The College of Fine Arts and Production at Grand Canyon University is busy preparing for their spring lineup of shows from the theatre, dance and music departments. Here’s a quick preview of what to look forward to in 2012:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Feb. 10-12, 17-19

Friday and Saturday: 7:30 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 p.m.

Ethington Theatre

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” Never was this truer than in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Follow the hilarious angst of teen love out of Athens and into the forest as four more of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers try to find a safe place to love who and how they please. Add into the mix a fractured fairy kingdom and a group of construction workers turned artists, and you have one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays. Written soon after Romeo and Juliet, the Bard takes a shot at the blindness of love and hits a bull’s eye.

Opera and Broadway Concert

Friday, Feb. 24, 7:00 p.m.

The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix

The music department presents a program of Opera and Broadway favorites featuring The Canyon Chorale, The Canyon Singers, The New Life Singers, students and faculty soloists. This event is free and open to the public

University Dance Series: Student Spotlight

March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Location: The Sanctuary Room of the GCU Recreation Center

This event is free and open to the public

The Boy Friend

April 13-15, 20-22

Friday and Saturday: 7:30 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 p.m.

Ethington Theatre

This Broadway hit brings us back to the roaring 1920’s to find love on the French Riviera. A jazzy score and smart, sassy dialogue bring us the story of Polly Browne, the only girl in Madame Dubonnet’s School for Young Ladies without, you guessed it, a boyfriend. Will she settle for one of the wealthy fellas, or will Tony, who seems to be nothing more than a lowly delivery guy, stand a chance? Rest assured, everyone finds a match in what the British Theatre Guide calls, “a…virtuous production…a ripping evening’s entertainment.”

Mendelssohn’s Elijah

Friday, April 27, 7:00 p.m.

The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix

The Music department presents a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s magnificent Oratorio Elijah performed by the Grand Canyon Choral Union, with students and faculty soloists. This event is free and open to the public

University Dance Series: Spring Dance Concert

April 27-28, 7:30 p.m.

Ethington Theatre

Cost: $10

Awards and Commencement Concert

Wednesday, May 2, 7:00 p.m.

The First Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix

Enjoy this “Best of the Best” program at our awards concert.  The Canyon Chorale, The New Life Singers, The Canyon Singers, and student soloists will perform a wide variety of musical selections including some of the best musical performances of the year, along with command performances by some of our most outstanding students. Join us as we honor our excellent graduates along with some of the best performance students of the year.

For additional information regarding all performances visit College of Fine Arts and Productions website.

To RSVP for a free event or to purchase tickets for events at Ethington Theatre contact us at the box office at (602)639-8880 or ethington@gcu.edu.

In today’s job marketplace, it’s no surprise that students carefully choose their degree paths based on the best projected job opportunities post-graduation. Many students choose a highly specialized major with the goal of getting a job in their career field right out of college. However, in the current job climate, specialization may not always be the answer.  Liberal arts degrees offer students a broad learning experience and are a classical education option because they help students to develop a wider skill set, which can be applied to nearly every field imaginable.

Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, wrote an article for the Huffington Post titled, “What’s a Liberal Arts Education Good For?” In it he discussed the benefits of the well-rounded learning experience a liberal arts education provides. “A successful liberal arts education develops the capacity for innovation and for judgment,” Roth says. “Those who can imagine how best to reconfigure existing resources and project future results will be the shapers of our economy and culture.”

Degrees in liberal arts are founded on learning through art, language, mathematics, literature and history. They are a significant piece of the core curriculum many universities require regardless of the degree a student plans to obtain. People who are well-educated in liberal arts might not focus on a single career path, but rather open themselves up to myriad opportunities because of the critical thinking and communication skills mastered,  which are easily applied to a variety of professions.

Many economic, business and political leaders obtained their bachelor’s degrees in a liberal arts field and applied their knowledge and skills in the marketplace or pursued further education in a more specialized area of interest, such as finance, leadership, business administration, healthcare administration, secondary education or another content area. Because of today’s dynamic marketplace, businesses often seek employees with a broad base of skills and knowledge like critical thinking, communications, society and history, which are the primary focus of a liberal arts degree and gives them the training needed for their specific industry.  Others build their career on the skills learned in their bachelor’s program and lessons learned from experience in their profession.

