GCU students sign on to stress integrity in academics, work

Photos by Ralph Freso

With a full semester of classes, long work hours, and extracurricular activities and clubs dominating students' time, it can become easy to start cutting corners when it comes to academic and career work.

But it's important to not cut corners when it comes to integrity, stressed the Grand Canyon University Honors College as it kicked off Integrity Week, which has grown to include four days of speakers, panels and more involving multiple colleges and departments.

The Honors College and the GCU chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars kicked off the weeklong campaign Monday at the Character and Integrity Fair on the Promenade.

The initiative, hosted by NSCS, promotes integrity in academics, the workplace and personal relationships. Students and staff are encouraged to stress that virtue in their decision-making to positively affect their character and knowledge growth.

At Monday's Character and Integrity Fair, the Honors College asked the campus community to sign the Integrity Week banner and encouraged students, staff and faculty to think about making a difference in their goals and aspirations.

“Integrity is sticking up for the right things at all times, even when people are telling you not to,” shared Aaryanna Nelson, senior honor student and NSCS member. “I wouldn’t want to go to bed at night in guilt of something I did that I shouldn’t have done. My faith influences me wanting to have integrity. At the end of the day, I am an ambassador of Christ, and whatever I do reflects Him. To be a good example, I have to show integrity. Even when it’s hard, it’s always the right thing to do.”

Added Honors College Program Coordinator Kendall Smith, “Integrity Week is where students, faculty, staff and all of GCU come together to remember how important integrity is, not just in their academic lives, but in all other aspects of life."  

This year, more than 20 campus clubs and programs joined with the Honors College to support the initiative and were represented at the fair.

This is the most engagement the campaign has received from students and campus departments, shared Honors College Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli.

Some of the highlighted topics during the week will include pursuing excellence in knowledge and experience, moral and ethical character development, understanding the effect of artificial intelligence and how integrity is found within, incorporating faith with integrity in academics and the workplace, and striving for success in individual passions.

Naegeli said a couple of the week's highlights include the "Faith and Integrity in the Workplace" talk, part of the Provost Speaker Series, at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Room 324 of the Technology Building, as well as "Navigating AI's Impact with Integrity: Influencing and/or Disrupting Industry," a panel talk hosted by the College of Engineering and Technology, at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Cyber Center of Excellence

The campaign will conclude with a luncheon featuring Gregg Ostro, president and CEO of Integrity Summit and GO Media companies, at 11 a.m. Thursday in Room 324 of the Technology Building. Ostro will be donating his time to GCU and hosting an open discussion to explore integrity in depth and the challenges faced today.

“It's not just about going to class, it’s also about learning, growing, developing and sharpening different skills and knowledge in areas of our lives," Nelson said. "We want to make sure when students leave GCU, they are leaving with integrity, ethical practices and sticking true to their values."

Integrity Week schedule

Tuesday: Integrity within the Academic Classroom

Wednesday: Integrity in the Workplace

Thursday: Integrity and Faith

GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]

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