Gonzaga's 2025 Rewind

Of hundreds of stories published over the last year, it’s hard to choose a “favorite.” But the following pieces reflect what makes Gonzaga special, and how the University continues to prepare students for lives of service and leadership, while fostering meaningful connections for alumni and friends.

Leading the Way

For much of 2025, the Gonzaga community centered its attention on honoring President Emeritus Thayne McCulloh for his decades of service, and getting to know his successor, President Katia Passerini. McCulloh shared his reflections in “How Gonzaga Changes the World” and readers learned more about what drives Passerini in “For Such a Time as This,” in Gonzaga Magazine. The University hosted two major events in their honor: The Ignatian Gala and the Presidential Inauguration.

Speaking of “Leading the Way,” a new marketing video showcases Mia Torres (’24), who shares about being the star of a campaign highlighting a student-focused experience at GU.

Our Jesuit Roots Explained

When the world mourned the passing of Pope Francis, it was an opportunity to shed light on our roots. What is a Jesuit? Understanding Pope Francis’ Religious Order was the No. 1 most visited story on gonzaga.edu in all of 2025, with more than 18,000 views.

On Everyone’s Minds: AI

As GU’s Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology advanced its mission and faculty members tackled AI challenges and opportunities head-on, there were ample ways to talk about how a Jesuit institution approaches it with a curious and innovative mindset. Here’s a piece about a fellowship to teach the teachers about responsible use and a notable warning about AI’s impact on the environment, written by student Lucien Bourcier.

Faculty Focused

Everyone loves to learn about new professors every year, and ’25 was no different. Plus, local media outlet, The Inlander, made biologist Jens Hegg a “scholastic fantastic” highlight. Economics professor Ryan Herzog often wrote about or conducted media interviews on national topics, including this piece: Federal Reserve Cuts Rates to Boost Jobs and Prevent Recession.

What Would GU Be Without Amazing Students?

From engineering students helping to build better wheelchairs, and health sciences students tag-teaming with UW medical students for rural health research, to creative combinations of nature and pottery, Zags are just amazing individuals with great stories. We also love these Zagfluencers who help to tell Gonzaga’s story on social media. Check out some of the amazing senior spotlights in this annual collection. 

 

Alumni Change the World for Good

Among so many stellar examples, here are just two: Tom Woodley (’69) and his wife Nancy established the Woodley Institute for Civil Engagement and Humanistic Dialogue and funded Woodley Scholars to make a difference in political science. School psychologist Miriam Carlson (’23 Ed.S.) takes counseling support to new levels for high school students, engaging Gonzaga undergrads in the process.

All About Community

There’s the Zag community, and then there’s the neighborhood beyond campus, where hundreds of students and alumni over three decades have enjoyed volunteer experiences as critical parts of their GU education. Cheers to 30 years for the Center for Community Engagement!

 

Lessons from History

Spokane legend Carla Peperzak – a Holocaust survivor – now shares her inspiring story broadly, thanks to GU’s Clement Lye and Kristine Hoover who produced the film “Carla the Rescuer.”

And Lastly, Why Gonzaga?

There are many ways to help prospective students understand why a Gonzaga education may be right for them: For starters, GU joined the prestigious honor society Phi Beta Kappa this year, and U.S. News and World Report ranked us as one of the most innovative universities. Also, have you seen the Princeton Review rankings that show GU as tops for the combination of “students who love their school teams,” “everyone plays intramural sports” and “students who study the most”? If that isn’t convincing, admission director Steve Keller’s incredible guide to the best Spokane hikes might do it. Or perhaps the more practical news: Zags help Zags by way of alumni helping students get jobs.