GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY ADDS FOUR POWERHOUSE NAMES AS BOARD MEMBERS

Shawn Boskie, Jerry Colangelo, Dave Donaldson and Mike Ingram join GCU's Board of Trustees

PHOENIX, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Canyon University has added four new members to its Board of Trustees. These business and faith heavyweights will join the board's five existing members to continue supporting and growing GCU.

The new board members are:

• Shawn Boskie, founder and CEO of Christian film production company Canyon Productions and former Major League Baseball player.
• Jerry Colangelo, advisor to GCU and sports business icon; former owner of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks and director of USA Basketball.
• Dave Donaldson, co-founder and Chairman of CityServe, a collaborative network of faith-based nonprofits, corporate, retail, farm and food supply partnerships that provide resources and empower them to make a greater impact in the world.
• Mike Ingram, founder of El Dorado Holdings, Inc., one of the largest private land holdings in the greater Phoenix and Maricopa County region.

"What these men bring to the board is something a little more unique, because what we're looking at is an expansion of our university on a global basis," said Dr. Fred Miller, board chairman. "And to do that, you need people who have a big foothold, not only in the local community but on a national basis."

All four new board members have been involved with GCU for some time. Colangelo has been an advisor to the university for 15 years and has helped shape the university into a driving force in higher education. "This is an amazing story of leadership and teamwork in building a world class university and having billions of dollars in economic impact to the local economy," said Colangelo. "I am proud to be associated with this institution."

Boskie is in the GCU Alumni Hall of Fame and has been involved with the university for two decades. "I continued to be impressed by Brian Mueller and (Provost Dr.) Randy Gibb and all of the professors and instructors," said Boskie. "They're really interested in educating students in a (Christian) framework to build those foundations. I'm grateful to have found a university with a biblical philosophy that reflected my worldview."

Donaldson's relationship with GCU started in 2020 when the university partnered with CityServe to distribute food boxes to families in need. Since then, GCU has built a CityServe warehouse on its campus that has distributed more than $13 million worth of household goods to more than 50,000 families. "I felt from the beginning I was part of the DNA of GCU," said Donaldson. "It's an honor to serve alongside these heroes of the faith." Donaldson was also a 2021 recipient of GCU's Colangelo Servant Leadership Award, which honors leaders who exemplify servant leadership, ethics and entrepreneurism.

Ingram, who received GCU's Colangelo Servant Leadership Award in 2019, has worked with Colangelo for more than three decades and got connected to GCU through him. "I've been involved with higher education at several universities…but I must say, my first love has grown to be Grand Canyon University over my alma mater and the others," Ingram said. "Grand Canyon is very unique. The leadership has a tremendous vision of where they want to go and how they're going to get there."

Miller noted that GCU is the largest Christian university in the country and on track to become one of the largest universities in the country. "It's not about being large and being huge in terms of growth, it's about the product that you try and provide for the community as it relates to communication, providing an academic and challenging environment and value-based curriculum, and global citizenship," Miller said. "These new board members will have the ability and the resources to help us with these goals as we go forward."

GCU's already impressive board includes Miller, a retired medical director, as well as former health care CEO Peggy Chase, educators Dr. Lupita Hightower and Dr. Jim Rice, and community affairs director Marion Kelly.

About Grand Canyon University:  Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers over 345 academic programs, emphases and certificates for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The University's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates, both in-person and online, and individual attention from instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu.

SOURCE Grand Canyon University