Lead the Way: A Message from the President

Since January, when the Gonzaga Board of Trustees invited me to become the University’s next president, I have closely followed its many accomplishments and commitments. With great eagerness, I have learned from President Emeritus Thayne McCulloh about what drives this community and what sets it apart, and am deeply honored to become part of its story.

As I have read about and witnessed the work of Gonzaga faculty, staff, students, alumni, families and donors over the past several months, I am inspired by the way the University brand – Lead the Way – showcases the many facets of the Mission in action. It’s clear that GU is in the business of cultivating the kind of people the world needs so deeply – people who are not only skilled in their disciplines but poised to be ethical leaders in all fields.

Amid the many achievements of the last academic year, I know Gonzaga is incredibly proud of its induction into the nation’s oldest honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. There were many advances in the actions of the University Strategic Plan, including intentionally coordinated, Ignatian approaches to supporting student success, and innovative educational and experiential opportunities rooted in the Jesuit principles of whole-person education.

With the celebration of Thayne’s legacy this year came the generosity of philanthropists who supported Gonzaga’s greatest needs. They funded new institutes and creative solutions to today’s challenges, but also scholarships, which are more important than ever with impending changes to federal and state resources.
 
You’ll find many examples of strategic work in the pages ahead.

But I must also take this opportunity to share how Gonzaga addressed the unprecedented challenges experienced throughout higher education, and to offer my gratitude to Thayne and Interim Provost Mia Bertagnolli for their leadership. Gonzaga’s promise to pursue a better world with equal parts intellect and heart, courage and compassion has truly been the guiding light during “normal” and unexpected times over the last year, and I am proud of the way our leaders have shown up in every instance.

Dialogue, Discourse and Demonstration

Surrounding the 2024 national presidential election, academic and student-life leaders provided opportunities for our campus community to learn more about civil discourse and to put this into practice. A new web page for Ignatian Dialogue and Engagement gonzaga.edu/ZagsEngage supports the effort.

Amid a global conflict, Gonzaga students exercised their rights to free speech. Free expression is an essential part of how the University fulfills its educational mission, and protests are part of that freedom. Student Affairs and campus safety colleagues implemented a Policy on Demonstrations and Overnight Activity to affirm these rights while ensuring no disruption to learning and living environments. I am grateful to know that Zags participating in free speech activities exercised respect.

Wisdom Amid Challenges 

As 2025 unfolded, institutions of higher education across the nation had to address the impacts of budget and policy decisions by federal and state administrations on financial aid, international student programs, research funding, and the infrastructure that has long supported higher education.
 
At Gonzaga, two things commenced quite quickly. First, student leaders, with the support of campus experts in immigration and financial aid, facilitated conversations on how to best support local undocumented students or those whose family members may be undocumented, international students and members of our global community. Second, Thayne convened a group of leaders to form a federal response group that would meet regularly to stay on top of the latest executive orders and the ways other higher education institutions were responding. With Mia and CFO Joe Smith, colleagues in finance, financial aid, legal affairs, academics, research and communications continue to meet to understand decisions being made by state and federal agencies that directly impact our students, faculty and staff.

I am very proud to have seen Gonzaga lean into its Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic values throughout this challenging year. This commitment is the heart and soul of all our work and is only amplified in times of uncertainty.

Strong Foundations 

All of these are examples of the way Catholic social teaching uniquely prepares us to meet the many challenges facing higher education today. The Jesuit tradition emphasizes formation of the whole person (cura personalis), a commitment to justice, and a relentless pursuit of truth through discernment and reflection.

I offer this perspective from Mia, who has been a part of the GU fabric for many years:
 
As we did during the pandemic, the Gonzaga community comes together during difficult times. We lean on our Mission to guide our work, and work together to find creative solutions. We are reminded that a Jesuit university is not measured only by the degrees it confers, but by the capacities and dispositions and commitments it helps form, the community it fosters and the justice it pursues. Gonzaga remains committed to educating people for and with others – ready to meet the moment with wisdom, hope, and the kind of steadfast resolve that comes not from the circumstances we’re in, but from the calling deep within us as Zags.

I am excited and honored to serve at Gonzaga, where students are uniquely ready to stand for justice and to become leaders and innovators in their own ways.

As I continue to learn the inner workings of this longstanding community of Zags, I seek to amplify the incredible Mission-focused strategies of Gonzaga’s talented faculty and staff. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them and gain inspiration every day from all who choose to Lead the Way.

Sincerely, 

Katia Passerini, Ph.D. 
President