our Community Fall Festival, the start of an exciting new basketball season, Hanging of the Greens, and our Homecoming event in January. We hope you will join us – either in person or in spirit – as we celebrate our milestones and remember our heritage. As an alumnus, you are always welcome, and we would love to see you on campus anytime. Sharing your news and memories at these events is a great opportunity to stay connected with the University, our traditions, and each other.
GCU is proud to host one of our newer traditions later this month - our fourth annual Community Fall Festival, which provides our neighboring community with a free, safe and Christian-based Halloween alternative. In just a few years, the much anticipated Festival has grown into one of our University’s largest community outreach events, attracting more than 5,000 of our neighbors last year. We anticipate an even larger attendance this year, and welcome this additional opportunity to give back to our community. If you’re in the area, please join us! (See details below).
And if you haven’t already, mark your calendar for one of GCU’s Fall athletic events in your area (http://athletics.gcu.edu). After the holidays, plan to come to the upcoming Homecoming Event is in January, which promises to be our best ever, with special activities hosted by our colleges, and a variety of social events to help you catch up with old friends and make new ones. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!
Madeline Winney
Director, Alumni Relations
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GCU Expects Record Crowd at Annual Community Fall Festival
The fourth annual GCU Community Fall Festival will take place Thursday, October 29, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on GCU’s campus. The event is free and open to the public. The festival includes carnival games, free entertainment, inflatable rides, prizes, and candy for the children. Food and beverages are available at a nominal charge.
New this year, the Guild is sponsoring a Chili Cook-Off prior to the festival. Everyone is welcome to participate, and the winning chili will receive a Chili’s restaurant gift card. Chili will be sold, and all proceeds from chili sales will benefit GCU scholarship funds. Deadline for entry registration is Tuesday, October 27th.
For more information, contact Terri Faust in the Office of Spiritual Life at 602-639-6750 or tfaust@gcu.edu.
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Disneyland Classic:
GCU Men's Basketball Season Kicks Off at the Disney Classic
The GCU Men’s basketball team led by its new coach Russ Pennell starts its new season at the Disney Classic Basketball tournament in Anaheim, Calif., October 30 – November 1. The tournament is at the Anaheim Convention Center.
You are invited! GCU students and employees are already making plans to attend. We need a sea of purple in support of our basketball team as it kick starts what should be an exciting season.
Weekend Schedule:
Friday, October 30: GCU vs. Western Washington at 7:30 p.m.*
Saturday, October 31: GCU vs. San Francisco State at 2:30 p.m.*
Sunday, November 1: GCU vs. Kentucky Wesleyan at 6:30 p.m.*
Men’s Basketball Home Opener Nov. 7,
*Local Time
For more information, contact Helen Bleach at (602) 639-6722.
Men's Basketball Home Opener November 7th:
Get Your Tickets Now
The GCU men’s basketball team will inaugurate the newly renovated Antelope Gymnasium with their first home game of the season on November 7 at 5:30 p.m. Men’s basketball is the hot ticket on campus, and to make sure you get a seat at the game, Alumni Relations is offering all alumni complimentary tickets for the home opener.
Contact the Director of Alumni Relations, Madeline Winney, at 602-639-6310 or mwinney@gcu.edu to request your ticket or for more information. |
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Birdies for Charity Raises Funds for Athletic Scholarships:
The FBR Open – Phoenix’s premier golf event – is still a few months off, but GCU student athletes are gearing up to raise money for the Birdies for Charity scholarship program. The program generates scholarship funding for both GCU Athletics and Student Life based on the number of birdies the pro golfers make at the tournament. The FBR Open is scheduled for February 22-28, 2010.
Students collect pledges from friends, family or local businesses for a minimum of $.01 (a penny) per birdie scored at the Open. The seven-year average is 1,490 birdies, or about $15 for each penny pledged. GCU raised $20,049.61 in 2008 and $15,810.28 in 2007.
All money comes back to GCU with a 10 percent bonus from the Thunderbirds Charities. For more information, contact Marc Chandonnet, Associate Director of Athletic Development, at mchandonnet@gcu.edu or visit athletics.gcu.edu.
