Grand Canyon University’s Arizona Alpha chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society scored big at the organization’s national convention over the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, bringing home the society’s highest honor, the President’s Cup.
“We are the No. 1 chapter in the country,” said GCU Honors College Academic Program Manager Katalina Inzunza Herrera of the accolade.
The University’s Arizona Alpha chapter, which is the largest in the country with 3,488 active and 12,584 alumni members, has consistently been recognized as a star chapter award recipient over the past decade, but this is its first time it has won the top honor.
“We feel exceptionally honored and grateful to have been selected as this year’s President’s Cup recipient,” said Honors College Dean Dr. Breanna Naegeli, the chapter’s advisor, noting how countless hours have been devoted to building the college’s scholar community.
Chapter co-advisor Anya Cofrancesco, the Honors College and Study Abroad program manager, said staff and students worked tirelessly on a 12-page application document listing the chapter’s accomplishments, from service projects to student presentations to speaker events. It was the group’s goal to be a strong contender for the President’s Cup.
“I was confident we had a very good chance of receiving this recognition because of the incredible work – the hard work – our student leaders have done over the academic year,” Cofrancesco said.
Added Naegeli, “This recognition holds significant weight with our chapter and is a reflection of our student leaders’ work ethic, commitment and perseverance.”
Arizona Alpha, which includes ground and online students, competed against more than 300 chapters nationwide to secure the win.
“The best part was seeing how excited our students and advisors got when our GCU Arizona Alpha chapter was announced as the winner,” said Inzunza Herrera, who's also a chapter co-advisor.
The President’s Cup is the society’s most prestigious chapter award, given to the group that the organization has judged the most outstanding. Recipients receive a trophy and $200 honorarium.
It wasn’t the only recognition Arizona Alpha received.
Naegeli earned the Distinguished Service Award for Region VII, and several students presented their scholarly work in their own academic fields to multidisciplinary audiences of their peers and faculty advisors.
Anywhere from 200 to 300 students present their individual work annually at the convention, and a select few are invited to compete in the Collaborative Research Competition.
Jenny Michaels, Shrijita Shukla, Colton Machester, Ashley Larson and Diana Ojeda were one of nine finalists invited to present their research, entitled “The Influence of AI in Higher Education.” Students presenting talks on other topics were Natalie Osborne (psychology), Colton Manchester (history), Larson (education – research) and Daniela Chavira (education – pedagogy).
Their talks show how the professional development programs and co-curricular opportunities provided to honors students at GCU are preparing them to present at academic conventions and win scholarships, Inzunza Herrera said.
Besides the presentations in the Collaborative Research Competition, attendees also could attend development sessions.
GCU helmed two of the convention’s six sessions, one given by Naegeli, whose talk was called “Breaking Perfect,” and the other presented by Osborne and Larson, who spoke about “Understanding the Graduate School Application Process.”
Inzunza Herrera said in a session presented by students from Fresno Pacific University, called “Overcoming Hurdles to Honors for First-Gen Students,” presenters used the GCU chapter in some of its examples. It pointed to GCU as a university that effectively engages its ground populations to attract and invite more first-generation students to become involved in honor societies.
Earning scholarships at the event were: Chavira and Larson, who each received $4,000 for the Sledge/Benedict Fellowship, and Osborne, who earned a $3,000 Sledge/Benedict Fellowship; Nigolas Ruud, who received the $4,000 Walden S. Freeman Alumni Fellowship; and Zachary Merhavy, recipient of the Pryor/Organ/Freeman Cooperative scholarship.
Also, Tristan John-Jandles was named an alternate for the Gaston/Noelle Scholarship.
“The national scholarship application process is extensive and no small feat," Naegeli said. "Students must submit samples of their scholarly work while also seeking faculty and sponsor nominations for the award. We are exceptionally proud of the work our students put into their scholarship applications and are even more thrilled to see our students earn the honor they’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
GCU’s Arizona Alpha chapter of Alpha Chi was established in 1972. Undergraduate juniors and seniors, graduate and doctoral students that rank in the top 10% of their graduating class in their respective colleges are eligible to be inducted into the honor society. Generally speaking, candidates must have a 3.8 or more cumulative GPA to be eligible for membership in the honor society, which is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The University’s Honors College has increased the visibility of its Arizona Alpha chapter through tabling and participation in campus campaigns, such as the Honors College’s Service Week in October and Integrity Week in February. The chapter also hosts the Provost Speaker Series each term and maintains a consistent social media presence.
The chapter hosts the largest annual new member induction ceremony at GCU, with nearly 3,000 views on YouTube for the last induction ceremony in addition to 600-plus in-person attendees.
Inzunza Herrera said that receiving the President’s Cup and all the other honors at the convention validates the hard work the chapter has done over the past few years: “It recognizes the scholarship and servant leadership being displayed by our students.”
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