College of Business Rankings
College of Business Rankings
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Grand Canyon University offers opportunities for you to grow within the classroom and beyond. Our business college hosts exciting events throughout the year, and our students, alumni and faculty have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in the fields of business.
Use this menu to discover more about the Colangelo College of Business and its resources.
GCU’s new Colangelo College of Business makes a statement as one of the biggest colleges in the country.
Under the leadership of Professor Mindy Weinstein, six GCU business students worked with Tough Apparel founders, Kevin Shoemaker and Skylar Bennett, as they prepared for their pitch on Shark Tank. Together the team devised an advertising strategy and slogan. Bennett and Shoemaker pitched their company to the “sharks” and settled on a $100,000 investment for a 35 percent stake in the company.
GCU’s startup business accelerator, Canyon Ventures, housed 16 companies that employed 54 GCU students and 23 GCU alumni as of March 2025. Canyon Ventures, an “incubator” space for startups can enable new businesses to develop while providing GCU business students the ability to learn first-hand.
Doug Ducey, former Governor of Arizona, was among four distinguished individuals honored during the fifth annual Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards, held at Grand Canyon University’s Havoc House.
TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity is a student-led initiative, thoughtfully organized by emerging leaders with deep expertise in their disciplines. The event fosters an evening of insightful dialogue and shared learning, drawing participants from academic, professional and student communities across diverse fields.
In March 2024, CCOB faculty member Dr. Randy Bulriss served as a peer reviewer for the Cengage textbook, "Data Visualization: Exploring and Explaining with Data", contributing his expertise to enhance this educational resource.
In May 2024, Dr. Jennifer Elfenbein, CCOB faculty chair, received the prestigious Community Service Leader of the Year Award from the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the community.
In May 2024, Neda Barrie, CCOB faculty chair, delivered a keynote address at the Daniel Summit Conference, where she engaged with leaders from over 100 teams and organizations across major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA and MLS.
In June 2024, Dr. David Perkins, CCOB faculty, presented his research on "Evaluating the Performance of a Classification Model Using R" at the Machine Learning Week 2024 Conference, bringing cutting-edge insights to an international audience of professionals.
In June 2024, CCOB Faculty Chair Tim Kelley participated in the Develop Your Model of Entrepreneurship program, helping entrepreneurs in developing economies across Colombia overcome challenges and build successful businesses, impacting 170 cities.
In February 2025, Dr. Tracy Abbott, CCOB faculty, presented her research, "Retail Manager Strategies to Reduce Employee Burnout and Improve Performance", at the American Marketing Association Conference. This study explores effective managerial approaches in the retail sector aimed at minimizing employee burnout while enhancing overall performance, offering actionable insights for industry leaders and practitioners.
The Women in Business (WIB) club at Grand Canyon University runs a mentorship program where upperclassmen guide underclassmen in academics and career development. Led by Maggy Boyce, the program offers meetings, workbooks and trainings to build confidence and professional skills. Senior members share their experiences and support younger students, aiming to empower women in the male-dominated business world.
Bethany Zenil, a junior at Grand Canyon University, founded Canyon Crafted, a jewelry business that donates 10% of its profits to combat sex trafficking in Kansas City, Missouri. Initially a pre-med student, Zenil switched to entrepreneurship, inspired by her parents and GCU professors. Her business has participated in local markets and GCU events, gaining support from the IDEA Club. Zenil's mission is to empower individuals affected by trafficking through both financial support and raising awareness.
Several Grand Canyon University alumni have opened small businesses near campus, combining entrepreneurship with community impact. Hunter Breshears launched Chewk’s Cookies, known for its warm atmosphere and oversized treats. Juan and Evelyn Robles run Juanderful Tacos, evolving from backyard sales to a successful taco shop. Lynnette Fredrick opened The Black Sheep coffee shop, fostering community through events and personalized service. These ventures embody GCU’s values of servant leadership and local engagement.
At Grand Canyon University's TEDxGCU Catalyst workshop, high school students from three schools enhanced their public speaking skills through hands-on coaching and group presentations. The event featured TEDxGCU members, including Ainsley Ross, who shared her journey from a shy freshman to a confident speaker, inspiring attendees. Students worked in teams to develop and present TED-style talks on topics like "Social Media Shortens Attention Spans," with the winning team from North Valley Christian Academy. The workshop also included a tour of GCU's technology building, showcasing STEM programs and design elements, reinforcing the event's focus on technology, entertainment and design.