The classical education offered by the liberal arts provides the foundations for lifelong learning, but what kind of careers can you pursue from a broad education? Careerbuilder.com compiled a list of the most common liberal arts degrees and job opportunities available with further training, such as counseling, public relations, teaching, law, advertising, etc.

Liberal arts degrees are of tremendous value to students and provide the knowledge and flexibility that graduate programs and today’s dynamic job market demand.

Grand Canyon University’s College of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of liberal arts degrees. Learn more today.

It’s that time of year again! High school seniors are working on finishing up college applications and making the all-important decision about where they’re going to spend the next four years of their life.

Getting ready to attend college takes a lot of hard work. There’s a laundry list of big decisions to make, applications to submit and details to be sure are taken care of. We’ve created a checklist for seniors with some of the major tasks you must complete:

• College applications—if you haven’t already started, get to applying! College Board recommends finishing up college applications early to meet priority deadlines, which may include scholarships (make sure to ask your Admissions Counselor about those!).
• Submit test scores and transcripts—be sure to submit SAT or ACT scores if you have them, along with all official transcripts to the college and any application fees the college has (GCU doesn’t have an application fee. You can apply online for free).
• FAFSA— This is an acronym you’ll hear a lot. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. If you’re looking in to any type of financial aid, FAFSA, which is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, is a great tool for assessing what financial aid is available to you. Each state has a deadline for applying for FAFSA, make sure you submit on time.
• Visit campus—campus tours are a great way to gauge what student life is like and whether the school is a place you’ll enjoy living and learning. If you can’t visit campus in person, many schools have virtual tours such as this one, which can give you a good feel for the amenities and environment on campus.
• Register for classes—As soon as you let your Admissions Counselor know you’ll be attending their school, you can start registering for classes!
• Apply for housing—freshmen typically live on campus their first year of school. It’s a great way to get involved, create relationships and get the full college experience. Watch for housing application and registration deadlines so you can get the dorm room of your dreams!

No two colleges are the same. Students need to be proactive about their future school and should frequently check to make sure they’re meeting deadlines and completing checklists. Admissions counselors can assist students with getting a checklist that is created specifically for their school.

Stay organized, stay ahead of deadline and you’re sure to be on the right path for a great college experience!

If you’re thinking about attending Grand Canyon University you can find everything you’ll need at http://www.gcu.edu/Admissions.php.

Good luck with finishing those checklists, and we can’t wait to meet you, Class of 2016!

Grand Canyon University is regularly adding features to enhance the vibrant student life that campus students experience. GCU’s exciting newest addition, the Thunder Alley Bowling Lanes, opened November 14 in the Thunder Alley basement.

The bowling alley features six lanes plus a game room with pool tables, ping pong, a Golden Tee Arcade Game, air hockey and two lounge areas with big screen TV’s. The space is designed to be a relaxing and fun area for students, faculty and staff to hang out, watch the big game or bowl a few strikes or pick up a few spares. The facility is also available to reserve or rent for special occasions. Reservations can be made through Stacy Haddow in the Office of Student Life.

“We’re working on getting lots of events planned  for next semester,” said Haddow. “We’d love to get bowling intramurals and pool tournaments going. The space is so multifunctional, we want to make great use of it for students.”

Bowling is a fun, social activity that even doubles as exercise for those students who would rather mingle than log a sweat session at the Student Recreation Center. In research done by the Mayo Clinic on the benefits of exercise for weight loss, bowling can burn more than 300 calories in an hour.

Whether you’re looking for a study break, low-impact exercise or just a place to hang out with friends and let off some steam, Thunder Alley Bowling is a great place to go.

Bowling Alley and Game Room hours are Sunday-Thursday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. to midnight. The cost is $1.50/game for students, $2.00/game for staff and $2.50/game for guests. For more information about Thunder Alley Bowling Lanes and reservations visit GCU Today.

‘Tis the season for sniffles, sneezes, coughs, colds and the flu. What’s more, with lots of hugs and handshakes at holiday parties and family gatherings the exposure is even greater, so it’s important to protect yourself from winter germs that spread easily.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 200,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu or flu symptoms each year.  Because of the highly contagious nature of the flu, the CDC recommends that certain groups, including the elderly, children, pregnant women and healthcare workers and caregivers be vaccinated.

A recent article on MSNBC, however, called into question the effectiveness of the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine, citing a 59% rate of effectiveness in adults. This rate is lower than the medical community’s previously held belief, causing some to wonder if it’s worth it to get the annual shot.

