GCU的历史

大峡谷学院于2008年8月成立. 1, 1949, with 16 faculty and approximately 100 students in Prescott, AZ. In 1951, the college relocated to a 90-acre tract in West Phoenix and was accredited in 1968 by the Commission on Institutions of Higher 教育. Established as a Baptist-affiliated institution with an emphasis on religious studies, the school initially offered bachelor’s programs in education. 项目 expanded to include the sciences, nursing, 业务, music and fine arts. It was during this time when the college started to develop a reputation for producing effective teachers, 护士和医疗保健专业人员.

While planning to change in institutional organization and status to 皇冠足球即时比分, Grand Canyon College identified several landmark events during this transition: organizing programs and departments into colleges, 提供研究生皇冠足球即时比分, establishing the 皇冠足球即时比分 Foundation and the generosity of those who pledged or gave unrestricted gifts valued at $1 million dollars or more. 1984年5月, college trustees voted to prepare for transition to university status on the school’s 40th anniversary. Then GCU moved from being owned and operated by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention to being self-owned by the Board of Trustees.

到21世纪初, GCU struggled with maintaining its operations in light of dwindling financial support. 大学 faced a critical juncture in September 2003, teetering on the verge of insolvency and facing the prospect of bankruptcy. A small group of investors acquired the university and refocused on online education for working adults. 财政结构不断改善, the university recruited a new leadership team in 2008 to envision a future that centered around a hybrid campus strategy—combining traditional students with non-traditional students (primarily working adults studying at the graduate level). 大学 completed an initial public offering in 2008 to generate the capital necessary to improve its online infrastructure and expand its campus.

大学 grew its campus student body from fewer than 1,从2009年的1000名学生增加到超过25名,到2022年，校园学生人数将达到300人. GCU’s non-traditional student body increased from approximately 22,从2009年初的6000名学生增加到现在的86名,2022年秋季的在线和夜间队列学生.

Between 2009 and June 2022, the university had invested over $1.70亿美元——今天, 继续投资于全职教师, 改进的技术基础设施, new facilities and programmatic expansion in areas such as engineering, 计算机科学与信息技术. 大学 has been able to self-fund these investments with only nominal increases in tuition for non-traditional students, 15年来学费都没涨.

In 2018, GCU转变回501(c)(3)机构, which provided faculty and students with equitable opportunities to:

• Participate in academic and co-curricular opportunities with peer institutions
• 经营慈善基金会
• Provide grant writing and research opportunities for faculty and students
• 投资教育基础设施

• Allow the university to continue offering tuition at levels that make private higher education affordable for our students
• Provide employment and career growth opportunities for faculty and staff
• Continue to invest in the communities where the university serves
• Permit student athletes to participate in governance opportunities afforded by the NCAA

GCU's campus continues to grow to meet the needs of students and cultivate higher education learning experiences. Here's a snapshot of the campus today — a home away from home for our Lopes:

• 拥有6000个座位的GCU体育场和7000个座位的GCU体育馆
• 当代宿舍和公寓
• 度假风格的游泳池
• 娱乐健身中心
• Lopes路上的学生会和餐馆
• 两座专门用于STEM学习的教学楼
• The Grove - a community of four suite-style residence halls exclusively for freshmen
• Division I athletics, club sports teams, intramural sports teams
• Academic, professional, social and recreational clubs
• 学术和学生支持资源

Tremendous transformation is happening now, and the future looks even brighter.