Grand Canyon University’s Delta Mu Delta Honors Society received the Jablonsky Outstanding Chapter of the Year award in 2020. GCU was awarded based on exceeding Society standards and developing outstanding programs to provide additional services to members. GCU’s Eta Chi chapter, Delta Mu Delta, received Star Chapter status as one of the top 20 chapters of Eta Chi. Additionally in 2019, Delta Mu Delta was honored as one of the top 10 chapters.
Grand Canyon University’s Delta Mu Delta Honors Society received the Jablonsky Outstanding Chapter of the Year award in 2020. GCU was awarded based on exceeding Society standards and developing outstanding programs to provide additional services to members.
Heather Talamante, a student in GCU’s Business Management program, won “Top Women in Business – Business Women in Recruiting” from the Albuquerque Journal. Talamante has worked in Human Resources since 2003, becoming a leader in recruitment. Yet her love for all things HR has grown through outreach to her community in the form of resume and interviewing workshops, as well as assisting middle schoolers as they develop career related skills.
Ivan Nechunaev, a graduate from GCU’s BS in Finance and Economics and a Master’s in Accounting programs, decided to use his education to make a positive social impact in less fortunate countries. In order to pursue his passion, Nechunaev left JP Morgan to work at LeapFrog Investments and has since become a Senior Investor at Tera Nova Capital and has been highlighted by Forbes magazine.
Noah Schultz won first place in the Financial Accounting competition within the international DECA competition. DECA is known as the premier business leadership organization. Schultz is a finance and economics major in the Colangelo College of Business.
GCU’s Eta Chi chapter, Delta Mu Delta, received Star Chapter status as one of the top 20 chapters of Eta Chi. Additionally in 2019, Delta Mu Delta was honored as one of the top 10 chapters.
Storage Together, a small business created by Colangelo College of Business students, was named champion and declared the "Best Solution" at the Smart City App Hack international finals competition in Barcelona. Storage Together is the creation of alumnus Luke Amargo, along with current students Josh McGuire, Jedidiah Woods and Braeden Scheer. One of the group's top advisors, Colangelo College of Business Assistant Professor Tim Kelley, said of the students: "Kids that engage like this is why we're here. That's what we do."
Three GCU teams of student entrepreneurs were awarded with prizes during the Arizona Collegiate Venture Competition (ACVC). This is GCU’s first time participating in ACVC – and the results were a big success. Storage Together was a Silver Level Winner and earned $3,500. Two other GCU teams, Near and TailSpace, were Copper Level Winners, earning $1,500. During this entrepreneurial event, participants give a four-minute oral presentation among more than 100 angel investors, influencers, community leaders and students in attendance.
Proud of our GCU alumni, we praise three alums who launched entrepreneurial businesses. Daniel Black, who graduated in entrepreneurial studies, and his wife, Tiffany, created Prayer Packages, which delivers keepsake Christian gifts and services to fill hearts of friends and family with God's love. Shica Little, EdD, who earned her teaching doctoral degree in 2013, developed Dr. Shica's Incredi-Whip, a healthy dessert topper, fruit dip and coffee creamer. Kyle Dubay, a graphic design graduate, launched Woodward Throwbacks. This social entrepreneurship collects discarded wood and crafts it into collectibles.
DECA, an international student association, sponsored the 55th annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC). At this event, 1,500 students had 30 – 60 minutes to prepare a response to a case study before presenting it to judges. Maya Hinojos won first place in professional sales and third in the International Sales Challenge. Jacky Briseno placed third in Sales Management Meeting. Briseno, Erika Navarrete and Sabrina Cross advanced as a finalist team in the Entrepreneurship Challenge. Chase Broz and Craig Langille, a finalist team in the Entrepreneurship Challenge, placed second and earned a $1,000 scholarship.
The new Pegasystems software class, a 300-level undergraduate course, introduces students to Pegasystems Inc. software, increasingly used by organizations for business-process and customer-relationship management. This adaptable system manages workflow and interacts with customers for businesses. In partnership with Pegasystems, GCU offers hands-on learning and troubleshooting experiences to prepare students. Colangelo College of Business instructor Elissa Torres, PhD, teaches this course to help students position themselves to become systems or solutions architects.
As host of the DECA State Conference competition, the GCU DECA club had eight of its 14 entrants finish in the top three in their respective categories. The top GCU finishers were Whitney Rossi (first) and Judith St. Hilaire (second) for hotel and lodging, Maya Hinojos (second) for professional sales, Sarah Johnson (second) and Sabrina Cross (third) for fashion merchandising and marketing, Chase Broz and Craig Langille (team of two) for sports entertainment and marketing, and Erika Hernandez for restaurant and food services. These eight students (plus four others) qualified to compete in the DECA Collegiate Championship at the International Career Development Conference in Washington, D.C.