“This percentage it is far from being ineffective,” notes Veronica Perez, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Grand Canyon University’s College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s important to note that no administered vaccine will ever be 100% effective in all populations, and with regard to the flu vaccine, it is still the best protection for staying healthy during flu season.”

In addition to getting a flu shot, there are other precautions you can take to protect yourself during flu season.  Dr. Anne McNamara, Dean of Grand Canyon University’s College of Nursing, offers the following tips to keep cold and flu germs at bay:

1. Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze with a tissue. Throw the tissue in the trash when finished.
2. Better yet, do not use tissues when sneezing, but rather sneeze into your upper arm and clothing.  This avoids germs from being transferred through your hands.
3. Wash your hands often with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds. Or, use hand sanitizer when you can’t wash your hands. (Some suggest singing a simple song, such as “row, row, row your boat”)
4. Avoiding touching your eyes, mouth and nose, because germs are spread this way.
5. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
6. Limit contact with others if you are sick. If you experience flu-like symptoms, the CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours  after your fever is gone, unless it is to seek medical attention.

The United Nations estimates that the world reached a population of 7 billion people on October 31, 2011. That many humans has an enormous impact to the planet and to each other. To discuss some of the implications of this landmark number, we reached out to Veronica Perez, MPH and Assistant Professor, Public Health. Below is some of her perspective on global health in a very populated world:

“The world has more humans than ever…7 billion to be exact, give or take a few! National Public Radio (NPR) recently highlighted a report by the United Nations, stating that our global population has reached 7 billion. Most of that growth has occurred in Asia and Africa. Does this affect us in the United States? Absolutely. As our global population grows, I think it’s important to reflect on the public health implications of this growth.

Global health is public health. Diseases are not limited by national boundaries. An increase in international travel and changing immigration patterns can contribute to the global spread of disease. Political and social unrest in many developing nations may lead to people seeking refuge in our nation, making it important to understand the health issues faced by refugees.

Science and technology have helped to improve patterns of infectious disease in many developing nations. As a result, people are living longer, putting them at risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Public health measures relating to early detection and self-management of these diseases will be increasingly important.

Health is influenced by many factors…social, cultural and environmental factors all play a role. As our population continues to grow, we will need strengthened global partnerships to help develop health systems to address these determinants. Improved health diplomacy, such as global responses to national disasters and disease outbreaks, will also be key.

An increase in the number of people in our world will continue, and will continue to bring new health challenges. It will be up to us to rise to those challenges through innovation and collaboration.”

“I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner does not always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise are often poor and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11, New Living Translation)
I have always enjoyed reading the Old Testament from the Bible. I use it in classes I teach and even at secular corporate functions. It started out as a way I could inject some degree of spirituality into my teaching (in secular environments) without edging into the New Testament and decidedly Christian topics that might otherwise make some people uncomfortable. For me it has blossomed into the somewhat feeble application of ancient wisdom to modern problems. The particular passage above is credited to the Israelite King Solomon who according to legend was the wealthiest king to ever rule a people.
I have often stated aloud I did not work too hard in the womb to come out the way I did, with the native abilities and personal characteristics I possess. Neither did I control what parents I was born to, what religion I was first exposed to nor what region of the country I grew up in. This passage reminds me of this truth.
So how can we apply this to our teams and organizations? The late Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama football fame was often heard saying that regardless of the final score of any football game, the outcome was usually decided by having the right people on the field, in the right places, doing the right things during four or five critical moments of the game. This is an amazing point of view. Regardless of the score, timing is everything. As we think about our own roles and those of our colleagues we should consider timing to be critical. Ken Blanchard is well known for pointing out the importance of unleashing people which I take to mean putting people in the right roles at the right times. In support of this notion, John Maxwell is often heard emphasizing connecting a person’s passion to their work.
This is not really a new notion. If we go back to the days of Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management, we will see that an imbedded idea is the importance of properly identifying the task at hand and properly identifying the right person to do a task. At some distinct level, Taylor knew that people working out of sync with their talents and capabilities was not effective. Of course we know that from this work, the emphasis was really more focused on effectiveness and efficiency. Modern human resource management is not altogether different with respect to employment selection. There has been a tremendous emphasis on person-job fit. More recently, we have begun to consider not only person-job fit but also person-organization fit.
As a nation, we have come to place a great deal of emphasis on education as a path to success. In contrast there are highly public examples of success stories around people who spurned formal public education. Stephen Jobs of Apple and Bill Gates of Microsoft immediately come to mind. Does this mean our efforts to broaden the public base of education are in vain? I would argue not. If you look closely at either of these two examples you would find they were great students not only of knowledge but of mankind. What I would suggest comes from my great uncle the late Dr. J.A. Barksdale who noted in 1953 that he believed then (as I do now) that a critical difference between a civilized and an uncivilized world is the education of its peoples.
As we seek to draw from this short essay, I would leave us with this thought: “As leaders we must be ever mindful of efforts to put the right people in the right place at the right time.”

