Three Points from the PresidentGonzaga University

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.

January 28, 2005

Welcome to the spring semester.

Before beginning my "Three Points," I would like to thank all of you once again for your incredibly effective hard work in accommodating our new and returning students.

From early returns it appears that our fall-to-spring retention rate is about 96 percent, which indicates a very high degree of student satisfaction. Your personal attention, deep concern for student welfare, dedication to our educational mission, and creative energy are putting Gonzaga on the academic as well as the athletic map.

I would like to discuss three points with a "few" sub-points:
* I. our strategic planning process, * II. report on ongoing initiatives, and
* III. building and campus plans.

I. Strategic Planning Process: Dr. Thayne McCulloh, Dr. Stephen Freedman, other Cabinet members and some Trustees have been working on questions and timelines to guide and animate our strategic planning process. The first phase of this process entails appointing a visioning committee to receive input and suggestions for translating our mission statement into our academic and cross-academic goals.

I have spoken with the leadership of the Faculty Senate and we have agreed on 10 faculty committee members. I also have been working with Mr. Mike Patterson (chairman of the Board of Trustees) to select Trustees and Regents for the committee. I also willbe appointing committee members from among the deans, Student Life, the Jesuit Community, the staff, and the student body. An effort has been made to represent all constituencies of the institution.

This committee will reflect on our mission statement in light of some contemporary Jesuit documents as they apply to our current and prospective academic and cross-academic endeavors. Hopefully, this visioning committee will reach its conclusions by September 2005.

I will ask Dr. McCulloh to develop a synthesis document that reflects the key points developed by the committee. Once this document has been accepted by the Board of Trustees, it will provide a basis for concrete organizational goal development in subsequent phases.

There already is a considerable amount of organizational goal development taking place throughout the Institution in both academic and cross-academic areas, and it is our hope to integrate these efforts into our overall vision and comprehensive strategic plan.

Hopefully, the work from these subsequent phases will be completed by fall 2006 (when the Northwest Commission on Accreditation anticipates its completion). I would like to thank Dr. McCulloh and the committee members in advance for their work in helping Gonzaga University to shape a vision for our future.

II. Ongoing Initiatives: I would like to report on six ongoing initiatives: 1) faculty evaluation, 2) outcomes assessments, 3) capital campaign, 4) new hiring, 5) the compensation consultants, and 6) search committees. With respect to faculty evaluation, Dr. Freedman, Dr. Michael Herzog, and Dr. Gary Weber have been working diligently to formulate both an instrument and a procedure that would be agreeable to our various faculty constituencies.

Progress has been excellent, and it seems very likely that we will be able to implement it and give a newly revised process to the Northwest Commission on Accreditation by September 2005. Thanks to all of you who have made this fine effort possible.

With respect to outcomes assessment, Dr. Freedman, Ms. Jolanta Kozyra and Dr. Shirley Williams have been working with the Academic Council and various department members to determine specific educational outcomes for all academic programs. Many departments have already used these measures for self-assessment purposes while others are in the process of developing them. This effort has been coordinated with the newly reconstituted Academic Council.

Thanks to the hard work of so many of you, it seems likely that this project will be brought to completion by September 2006 (when the Northwest Commission on Accreditation anticipates it).

The Capital Campaign has raised $140 million in cash and pledges (considerably above our $119 million goal). We willcontinue several major initiatives beyond the campaign deadline (October 2005) in our Core Promise Campaign.

This Campaign includes the College Campaign, faculty enrichment endowment, the performing arts center, service-justice and ethics-leadership endowments, and the Law School endowment, among others. Our Trustees, benefactors, and friends have been exceedingly generous to us because they believe in you, the quality of your work, and the results you help our students to achieve. Thank you!

In addition to the new faculty hires made over the past four years,¹ we are in the process of hiring five additional faculty members to begin in September 2005. This summer, we will also decide on new faculty hires to begin in September 2006.

The deans and Faculty Senate committee will implement the same process used in previous years to determine the nature and logistics of these new hires.

Furthermore, Dr. Lydia Voigt has completed her consulting work regarding fixed-term and tenure-track appointments, and willmake recommendations to Dr. Freedman, myself, the deans, and the faculty about a timeline for converting additional fixed-term appointments to tenure track. I appreciate the time and effort you have given to Dr. Voigt to help her craft this report.

Our compensation consultants (Bill Jenkins and Stan McKnight) will be on campus Jan. 31 atnoon to present their findings in an open session at Cataldo Hall Globe Room. They will analyze the data they have collected in their cluster analysis regarding similarities and differences in comparable institutions.

These findings will form the basis for dialogue about possible changes in our system. We will not act on any recommendations until we believe there is adequate vetting and consensus.

With respect to search committees, the Law School Search Committee continues its very diligent process to make recommendations for our new dean. Finalists have been selected and are currently coming to campus for interviews. There is a strong likelihood that we will be able to appoint a dean shortly.

The Search Committee for the Vice President for Mission is in the process of soliciting candidate names and applications, and will be able to recommend some finalists to me by the middle of March. I would like to thank the members of both search committees for their very hard work and dedication.

III. Building and Campus Plans: I have six sub-points within this third point: 1) We will complete construction of the new freshman residence hall (Twohy Hall) in April 2005. 2) We will begin demolition of the Post Office Annex for our new baseball field in June 2005. Pending a successful fund-raising effort, we anticipate completing this project in March 2006 for the beginning of the spring baseball season. 3) We will begin construction of the Colonial site apartments in May 2005 in the hopes of completing it by September 2006. This will provide 225 new beds in an apartment complex similar to the Corkery Apartments.

You may want to view the rendering of this new complex in the front entryway to the Administration Building, outside the 1912 Room.

4) We will continue construction in the final two phases of the Administration Building renovation, which should be completed in August 2005.

5) We continue to raise funds for the performing arts center (a 350-seat theater with practice space, classrooms, set construction, costume design, and storage facilities). A significant amount of the funds needed has already been raised from the Jundt family and others, and we hope to begin construction of this facility directly north of the Jundt Art Museum in September 2006. We anticipate completing it in December 2007. The start of construction is dependent on completing the fund-raising campaign for this complex.

Completion of this facility will enable us to convert the Russell Theatre into a 550-seat auditorium and concert hall (in 2007).

6) Two additional initiatives are in the beginning stages of planning. (a) We will be working with the City of Spokane and the University District Committee to improve appearance of and safety on Sharp Avenue. (b) We are also working with the five Plateau Tribes to bring a Native American Cultural Center to campus. This would provide a display area for Native American treasures (including those in the Museum of Arts and Culture) and a center for Native American cultural studies.

In closing, please allow me to thank you once again for your professionalism, spirit, commitment to and care for students that have allowed the Gonzaga community to progress in so many ways.

As usual, I have managed to cram at least 15 sub-points into my Three Points!

All the best,

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., President

¹In 2001 GU's regular faculty headcount was 293. In 2002 it was increased to 300 (up 7 from the previous year). In 2003 it was increased to 316 (up 16 from the previous year) and in 2004 it was increased to 321 (up 5 from the previous year).