Advancing the Strategic Plan

Sacha Kopp, former provost
November 11, 2024
Report of the President

Sacha Kopp, Gonzaga’s provost from 2022 to 2024, championed the updating of the University Strategic Plan, engaging faculty and staff in creating a roadmap to support the continued delivery of exceptional undergraduate and graduate educational experiences, while expanding opportunities for students to engage in research and gain exposure to modern technology, skills and ethical decision making they will need to solve problems in a complex world. Provost Kopp passed away unexpectedly in August, mere weeks after announcing his departure from academic leadership and a return to the classroom. The Sacha Kopp Academic Excellence Fund extends his legacy of serving students: gonzaga.edu/Kopp

Following are some of many major initiatives that took place during the 2023-24 academic year under his guidance; Interim Provost Mia Bertagnolli will continue this work.

Commitment 1: Foster Responsibility for Shared Mission

Faculty and Staff Become Mission Advocates

Twenty-five faculty and staff members completed the two- to three-year mission formation cohort program, becoming GU’s first group of Mission Advocates. Practicing reflection and discernment, participants created capstone projects oriented toward action in their specific work or more broad campus application. Ellen Maccarone, acting vice president for Mission Integration, says:

The projects enabled staff and faculty to infuse and animate the mission in a more explicit way in connection with one’s work, skills and gifts – integrating their growth and interests into one’s professional practice. We are confident these Mission Advocates have made an impact and will continue to bring the mission to life in new ways across the University.”

Welcoming Native Students

In fall 2023, Gonzaga’s Office of Tribal Relations with Spokane Public Schools became one of 25 regional partnerships to join Limitless, a Postsecondary Enrollment Learning Network in Washington state. This collaboration supports Native students in the development of skills, knowledge and confidence required to explore postsecondary opportunities through an annual summer program that brings Native students to campus to experience college life. With funding support from the Gates Foundation, the partnership will receive $100,000 over four years.

Commitment 2: Animate Academic Excellence

Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology

Gonzaga’s new Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology ensures that the University will be part of technological advancement endeavors, preparing students for careers in industries such as manufacturing, health care and computer engineering. S. Jay Yang is the inaugural David and Cathleen Reisenauer Family Director of the Institute, thanks to a $5 million gift.

Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment

In partnership with the Carl Maxey Center, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners and the City of Spokane, Gonzaga’s Climate Institute developed plans for a Spokane Climate Resilience Project to address the impact of rising temperatures on families in low-income neighborhoods. In July 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $19.9 million grant to make it possible.

Related: Professors Eric Ross and Kyle Shimabuku, in collaboration with researchers from Montana State University, received an $850,000 grant to investigate the impact of wildfires on drinking water quality in the Pacific Northwest.

Tech Hub

Officially called the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center, the tech hub Gonzaga helped to envision with Spokane and Coeur d’Alene partners is one of 31 such hubs to vie for federal funding. Though initially not selected for federal grants, Washington senators and other leaders support the ongoing work to develop a premier center for aerospace materials in the region.

Related: Gonzaga and Fairchild Air Force Base entered an agreement to leverage the education and technology of both institutions, providing students with opportunities to make real-world contributions to the Department of Defense.

“I can confidently say that Gonzaga has been the best place I could have gone for development as a professional, student and person. The wellrounded nature of the Gonzaga education has been so beneficial, teaching me how to grow and better myself in all aspects of life. Without scholarships allowing me to attend Gonzaga – for which I am so grateful – I would not be the person I am today.”— Ian Cruickshank (’25), Business Administration

Commitment 3: Provide an Integrative Jesuit Educational Experience

  • This year saw the launch of the Unity Scholars Program - a program for Washington state students with a genuine commitment to social justice and involvement in cultural awareness activities.
  • Thanks to a $20,000 grant from Allstate, the Center for Community Engagement is implementing programs that address food insecurity, social inclusion and access to basic needs, serving the campus and the broader community.
  • Across campus, departments devised their own unit-specific action plans to support the University’s Office of Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan.
  • From January through April, GU leaders hosted six “Conversations on Israel and Gaza” lectures, forums and workshops to help students engage in critical thinking and civil discourse on a significant contemporary topic. This work continued through summer and into the current fall semester as the election season also brings opportunities to model Ignatian dialogue.

Related: Gonzaga’s Student Affairs division was named as one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and the American College Personnel Association.

Commitment 4: Optimize Institutional Stewardship and Sustainability

In Human Resources, a focus on employee retention has guided a new Career Framework process to support staff members who wish to grow in their careers at Gonzaga.

Institutional Advancement endeavors have resulted in several significant contributions to support new initiatives, including:

  • The Louis and Jean Conaway Community Justice Project will house the law school’s community-minded clinics and paid fellowships for law students Josh (’03 J.D.) and Janae Conaway.
  • The Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology (see Commitment 2). David and Cathleen Reisenauer family
  • The Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment (see Commitment 2). Anonymous
  • Scholarships (annual and endowed) provide students with access to Gonzaga’s distinctive brand of Jesuit education

Related: To support student retention, construction of a new residence hall began for second-year students. Named Mantua Hall, it will open in January 2025 near Twohy Hall on the east side of campus.

To foster improved communication, holistic support for student wellbeing and academic success, and records keeping among University departments and all constituents (students, alumni, families and friends), Gonzaga is progressing on implementation of customer relationship management systems to integrate databases in a common Zag Relationship Management (ZRM tool). Working with Salesforce, the ZRM will integrate databases across campus.

More from the Report of the President

Find examples of these efforts and more
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