Dr. W. Kevin Barksdale

Ideas for learning and leading

Concept: Leadership Lessons from Two Wheels

I never did understand the importance of attention span and field of vision.  When my father taught me to drive he emphasized the importance of keeping my eyes on the road.  (I often wonder what he would have thought of all the modern distractions to driving like PDAs and text messaging.)  Like many others, I have certainly experienced those moments when I found myself looking up at a solid wall of stopped traffic that required me to hit the brakes rather quickly.

Several years ago, I re-started a boyhood hobby of riding motorcycles.  It began rather innocently by attending “track days” with one of my older brothers.  On these track days, my brother was riding his motorcycle at near race speeds on one of the finest road race courses in the country nestled on the edge of Birmingham in my home state of Alabama.  I became interested and started riding my own motorcycle on track days with him.  My family moved to Phoenix, AZ in the fall of 2009.  Phoenix.  This part of the country is home to some of the best off-road riding in the country.  I quickly made friends with a person who agreed to help me learn to ride off-road in the desert.

The combined result of reigniting a boyhood hobby has been to open my mind to the relationship between my hobby and my profession.  I will try to expose those relationships in a way that might prove useful.

It wasn’t until I learned to ride my motorcycle on a race track that I came face to face with the metric reality of speed and distance.  Sixty (60) miles per hour equates to traveling almost 88 feet in one second.  At 120 miles per hour you are traveling 176 feet in one second.  On the race track instructors warn that if you are looking at the front wheel of your motorcycle you just crashed!  You also learn quickly that where you look is where the motorcycle goes.  If you are traveling at 90 miles per hour and look over your left shoulder you just moved across the track several feet (which is why as a rule amateur riders are taught to never look behind them).  When going through a turn at speed, you enter the turn and focus your eyes on the desired exit point of the turn.  Needless to say, learning to ride on a track and operate at higher speeds changed how I view riding and subsequently driving an automobile.

Contrast this lesson with the one I learned when I moved to Phoenix and took up dirt bike riding in desert mountain terrain.   I was excited to try all the tricks I had learned from track riding on my first ride in the desert.  Looking ahead of my travel path, I proudly practiced what I had worked so hard to learn.  All at once (and quite early into the ride I might add) I found myself embarrassingly tumbling into a heap onto the sand-covered rocky terrain.  As I dusted myself off, I wondered silently how such a thing could have happened.  In looking at the terrain, I recognized a set of ruts I had unwittingly ridden into that made my crash somewhat likely.  It dawned on me that I had fallen prey to the wrong application of learning.  On the street you travel fast and therefore the action is out in front of you.  In off-road terrain, most of the action is right at your front tire and just a few feet in front of you. 

Leading and learning are very similar to these examples.  Not all lessons can be applied to multiple settings in precisely the same way.  Regardless of the surface, riding a motorcycle means where you look is where you go.  On one surface you must look in the distance while rarely looking down.  On the other you must look down to be assured of your current path but you also must be able to look up frequently to span the trail ahead lest your speed be dictated only by the immediate terrain.

The lesson in leading is that the pace of our travel dictates our field of vision.  The faster we are moving the farther ahead we must look to identify potential unintended consequences of our rapid action.  The slower we are moving, the more treacherous the terrain, the more we must look right around us and right in front of us to be certain of the implications and impact upon those around us. 

