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May 28, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
As we conclude another academic year, I want to begin with gratitude. Each day, across our campus, you bring Gonzaga’s Mission to life through your care for students, your commitment to excellence, and your belief in the transformative power of education. This year has not been without challenge, but it has also been marked by resilience, creativity, and a deep sense of purpose that continues to define our community.
Higher education is facing real and sustained headwinds. Across the country, institutions are navigating rising costs, evolving student expectations, demographic shifts, and increasing pressure to demonstrate their value and impact. Some institutions are struggling to adapt. Others are closing their doors.
Gonzaga will not be among them.
We are approaching this moment with clarity, realism, and confidence in who we are. Our Jesuit Mission calls us to respond to change by reading “the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:2-3), and to do so with intention and discernment. Our responsibility is to ensure that Gonzaga remains strong, sustainable, and positioned to serve generations of students to come.
As many of you know, we are operating in a financial environment where costs have grown faster than enrollment and revenue. At the same time, we are investing in strategic enrollment efforts, developing new academic programs, preparing for a capital campaign, and rethinking how we organize our work to better align resources with strategic goals and serve our Mission.
In December, members of my Cabinet and I shared an initial view of these realities with faculty and staff. We invited candid dialogue and many of you responded with thoughtful questions, ideas, and perspectives. Your feedback has been invaluable. It reaffirmed both the urgency of our challenges and the depth of commitment across this community to meet them together.
Strengthening Our Organization
Over the past several months, informed by those conversations and ongoing work with the Board of Trustees and campus leaders, we have undertaken a careful review of our leadership structure. The changes I am sharing today reflect that work.
These decisions are not about change for its own sake. They are about strengthening Gonzaga for the future by aligning our leadership, resources, and systems more effectively in service of our Mission.
Beginning in June, I am implementing changes to our Cabinet and senior leadership structure designed to create a more integrated, coordinated, and accountable organization. This restructuring will result in a leaner, more focused leadership model that concentrates work in Mission-aligned divisions and increases collaboration. It also realigns some functions in preparation of executive retirements and transitions.
Establishing a Unified University Relations Division
We will bring together Advancement, Marketing and Communications, Government Relations, and Board Engagement into a unified University Relations division under Vice President/Chief Advancement Officer and Interim Chief of Staff Joe Poss.
This integrated model fortifies Gonzaga’s institutional voice and aligns all external-facing functions in a more cohesive and strategic way. It will improve coordination, reduce duplication of effort, and position us more effectively for philanthropy, advocacy, and community engagement. In an increasingly competitive and complex environment, our ability to communicate clearly, build partnerships, and tell the Gonzaga story with consistency and impact is essential.
Aligning Finance, Infrastructure, and Technology
Finance, Facilities, Plant Operations, and Information Technology Services will be aligned as part of a more integrated Finance and Administration structure led by Chief Financial Officer Joe Smith.
These areas represent some of the University’s most significant investments. Bringing them into closer alignment with financial strategy will bolster planning, improve prioritization, and connect our infrastructure and technology decisions directly to institutional priorities. This structure facilitates more disciplined resource management while enabling us to invest wisely in the systems that support teaching, learning, and campus life.
Centralizing Internal Audit, Compliance, and Civil Rights Functions
Internal audit, compliance, and harassment and discrimination functions will be centralized under Vice President for Human Resources Ray Kliewer through a newly aligned structure that already includes Campus Security and Public Safety as well as Risk Management.
This shift is designed to make the experience of reporting and investigation clearer and more supportive for our community. By bringing these functions together under one division, students, faculty, and staff will be provided with a straightforward path to raise concerns and access resources.
Advancing Inclusion and Belonging as Institutional Work
I want to reinforce to this community that the work to improve Gonzaga’s culture of inclusion and belonging is both urgent and long-term. The University has developed a comprehensive structural approach to actively engage leadership, faculty, staff, and students in this effort.
A Presidential Task Force on Accompaniment, Safety, and Belonging, established this spring, is working to address immediate needs, support students, and identify gaps in how the University responds to reports. The Task Force’s spring progress summary report, informed by student input, outlined nine priority areas for action. Priority work is scheduled to be completed during the summer, and the Task Force will continue its work into the Fall 2026 semester.
Additionally, we are launching an Academic and Administrative Affairs Council (AAAC) to strengthen alignment between academic and administrative efforts and support those educating our students. The AAAC will partner with the Cabinet and me to monitor progress on inclusion and belonging work across divisions, identify opportunities, and ensure accountability.
University-wide inclusion and belonging work will be connected intentionally through the AAAC to provide expertise and collaborate on cross-campus initiatives. Gonzaga has at least 15 positions across campus that primarily focus on equity and inclusion work at the division level, including roles in HR, Athletics, and Student Affairs. Many other positions do important inclusion and belonging work as well. By linking and coordinating these efforts, we can accelerate progress, share expertise, and drive meaningful change.
Adding the Office of Inclusive Excellence to the Office of Mission Integration
At a Jesuit university, inclusion and belonging are inseparable from Mission. This realignment grounds that work more deeply in our Catholic, Jesuit identity and reinforces that responsibility for fostering a culture of belonging is shared across all divisions and roles.
This change reflects an important evolution in how we approach inclusion, belonging, and accompaniment at Gonzaga. The work of inclusive excellence has been critical in establishing a foundation for progress. Now, we are called to more fully integrate this work across the entire institution so that it is not experienced as separate departments, but as central to who we are and our pursuit of the common good. Vice President for Mission Integration Dr. Ellen Maccarone will lead this integrated unit.
In addition to adding Inclusive Excellence to Mission Integration, these leadership changes are being made to continue to advance this work:
- In March, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kent Porterfield was made a member of the President’s Cabinet to ensure that student concerns and voices are shared directly to the President and Cabinet.
- To lead this work across the institution, the President has named two Special Advisors who will co-chair the AAAC:
- Dr. Nick Wright, Assistant Vice President of Diversity, will advance and guide inclusivity and belonging through Mission Integration.
- Dr. Yoli Gallardo, dean of the School of Education, will guide implementation through the lens of academic leadership.
These structures reflect our belief that inclusive excellence must be embedded, coordinated, and sustained. It must be visible in our policies, our practices, and our daily interactions. These changes are intended to foster a culture of inclusivity and accountability to help us realize these goals.
Looking Ahead
At its core, this reorganization is about strengthening Gonzaga. It is about aligning our structure with our Mission, improving how we work together, and ensuring that we are prepared not only to navigate uncertainties, but to continue to lead with purpose.
Your work, your ideas, and your commitment continue to shape Gonzaga’s future. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all who contributed so thoughtfully to these changes. Your collaboration, care, and commitment to our Mission have been evident throughout this process.
I wish to share a more personal message of appreciation for our colleagues who are transitioning their roles with the University, honoring the impact they have made on our community. You can read that message here. Please join me in congratulating them for the incredible work they have done.
In partnership,
Katia Passerini, Ph.D.
President, Gonzaga University