EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in the April issue of GCU Magazine, available digitally or in the purple bins across campus.
It started as a humble institute in 2013.
Now Grand Canyon University’s Ingram Honors College, recently named for land developer Mike Ingram and his wife, Sheila, is taking its place as the campus’s academic centerpiece. It will make its home in a showcase building at the entryway to campus that will be a hub for community and scholarly engagement when it opens next fall.
“There is no better time to start your academic journey at Grand Canyon University than right here, right now,” said Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli of the college, which transitioned to a full-fledged college in 2015. “We have so much to come, and I am unbelievably proud of the students and the story we have built and shaped over the last 12 years.”
That story started with just 59 students; now it touts 2,998 students who represent more than 140 academic programs with a collective 3.9 incoming, unweighted high school GPA.
There are 391 honors courses, with the most common enrolled programs including nursing, biology, psychology, business management and exercise science.
But it’s not all about academic rigor.
Naegeli and Ingram Honors College Director Dr. Marette Hahn wanted to make sure students leave college with more than just a degree and impressive GPA. What mattered more was students’ ability to confidently give presentations and express themselves personally and professionally outside the classroom.
More than a decade ago, Naegeli and Hahn built the first leadership development program, PAC Boot Camp, which focused on personal, academic and career growth.
Twenty students attended the first PAC meeting. They took career assessments and learned to write resumes.
“The theme of PAC is the power of storytelling,” Hahn said. “It’s all about learning their story, how that’s impacted where they are now and will impact where they are headed, how to communicate that story, how to talk to an employer, network, write a resume, interview, do an elevator pitch, all that communication.
“Of course, we have the academic rigor component because it is an honors college, but at the end of the day, what we want to focus more on is rounding out the resume and ensuring they are developing holistically.
“GPA is one line on a resume. Students have already proven the academic piece by getting into the Ingram Honors College. Now we want to focus on the rest of it.”
Naegeli and Hahn never expected those 20 students to be the first of thousands to come through their many personal development programs as the college grew.
Today, students can get involved through the Leadership in Action Institute, whose many programs focus on everything from career readiness, to innovative and visionary leadership styles, to ethical, holistic character.
Students can participate in co-curricular LIA groups, such as the public relations committee or the faith, integrity and service committee.
Additional signature programs include PAC professional development, the Graduate School Comprehensive Advising Program, the Young Athena and Men of Valor leadership programs, and Pen to Purpose journaling.
The college also offers its Global Exploration program, which are short-term international trips, along with mission trips and study abroad to countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Italy and New Zealand.
“The programs they offer are so beneficial,” senior honors student Acey Faulkner said. “With LIA, I have learned so much just about who I am and what my leadership style is. The Honors College has given me most of my soft skills.
“I don’t have an opportunity to get soft skills anywhere else. It’s cut my ‘ums’ and ‘likes’ out of my talking, it’s helped me maintain eye contact, it’s helped me be open and pushed me to respond to emails in a professional manner, make phone calls, and just all the little skills that you don’t necessarily get in class.”
In this new era of the Ingram Honors College, plans are in place to build the Kingdom Impact Council, which will include Christian leaders from across the country who will invest their influence in the college’s students. Just a few of the names on the council include former Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo, Chicago Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren and professional sports performance coach Darleen Santore.
“We are not just gaining a name, we are growing a team of high-impact players across the country who are now investing and pouring into our students,” Naegeli said. “It’s not just a namesake. This is a powerhouse team that is coming to back our administration in the growth and development of our students.”
These leaders will be meeting with students, starting in fall 2026, in a renovated 51,000-square-foot building near the campus entrance.
The refashioned facility will feature lecture halls, offices, study and lounge areas, podcast rooms, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces dedicated solely to the college.
It will be designed to cultivate collaboration; innovation; spiritual, academic and professional growth; and, most of all, community.
Honors students also will receive additional housing options in Juniper and Prescott halls and Roadrunner Apartments. Those spaces are a short distance from what will be the new Honors College.
Students will have a chance to live together as roommates and neighbors, developing an even deeper sense of community and making collaboration and partnerships easier.
“Honors housing is not about separation, we are not trying to set ourselves apart,” said junior Judah Floyd, honors student and student body president. “It’s that we want to collaborate with each other. We are involved in the same things, and we are taking the same classes. Now you take what used to be a very professional academic relationship and make it a very personal community.
“We are building each other up. When you know your neighbor is studying until 2 a.m. too, we can study together. I think it inspires people. It empowers people to do a little bit more.”
What’s also different about the college is that there is no fee to become an honors student.
Jordan Ward is already basking in the opportunities made possible by the college. The cybersecurity junior landed an internship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Phoenix, an opportunity only offered to honors students.
“I owe that to the Honors College here, because without it, I would not have had that opportunity to start doing investigations, getting a top-secret clearance, working on my cyber skills, getting that professional level internship to build my resume.”
Floyd has felt the same impact, but on a personal level. His younger brother is a freshman in the college, and his two older sisters are honors graduates who serve in the medical field.
“The Honors College has had tremendous impact on me and my whole family,” Floyd said. “It empowers you, develops and grows you, but also creates opportunities to serve and mentor others and to pour into people.
“It stands truly as a unique model of student development, and it’s helped me grow in my faith, in my community and every aspect of my life."