As I have gained in experience on off-road riding, I have learned another powerful lesson.  If you want to learn to ride faster, you have to progress beyond just looking right in front of the front wheel.  My true pace is determined by understanding the terrain around me.  If I ride with only the immediate terrain in mind, I will ride more slowly and only open the throttle (speed up) once I come into a clearing where I see a long straight path in front of you.  While this method certainly will provide pleasant opportunities to experience short bursts of speed, my overall pace remains constrained by my pace in the most rugged sections of terrain.  Thus, I am deceived in believing I am riding fast simply because of the short bursts of speed I engage even though I have not truly altered my average pace very much.  If I ride with the immediate terrain in mind, but also frequently scanning the trail ahead, I can see those faster portions of the trail more quickly and adjust my speed more quickly.  Using this method increased my overall pace.  This is a lot like the notion of “heads down work” and “heads up work” often discussed by Ken Blanchard in his One Minute Manager series.  There he and his co-authors frequently remind us of the importance of grinding out the details of our day to day work without forsaking the importance of taking time out to assess our current heading and the potential opportunities and pitfalls we are approaching.  Oddly enough, as a leader I can be deceived into thinking we are moving fast merely due to those short bursts of speed we are able to amass.  If we are focusing on the short term and long term simultaneously, our overall pace would increase, and over the longer term, we would be moving far more quickly.

The next lesson we can learn from high speed travel.  Where we are looking is the heading we will take.  The corollary to this in leadership is the essential importance of a shared vision amongst our team members that constantly drives our actions.  It is this vision to which we must constantly look and refer if we are to truly achieve remarkable results and greatness.

© W. Kevin Barksdale, Ph.D.

October, 2011

On Tuesday, October 25^th, the formation of the Colangelo School of Sports Business was publicly announced at a news conference in the Grand Canyon University Arena by the entrepreneur and legendary sports professional himself, Jerry Colangelo.  Alongside Grand Canyon University CEO, Brian Mueller, and Business Dean, Dr. Kevin Barksdale, Mr. Colangelo championed his mission to share what has made him so successful with a savvy generation of current and prospective students.

Launched in mid-2010, the Bachelor of Science in Sports Management has more than 300 ground and online students currently enrolled in Arizona’s only sports business major program. The opportunity for Grand Canyon University students to engage with experts in the field through the Colangelo Guest lecture Series and participate in exclusive networking events truly sets this program apart from others throughout the country. In addition, each year, an outstanding second-year student will be selected to be mentored by Colangelo.

Jerry Colangelo possesses a remarkable track record of casting a vision which has helped transform organizations, franchises, and entire metropolitan cities.  In honor of this historic collaboration with Grand Canyon University, Mr. Colangelo will donate personal sports memorabilia to be displayed permanently in the new Arena.

Equipping students with a sports business education focused on innovation, servant leadership, and then enveloped under the Colangelo banner speaks volumes to the quality and ambition of GCU’s latest pioneering academic program.

One of the great things about GCU is that there are so many ways to be a ‘Lope!

For the student looking for a traditional experience, we have a beautiful campus in Phoenix, Ariz. where 4,000-plus students live, study, work and play. We also offer evening and satellite programs for students who want to attend class in person, but need the flexibility of non-traditional hours. For learners who require a more flexible learning solution, we have many online programs, which allow students to be at school and in the classroom whenever it’s most convenient for them.

Each learning style offers something truly unique. Campus students experience campus and all that comes with it, from Welcome Week and Java Jam to plays in Ethington Theatre and basketball games in the arena. Online students bring their personal experiences from work, family, church and communities into the classroom. This gives the online classroom great variety and presents an outstanding opportunity to network with peers all over the country. Both of these college experiences contribute to our university culture in an important way.

So what does everyone share in common? A rich history!

Since 1949, GCU has been preparing students to become global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators and responsible leaders through an academically challenging, values-based curriculum. This mission has generated well-prepared professionals in the nursing, education, business and fine arts fields, as well as athletes who have gone on to compete at the professional level in baseball and basketball.

GCU’s history also includes a challenging time in the early 2000’s when the university struggled to maintain its operations and the quality of its academic experience in light of dwindling financial support. In 2003, GCU was acquired by a small group of investors who saw an opportunity to advance the mission and Christian foundation through the technology available in online learning.

Since this transition, GCU has re-emerged as a new higher education model serving more than 4,000 students on our main campus in Phoenix and more than 40,000 students around the globe through our online programs.

Both campus and online students have been part of a remarkable evolution with GCU in the past and will be key to shaping a bright future. We’ll be exploring the unique advantages of GCU’s campus and online experiences.

We’d like to hear from all our ‘Lopes out there, on campus and online. What’s the best thing about the way you attend GCU?