EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in the April issue of GCU Magazine, available in the purple bins on campus or digitially.
Things never slow down at GCU. As the university gears up for the 2026-27 academic year, we thought we'd look back at everything that happened last year.
Honors College renamed
This spring, the Honors College announced its new name, the Sheila and Mike Ingram Honors College, to honor Mike Ingram, an Arizona real estate development mogul, and his wife, Sheila. The college is eyeing a move into a soon-to-be renovated, three-story, 51,000-square-foot building expected to be completed by fall. It will serve as an academic hub and flagship space for the university.
Nonprofit move complete
After a yearslong effort to return to its nonprofit status, GCU scored a major win this fall when the U.S. Department of Education affirmed GCU as a nonprofit institute of higher learning. It was the last governmental body and accrediting authority to do so, falling in line with the IRS, Higher Learning Commission, state of Arizona and other organizations. The move ended major federal legal battles for the university, including a record-setting $37.7 million fine from the Department of Education that the department dismissed.
Mountain West debut
It was a game-changer when GCU, then a campus of roughly 8,500 ground students and 49,000 online, transitioned from NAIA to NCAA Division I in 2013. That’s when the university joined the Western Athletic Conference. This academic year, GCU made another big move, this time to the Mountain West Conference. In July, the university announced it would join the MW a year earlier than planned. GCU is competing in 17 conference-sponsored sports in the Mountain West.
Lux expansion
What started out as a dorm-room dream has turned into a full-fledged factory for GCU alumnus Weston Smith, whose GCU-based company, Lux Precision Manufacturing, went through a major expansion. The machine shop, which builds components for the aerospace, defense and medical industries and employs and educates GCU students, expanded from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet. It is a showcase facility for campus tours, where visitors can see a unique factory ecosystem in which academia and the trades co-exist.
Major grants
The university was the beneficiary of two significant grants this year. A $10.7 million gift from the Kern Family Foundation will expand the Canyon Center for Character Education, which will roll out character education initiatives campuswide. Also, GCU received a $9.9 million Lilly Endowment grant that will establish the Flourishing Pastor Network. Grand Canyon Theological Seminary is leading the initiative, which will support church-embedded residency programs for students training to be pastors.
GCU, Habitat partnership
GCU CityServe, a regional distribution hub for household goods, hit a milestone in the fall. The campus ministry reached the 100,000 mark, having served families 100,000 times since it opened 4 1/2 years ago with a mission to support families in need. It was a landmark year, too, for the university’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. The community partners completed 10 years of a program to repair homes in nearby west Phoenix neighborhoods.
Trades arm grows
The Center for Workforce Development started with just one pathway to prepare electricians for their apprenticeships, then added a second pathway for CNC machinists. Those trades education offerings have since become certificate programs. Then in 2025, the center expanded its industry reach. It partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to launch an 11-week pathway for manufacturing specialists, training students as semiconductor fab technicians. And a pathway has been launched for those wanting to enter the construction industry.
T.W. Lewis Center opens
Philanthropist T.W. Lewis’ largesse on campus initially supported a speaker series. But in October, as part of his $2 million, five-year commitment to the university, GCU also opened the T.W. Lewis Center for Student Success in the Colangelo College of Business. The center includes a broadcast studio and podcast room, a ticker displaying stock market updates and the nearby Career Services Center.
Nursing more ABSN sites
GCU isn’t wasting any time pumping new nurses into the workforce. The university has opened 12 Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing sites across the nation. They’re where students, who complete their didactic work online, practice hands-on lab skills and immersive simulations. ABSN locations are in operation in Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. The newest site in Englewood, Colorado, opened in the fall.
Overclock Experience
Cyber students powered up in a new dedicated space at Encanto Apartments last fall. It’s one of the spaces on campus where they have access to HACKnet, an immersive, gamified, simulated IT network environment where students practice real-world cybersecurity skills, from ethical hacking to digital forensics. The cyber-dedicated space in Encanto, along with HACKnet and the Cyber Center of Excellence, are all part of GCU’s cyber experience called Overclock.
