Graceland Spotlights News
Bryan Gatzke, MS, is the division chair for Graceland’s health and movement science program.
AFTER JUST ONE YEAR AT GRACELAND, JOLENE LYNN, PHD, HAS TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS. LYNN BRINGS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE TO GRACELAND.
IF YOU'RE READING THE HORIZONS MAGAZINE, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE YOU KNOW CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR DAN PRATT, PHD, ’81 — OR SOME OF HIS COUSINS. PROFESSOR PRATT IS CONNECTED.
RAQUEL MOREIRA, PHD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION, WAS PRESENTED WITH THE ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND COMMUNICATION'S FEMINIST SCHOLAR OF THE YEAR AWARD Feb. 17 in Santa Clara, California.
What makes Graceland great? After asking students, alumni, faculty and staff what they would choose as their Graceland top 10, we pooled their answers to bring you this list of inspiring attributes that make Graceland the place we are all proud to call home.
Over the past two years, members of the Graceland community have teamed up with the Kansas City Chiefs to raise funds to build a middle school in the village of Palo Blanco, Guatemala, and another in La Majada, Guatemala.
Dr. Ivan Joseph’s `96 new book, You Got This: Mastering the Skill of Self-Confidence, discusses how “self-confidence can be the difference between success and failure, whether on the field, at the office or at home.” Joseph’s unstoppable career began as a student at Graceland University. And while at Graceland, he discovered that self-confidence is a skill, and skills can be taught.
Graceland Enactus has completed the 2017-18 school year with the recognition that their efforts rank them among the top 16 teams across the entire country. We know…you’ve heard this before. But how many of us actually know what it means.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS & LEARNING: IT'S REAL! When I unpacked my suitcase as a Graceland freshman in the fall of 1966, I assumed I was there to acquire a body of knowledge that I could efficiently apply daily in my personal and professional life for the rest of my life. That year, I came to realize I was there to learn how to learn.
Heather Knowles `93 graduated from Graceland University with a Bachelor of Arts in English – Writing with a minor in Speech. During high school, she attended summer volleyball camps organized by Graceland women’s head coach, Stew McDole, in Rolla, Missouri. From those experiences she was enticed to visit campus, try out for Graceland’s team and learn all about the Graceland experience. Her initial campus visit was met with hellos, happy faces and a laid-back friendly vibe. She knew the university was the right fit.
At the end of the game, with just a few minutes left on the clock, Tara (Eskridge) Grubbs ʼ05 ran across the field to attend to the opposing team’s player who was down. When Christian Lerma collapsed, Grubbs instinctively thought it was a concussion, a common reaction from a hit during a soccer game, but the players surrounding him claimed he hadn’t been hit.
Kevin ’08 and Lora Toncheva ’07 Potter are a duo that makes Graceland proud. With successful careers, two young boys (and another one on the way) and their sights on improving the world, this couple is making a difference.
“I knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know I wanted to be a teacher until I took my Advanced Placement (AP) history classes in high school.” Moriah Jones ʼ13 recognized the powerful impact teachers can have on students and decided her best approach in life would be to follow their example.
Jeremy Graybill ’98 revealed that he wasn’t really the best student when he came to Graceland. He had some areas that needed improvement and said he was thankful for the “patience and guidance” of Professor Emeritus Dr. Ron Smith, who taught several of his math classes. It was the Graceland community, the men’s volleyball team, the guys on the hall and his family who helped to form the leader that Graybill has become today.
Who is changing the world? Field Manager Chelsea Tobin ʼ11 and activist in the Denver area, shares her story.
While she was at Graceland Andrea “Andi” Barber ’06 Chatburn discovered that her understanding of death and dying was different than most. In Bob Mesle’s class Suffering and Meaning, discussions around death revealed her difference. As a girl, Chatburn lost six great-grandparents within a few years. She experienced the care and love given to her great-grandparents, and, because of the inclusion in these intimate beautiful deaths, she understood death as a natural part of life.
It is a common process for students to be unclear on the path they wish to follow at the time they begin their college career, and that was definitely the case for Alex Cash ʼ12. Cash, who graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Information Technology, began his Graceland experience as a music education major.
Clay Hines ʼ09 work can put people to sleep – don’t worry, it’s a part of his job. Hines is an anesthesiologist in Texas. He graduated from Graceland in 2009 with a double major in biology and chemistry, and recalls the hard work he put into achieving his accomplishments.
Health communications graduate Brittany St. Louis ʼ11 is the operations manager for a health care facility in Colorado, where she runs the daily operations of the practice. She knew she always wanted to work in management in a health care setting and her bachelor’s degree from Graceland University helped set her on the right course to reach her dream.
Graceland grad Aaron Richards ʼ11 lives in Orange, California, with his wife, Leigh Richards `12, their one-and-a-half-year-old son, Owen, and long-haired miniature dachshund, Rudy. For Richards, there was never another option considered outside of Graceland University for his college experience. He knew from the time he was a child that Graceland was the place for him.
Christine Trewhitt ’14 is no stranger to the impact a nurse can have on one person — patient or otherwise. Trewhitt has known the value of nursing since she was young; ever since she watched nurses in her home attend to her mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. She found that the presence of a nurse was a positive influence on both her and her mother. “I kind of correlated the two — a nurse in the house and my mom feeling better,” she recalls. Trewhitt has taken this lesson with her throughout her life and into the career she has today.
Graceland University theatre major Haley Johnson `19 has been active in theatre since her high school sophomore year when she discovered her passion for acting.
Graceland University Associate Professor of Business Administration Jeff McElroy participated in a “Shark Tank”-style event for mobile app development Saturday, Feb. 3, in Kansas City. The event, sponsored by mobile app developer PocketCake, was organized by Graceland graduate Terra Whipple ’08, founder and business strategist at Live By Change Consulting.
Graceland is doubly fortunate to "get her" and "him" too. The Draves doctors have a powerful impact on Graceland’s future.
Joe Sprunger ’18 is a publication, writing and design major. In anticipation of his senior year, Joe took advantage of the summer to combine two of his passions, photography and soccer.