Gonzaga's Growing Global Reach

Irv Zakheim, founder and owner of Zak Designs, has always had a global mindset.

As his company grew, fueled largely by Disney-adorned dinnerware and moving from Southern California to Airway Heights in 1992, Zakheim opened more and more factories in Asia. And when he visited those factories and explored the continent, he noticed the presence of plenty of American universities, but not the beloved one where two of his children graduated and that he currently serves as a trustee.

Christina Isabelli, Gonzaga's associate provost for global engagement, recalls a conversation with Zakheim in one of her first meetings after moving into her role in 2023 leading the University's internationalization efforts.

"Irv is all about global engagement," Isabelli says. "When I met with him, he told me about his companies and his factories in Taiwan, China, all over Asia. And he said, 'Where's Gonzaga? We should be there! We're strong!' Since I started, he's always been talking about getting a Gonzaga delegation to visit Asia and start growing our footprint there."

Isabelli has been exploring such a trip led by the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) since that first meeting, and this month it's happening thanks to Zakheim's generous financial backing and Isabelli's planning acumen lining up meetings and explorations of new partnerships with eight universities in Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan.

Zakheim recalls talking to Gonzaga President Emeritus Thayne McCulloh about areas on campus where he could direct his support, and contemplating the more than five decades he's spent traveling all over the world for business, he saw the CGE as a natural fit.

But, Zakheim adds, "I wanted to do more than just put money into the global engagement center. I wanted to do something bigger."

"It has been my goal to build the Gonzaga brand globally by connecting Gonzaga with universities in as many countries as we could," he says. "We would send our students, as well as accept students from other countries. I believe this trip will open the eyes of everyone involved that this is something we will want to expand on going forward."

Trustee Irv Zakheim speaking on Gonzaga's campus.

The Journey Ahead

The CGE traveling group includes Jesuit Superior Fr. Gilbert Sunghera, S.J.; School of Business Administration Dean Ken Anderson; Director of International Student and Scholar Services Ashley Davis; Jay Yang, director of the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology; Ryan Turcott, associate professor and department chair of kinesiology and sport management; and President Katia Passerini, along with Isabelli. Zakheim, of course, will be on the journey as well.

The trip coincides with International Education Week Nov. 16-20. And while there will be activities like international meals and music performances led by CGE back in Spokane featuring an "Engage the World!" theme, Isabelli and the Gonzaga group will be hard at work expanding Gonzaga's international footprint across the Pacific Ocean.

The big goal, Isabelli says, is to create an ongoing infrastructure for continuing to internationalize Gonzaga. That includes traveling and meeting with academic institutions, finding new opportunities for Gonzaga students and faculty, and showcasing what Gonzaga has to offer for international students and faculty looking to travel to the states.

"Of course, we also want to introduce Gonzaga to new academic partners who might not know about our strong teaching reputation, and how that might be beneficial for faculty researchers or international students who haven't thought of the Inland Northwest as an opportunity for them."

Christina Isabelli, Gonzaga Associate Provost for Global Engagement.

Building Business Connections

Before the CGE group meets up in Taiwan Nov. 15, Passerini and Isabelli will be part of the Association of Washington Business (AWB) Trade Mission beginning Nov. 7 to South Korea and Japan. Gonzaga is the only higher education institution represented in the delegation that also includes Washington state government leaders, a bipartisan crew of elected officials, representatives of vital agricultural groups, and business leaders in fields ranging from aviation to healthcare to shipping. The delegation is being led by Washington Lt. Gov. Denny Heck and AWB President Kris Johnson – a current Gonzaga regent and parent to two current undergraduate Zags.

"Gonzaga University is honored to be included in the AWB Trade Mission alongside a group of industry and government leaders who are transforming our communities," Passerini says. "This invitation is a reflection of how vital the Zag Network is, both inside Washington and abroad, to our state's economy. This is an incredible opportunity for our entire Gonzaga community, and I look forward to strengthening our existing partnerships and forging new strategic collaborations with fellow travelers on the Trade Mission."

Combined, the CGE trip and the AWB Trade Mission showcase Gonzaga at an important moment in time, expanding the global Zag Network into new areas while continuing to strengthen its existing relationships with industry and academic partners and peer institutions.