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Save the Date:
Grand Canyon University Celebrates Homecoming
January 29-31
Grand Canyon University will celebrate Homecoming, January 29-31, 2010, and invites all alumni back to campus for a weekend of events, games and celebrations.
The event kicks off Friday, January 29, with a welcome reception, picnic and games. On Saturday, January 30, highlights include a student and alumni BBQ, the GCU men’s and women’s basketball teams hosting Dixie State and a postgame bonfire. The festivities conclude with a student and alumni chapel service at Ethington Theatre, Sunday, January 31.
Each GCU colleges is hosting a college reunion and gathering, every opportunity to reconnect with classmates and see how much GCU has grown since 1949.
*Early 'Lope Special: Register for 2010 Homecoming by November 15th and bring one guest free of charge. Your early registration will also enter you into a drawing for a $100 gift card to the GCU Bookstore!
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Memories from the Past:
Athletic Tribute
 The upcoming GCU basketball season is the hot topic on campus with the season to start this month, and preparations have been under way to help make this an incredible year for players and fans at the team’s first home game November 24. Over the summer, the University gave Antelope Gym a makeover, including cosmetic, safety and technology enhancements aimed at starting the new season in style.
Visitors will notice the colorful new wall panels in the lobby, which represent a 60-year tribute to GCU athletic programs. The six 7 by 4-foot panels feature photos of GCU athletes through the decades, including several who went on to professional fame, such as Major League baseball player Tim Salmon and Phoenix Suns player and coach Paul Westphal. Marketing Graphic Designer Ursula Suszko created the panels after painstakingly culling through more than a half-century of images and history, with the help of the Athletics, Events and Alumni teams.
The gym itself has been renovated to give it a fresh new look, as plans are under way to start broadcasting the games on television. Changes also were made to bring it up to date with NCAA and accessibility requirements. Enhancements players and fans will notice include:
• The floor was refinished and painted with fresh GCU artwork.
• New electronic bleachers include handrails and are wheelchair accessible.
• Purple and black pads were installed at each end of the court to protect athletes.
• Shot clocks were installed above the backboards to meet NCAA regulations.
• A new wireless scoreboard system was added, which can also operate the soccer scoreboard.
• A new lighting system brings new life to the gym, while meeting television broadcasting requirements.
More improvements are coming soon, including new baskets and backboards. Longer-term plans include installing air conditioning to replace the current evaporative cooling system so that the gym can be used for other events during the hot summer months.
Renovations are also in the works for GCU’s original North Gym, which is more than 50 years old, is both a practice facility for many of GCU’s athletic teams as well as a classroom for several courses. The gym also is an attraction for visitors because of its unique architecture and well-preserved condition, according to Ruth Ann Gardner, GCU Assistant Athletic Director. The gym still features the original floor, brickwork and a massive ceiling of arched wood rafters. Plans are under way replace the bleachers and scoreboards to keep the historic structure up to date.
Gardner says both gyms stay busy all day, every day. While the North Gym is often used for strength and conditioning, those activities will be moved to a proposed field house. The field house will include an athletic training room, weight room and facilities that will help meet the strength and training demands for all athletes on campus, says Gardner. |
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Career Services:
Get Networking with Your Business Cards
The Career Services has provided a number of tools for GCU students to prepare to forge their career path. Resumes and job board applications are a necessity, but few tools have the potential for personal contact as much as a business card.
Business cards are no longer a suit and tie accessory. The power of personal networking is crucial as you develop your career or business. The following are tips to make a good impression with your business card.
Never leave home without your card. You never know who you will meet. Do not get caught without a card on hand.
Include the necessary information on your card. Name, phone and email are the basics.
Invest in nice cards and keep them in good condition. Do not give away cards that are bent or damaged.
Do not force your card on someone who has not asked for it.
Treat the cards you receive from others with care and respect. Follow up with a handwritten note.
Practice a business card presentation. Consider it a 15-second job interview, but you get to rehearse your lines.
Be generous with your cards. If someone wants an extra card to pass along, give it to them.
The Career Services Center is available to help all alumni with their career needs. The center is located on campus in the Student Union, and is available at 602-639-6606 or careerservices@gcu.edu.
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