Students at Grand Canyon University (GCU) are participating in the annual Character and Integrity Week, an initiative led by the Honors College in partnership with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. The campaign encourages students to pledge to practice integrity in their academic, professional, and personal lives.
The event began on Monday at the campus Promenade, where students were invited to sign a large purple and white banner as a public commitment to uphold integrity. Several campus organizations set up tables along the Promenade, including the Canyon Center for Character Education, Alpha Chi, Career Services, and the College of Theology. These groups provided resources and information about engaging with integrity across different aspects of student life.
Honors College Assistant Director Anya Cofrancesco explained the broader focus of this week’s events: “At a higher academic institution, we are all about academic integrity, but it extends so much beyond that,” Cofrancesco said. “There is integrity in your faith, in sports, in personal relationships, so we want to emphasize all aspects of it.
“To act with integrity, you have to be a person of character. Your morals, beliefs, the way you view the world – that comprises your character. Throughout the week, we have colleges and departments hosting different workshops to dive a little bit deeper and beyond just ‘it’s good to be a person of integrity,’ and seeing how that looks like.”
Freshman Connor Norris commented on the campaign’s relevance: “It’s really awesome to promote integrity to schools today,” Norris said. “Integrity gets forgotten sometimes, and it is important to remember because, as Christians, we are called to live up to Jesus’ calling. Integrity is involved in that, so it’s practicing honesty, academic honesty and helping people.”
Monday also featured a workshop hosted by Dr. Gary Osmundsen from the College of Theology titled “Why Reaching Your Goals Isn’t Enough: Integrity, Meaning and Life in God’s Kingdom.” The session focused on incorporating integrity into various parts of life while maintaining Christian values.
Sophomore Emilia Doyon shared her perspective: “Integrity is doing what God has called us to do,” Doyon said. “It means doing what would honor and please God, so that includes my studies. He has placed school in my present day, so I am going to do that with all my heart. I want to do that with my friendships, with my job, with everything.”
Character and Integrity Week continues with additional workshops addressing topics such as advancing Christian character at GCU (“Flourishing Together”), righteousness and justice (“Righteousness and Justice”), distinguishing Christian values from virtues (“Christian Values and Christian Virtues: Where’s the Difference?”), and navigating real-life relationships (“Ignite Series: Going the Distance”).
Grand Canyon University operates as a private Christian institution based in Phoenix,Arizona. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs across disciplines including nursing,business, healthcare,and education, through both on-campusand online learning options. The university emphasizes Christian valuesto help students reach their potential.
