A Call to Meaning and Purpose: Welcome from the School of Leadership Studies
Dear Friends,
In this moment of profound global transformation, when the very foundations of how we lead, learn, and live are being reshaped by exponential innovation, instant and boundaryless communication, constant change, and global tectonic shifts, we extend to you an invitation to study leadership and courageously embrace a call to discover your deepest purpose in the service of others, organizations, and communities.
From our timeless five-hundred-year-old Jesuit tradition of developing women and men for others, we are reminded of an eternal truth that life constantly challenges us to discover the meaning of our own existence in everything we do, compelling us to discern why we exist and what we exist for. This profound call lies at the core of what we do here at Gonzaga University's School of Leadership Studies (SLS) in developing the trinity of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. In alignment with Gonzaga's Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic mission to “educate students for lives of leadership and service for the common good,” our academic programs are designed and taught by expert interdisciplinary faculty and dedicated staff to educate people the world needs most. We believe that leadership is a calling and responsibility for everyone. We believe that leadership is learned and embodied through study, practice, and learning by doing. We believe that leadership is a relationship cultivated and experienced by the human condition. We believe that leadership is a representation of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Gonzaga University was one of the first academic institutions to pioneer leadership studies in the 1980s, and today the School of Leadership Studies advances well-recognized leadership programs across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs that lead the field in research, practice, and training. From corporate Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks, to Healthcare Networks, Education, Public Safety professionals in fire protection, emergency medical services, law enforcement, military service members and Veterans, Federal & State employees, along with nonprofit and faith-based organizations, all are richly represented voices, perspectives, and contexts in our leadership programs.
In addition to advancing academic programming, the School of Leadership Studies is committed to Leadership Training & Development (LTD) of professionals in all industries and communities. Our evidence-based leadership training and development programming are grounded in established evidence from expert organizational development and leadership facilitators. LTD contributes to the discovery of SLS leadership programs and continues to be our primary outreach with corporate partnerships. Additionally, LTD’s flagship programs, such as Women Lead, have successfully hosted conferences, trainings, certificates, and luncheons for over ten years and continue to support and elevate women in leadership roles across the region’s professional, nonprofit, and academic communities. Connection, learning, reflection, and skill building have elevated opportunities for women in leadership roles.
The Gonzaga Difference in Leadership Education for a Restorative World
In alignment with Gonzaga's Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic mission to educate students for lives of leadership and service for the common good, our School of Leadership Studies cultivates leadership that is fundamentally about serving others, adapting to complexity, building resilience across teams and communities, and developing a “possibilist” growth mindset. We believe in accompaniment and walking alongside your journey of discovery, practice, and application of leadership competencies. Our faculty and students are advancing knowledge and shaping conversations that matter, while our programs provide the rigorous academic foundation and transformative experiences that shape your leadership identity and prepare you for a lifetime of purpose-driven contributions.
Your Journey Begins with an Invitation
We invite you to join us in this vital work. The world needs leaders who can courageously navigate uncertainty with wisdom, hold complexity with grace, and maintain hope in the face of seemingly impossible challenges.
With hope and anticipation for the leaders you will become,
Adrian B. Popa, Ph.D., M.P.A.
Interim Dean, School of Leadership Studies
popa@gonzaga.edu