Honors College

Thousands of alumni, students, families and friends came to campus to participate in the University’s first in-person Homecoming Family Weekend since before the pandemic. There was no shortage of excitement as fan favorites returned and new events popped up. “This is the Disneyland of campuses. We really just enjoy coming out here,” said Warren Thompson, who came to campus with his family to visit daughter Bella. “It’s been great to connect and see some other students that our daughter has connected with and meet their parents. Everyone seems really down to earth.”

An action-packed weekend is upon us as this year’s Homecoming Family Weekend draws closer. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, events from Homecoming and Family Weekend will be restored to their in-person format. There is no shortage of ways to get involved on and off campus.

They got tired of asking their grandchildren to get them unstuck from technology devices. So they came to GCU’s campus lugging mobile phones and laptops to the Tech Savvy Seniors class, taught by GCU Honors College students who could walk them through it. One of five GCU Golden Lopes courses that began their four-week spring run last week for folks age 55 and over, this class deftly crossed five generations as young and old worked together to get that confounded phone to work right.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The Golden Lopes program for the fall semester includes Tech Savvy Seniors, a four-week opportunity for people age 55 and over to get answers to their questions about cellphones, laptops and the like. It is taught by Honors College students.      

It started out as a simple question from one GCU student to another: “Do you want to send something into space?” Rather than just ponder the idea, they created STELLAR, which will be launching its first project, a microbial fuel cell, to the International Space Station in April. But while the team says sending projects into space is just cool, it emphasized that its passions run deeper. Ultimately, the group’s mission isn’t just a space mission but a humanitarian one, as well.

Integrity is a key element in every student’s academic journey and one that Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli hopes to highlight during the inaugural Integrity Week. Workshops, information sessions and guest speakers have helped bring forward the message of acting with integrity in all aspects life. “I feel like this is a major step up from anything we’ve done previously,” Naegeli said.

The Honors College has begun two major programs that help students network and gain skills that will positively impact their future: the Pre-Health Medical and Graduate School Preparation Program and the new Young Athena: Valley of the Sun Leadership Program. One will help prepare students for the medical school and graduate school application process, while the other will help infuse women with leadership skills. “These are the types of programs that really give our GCU students that competitive edge as they enter the workforce,” Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli said.

Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli and her team have created a third advisory board, the Alumni Board, to connect undergraduate students with the knowledgeable advice of graduates. Their feedback will help the college develop new programs and events for existing students and prepare for graduate school and careers. “Service, mentorship and giving back in support of the next generation of graduates is a concept deeply interwoven throughout the fabric of GCU’s community,” Naegeli said. “Our alumni board is an exemplary representation of that – they are always seeking new opportunities to engage and support the up-and-coming students of the GCU Honors College.”

Honors College Associate Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli recently connected GCU’s forensic psychology students to her younger sister, 2018 psychology graduate Bianca Boling. Students had the opportunity to ask Boling, a doctoral student at Midwestern University, the ins and outs of the field. “I think these opportunities for current Honors students to engage with, and seek mentorship and insight, from alumni currently the field is invaluable,” Naegeli said. “It is abundantly evident that the students appreciate the opportunity to form this relationship and to ask questions. It helps to complement what they hear in the classroom setting from faculty and staff as well.”

Nine months later, the Oscar Frayer bulletin still is shocking. “What? How could that happen? Not now!” was a typical response to the news that the GCU basketball star, his sister and a friend had been killed in an auto accident just days after he played in the NCAA tournament. Thankfully, 2021 was filled with happier moments, in particular the opening of the GCU CityServe warehouse, the awarding of more Students Inspiring Students scholarships, the energy of Lip Sync and other major events, and the inspiration of so many students and staff. Here are our favorite stories. They might be yours, too.