Ikenberry started his career at Michigan State before serving as dean of the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University and senior vice president at Pennsylvania State University.

[3] In Urbana-Champaign, Ikenberry led several major academic initiatives, including the creation of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

The quality and diversity of the Illinois student body increased significantly during his tenure with his creation of the President's Scholars Program.

Currently, Ikenberry serves as President Emeritus for the university, Regent Professor in the College of Education and Principal Investigator of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

In 2008, Ikenberry partnered with George Kuh to create the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).