The AWB Trade Mission positions Gonzaga as key to the state of Washington's global economic development strategy, and Isabelli is excited to learn about the various fellow travelers' industries and the state's efforts in workforce development.

Those are areas where the Gonzaga students the CGE serves — as both international exchange students enrolling in Spokane, and GU students studying abroad — might find future careers after graduation.

Isabelli and Gonzaga President Katia Passerini ready to board the plane to Seoul, South Korea.

Strategic and Student-Oriented

As Isabelli started coordinating this Asia trip for the Center for Global Engagement, she looked at data related to Gonzaga's international student enrollment and the school's Study Abroad programs. (That data is available on the CGE homepage under the "Student Mobility-Inbound and Outbound" section).

Among international students enrolled at GU, China easily tops the list, while Taiwan has the fourth-most, and Japan is tied for sixth; hence all three being part of this fall's trip. And of the majors pursued by Gonzaga's international students, five of the top seven are business or sport management-related; hence the invitations for Anderson and Turcott to join the journey and talk about their programs with peers at Asian universities, as well as with prospective students, parents, alumni and others at a series of receptions planned at each stop along the way.

Isabelli also tapped Anderson, Turcott and Yang to explore any academic connections they either already have in Asia, or that might make strategic sense for Gonzaga to pursue.

"And they all went to work," Isabelli recalls. "The four universities in Taiwan and two in China, all those connections were made through the academic members of our group."

Anderson expects the overall experience to be incredible, and he's excited to share ideas with colleagues at different universities the group will visit.

"I know we can learn many things and I'm looking forward to our discussions," Anderson says. "This fits so well with the missions of both the University and the business school. We are committed to academic excellence and we all know that in today's day and age, excellence is a moving target. We must engage with others to continue to move ahead.

"Universities and business schools around the world all do things a little differently, and exposing our students, faculty and staff to those differences will enhance our excellence."

The schools where members of Gonzaga's group will visit include Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea; Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; National University of Tainan in Tainan, Taiwan; Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan; Tamkang University in New Taipei City, Taiwan; National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei, Taiwan; Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai, China; and Tianjin University of Sport in Tianjin, China.

Each stop will come with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which Isabelli characterizes as the first step in establishing a relationship with a peer institution. After such a signing, the schools can explore student and faculty exchanges, faculty research exchanges and partnerships in other areas and work through their own school processes to reach action agreements.

"This is just the first step," Isabelli says. "The MOU is the door that's being opened."

Turcott is excited to reconnect with former students on the trip, as well as a former professor and mentor who helped connect the Gonzaga group with several sport universities as part of this trip.

"International travel, education and sport are central to my professional identity, so I'm especially excited about visiting universities in Taiwan and China and learning about their academic programs and cultures," Turcott says. "I hope to bring the faculty perspective to these conversations and explore how Gonzaga can strengthen its academic connections with universities in Asia."

Gonzaga's sport-management program has been very internationally focused the past eight years, Turcott adds, through welcoming international students and offering sport-focused study abroad opportunities in Europe. He'd love to see partnerships attracting more Asian students to Gonzaga and new opportunities for GU students to explore study in places like Beijing and Shanghai.

The value of such intercultural exchanges for both students and faculty members is immense.

"More than anything, I want to make new friends who are in similar roles as me at these universities and learn about them and see how we can work together to be globally focused citizens who are serving students who want to be our future leaders."

Thinking Big

Isabelli has a lot planned for the stops along the journey. The MOU signings typically come with meetings and campus tours and lunches, and exchanges of gifts. She's also planning alumni receptions for the global Zags Network to reconnect with the Spokane contingent as they move across South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China. There will be opportunities to meet with students interested in studying at Gonzaga, along with their parents, to meet the Gonzaga group and alumni, and to visit some of Gonzaga's current Study Abroad spots to make sure they meet the University's goals.

And, of course, there will be visits to Irv Zakheim's businesses, too.

"Gonzaga is doing really well internationally," Isabelli says. "And Asia seems to be where students are really interested in us. Let's go show the world who Gonzaga is and open up new areas for our students to engage and really highlight that global citizenship.

"We have a Zag Global Network and it's only going to grow from here."