spirit GONZAGA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER
›› Gonzaga Day, 2 ›› Poet’s new mission, 3 ›› Core breakdown, 4 FEB. 2016 | VOL 17 | #5
ON CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL LIFE, NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER During the fall semester, we welcomed the largest incoming first-year class ever, received approval on the revised core (see story, p. 4), saw progress on the development of new facilities, (particularly regarding design of the new residence for the Jesuit Community and the performing arts center), and launched a capital campaign. President Thayne McCulloh and AVP Patricia Killen reflected on what’s to come in 2016 during talks before the faculty and staff in January.
“Excellent teaching and learning” Strategic planning by the College and the schools will make it easier to raise funds to support their initiatives, said Killen. Academic innovation is a central part of the capital campaign, and many people are working to tell stories about our outstanding faculty, innovative programs and academic success in ways that resonate, clarify and inspire those around us. “We have excellent teaching and learning going on,” Killen noted, urging us to improve our storytelling to increase perceptions of academic quality. Also a central focus for academics is nurturing and exploring Catholic intellectual thought. From the work around the Pope’s encyclical on caring for the Earth, and the new grant supporting a theology institute for high-schoolers, to new opportunities to explore women in Catholicism, great things are taking place, Killen said. “We need to find ways to bring this gift (of being Catholic) forward.”
“It’s as essential as electricity” While many of us took vacation time around the holidays, the ITS team continued intense work to address the challenges our campus has experienced in data storage and network reliability and connectivity. ITS implemented upgrades and installed new equipment, as well as researched what new investments are necessary to preserve our network capacity and stability, said McCulloh, because, “it’s as essential as electricity and water.”
New facilities in the plans The president outlined four building projects on the drawing board: the Jesuit Residence architectural plan is completed, and ground will be broken for this project – provided adequate benefactor support – this summer on the northwest
Gonzaga will look to enroll 1,150 new freshmen in fall 2016. corner of Boone and Astor. The Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center is currently being designed. It will be located on the south portion of the Jepson parking lot, west of Jepson and directly across the quad from Jundt Art Center and Museum. Work will begin this spring on the design phase of a new science and engineering building, west of Paccar Center. That project is necessitated by the growing interest in those two areas of study, and the upswing in nursing education. However, it will not advance until funding is in place. Plans for the Center for Athletic Achievement, south of Martin Centre, are ongoing, and fundraising is going well.
The Purple & Gold McCulloh said conversations around medical education and potential for partnership with the University of Washington’s School of Medicine continue.
Student Enrollment Shifts in enrollment over the last five years show that while undergraduate enrollment has increased slightly, graduate enrollment has decreased by about 15 percent. We’re also seeing changes in preferred undergraduate areas of study, with an increase in sciences, notably engineering, and
decreases in the humanities. Significantly, more students are arriving with a declared major, rather than opting to explore majors before choosing one. “One definition of a prestigious institution,” said McCulloh, “is one that has total control over its enrollment. We need to know exactly how many (students) we’ll accept, particularly in certain programs, because vacillations in enrollment create year over year challenges in the budget.”
Caring for One Another There have been many losses in our family recently – friends like Paula Foster and Marguerite Sladich – three students lost their fathers over Christmas, and we have faculty/staff members mourning the passing of spouses and loved ones. McCulloh said these “underscore that ours is not an artificial community, but a community of real people with real burdens and challenges. More often than not, these remain private. Sometimes making a positive impact requires only an email or a call. Sometimes it requires more. “But if there’s one belief that I truly hold about Gonzaga, it is that this is a place where, when the going gets tough, people are really there for one another,” McCulloh said. “Thank you for modeling for our students, and for each other, what it means to be a community.”
FEB 2016
AROUND CAMPUS >> The documentary “Carl Maxey: A
Fighting Life,” the story about the Gonzaga-educated civil rights leader, will air on KSPS TV Feb. 18, 7 p.m. A special premiere event to honor Maxey and his family is scheduled same day, 6:30 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater, $50 per person. A free public forum is set Feb. 19, 10 a.m., in the Barbieri Courtroom at Gonzaga Law School.
>> Since 2004, Gonzaga’s Blanket Brigade has made and donated more than 750 blankets to abused and neglected children in the area, and to kids in foster care. Laurie Hanlon, ITS budget and vendor manager, has coordinated the effort. Recently the Washington State Daughters of the American Revolution and U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers bestowed upon her the Excellence in Community Service award. Laurie also volunteers at her church and for the Spokane County Sheriff K-9 Unit.
>> A $294,415 grant from Lilly
Endowment Inc., will establish the Gonzaga Theology Institute for High School Youth. GU’s one-week Institute for 11th and 12th graders aims to help future leaders consider complex questions regarding the stewardship of God’s creation through a wide variety of activities. Particular focus will be on Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si: On the Care of Our Common Home.”
>> HBO Sports and IMG, GU’s sports
marketing partner, are creating an unscripted five-episode series chronicling the Zag men’s basketball team through its current season. “Gonzaga: The March To Madness” airs Feb. 16, 23, March 1, 8 and 15, at 10 p.m. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the program that has captivated a nation.
>> Vice President for Finance Chuck
Murphy announced a number of changes in his division: Joe Smith, associate vice president for Finance, now oversees the Controller’s Office, directed by Deena Presnell, who now oversees the Purchasing Department, which recently moved from Plant and Construction Services. Further, Jane Button continues to direct the renamed Office of Budget and Financial Analysis. Heather Shilley is associate director. This division oversees Gonzaga’s $280 million annual budget.
>> Father Scott Coble will serve as
interim vice president for Mission until a permanent replacement for retiring Father Frank Case is selected.
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JOIN GONZAGA DAY EVENTS AT MCCARTHEY, HEMMINGSON Our fourth annual Gonzaga Day 2016 will feature: • A halftime presentation emceed by Suzanne Ostersmith at the women’s basketball game vs. Portland in the Kennel, Feb. 13, 2 p.m., highlighting academic innovation and featuring a chance for a faculty, staff, student or fan to win an expense-paid trip to the WCC men’s and women’s basketball tournament, March 3-8 in Las Vegas. To enter, simply share a photo of you in Zag Gear using #GonzagaDayWBB by Feb. 7. • Watch the men’s basketball team take on Southern Methodist on the big screen in the Hemmingson Center ballroom. Snacks will be provided, and enjoy dinner in the COG for just $5 after 6 p.m. Tip goes up at 7 p.m. This event provides a chance for students, alumni, faculty and staff to mix and enjoy the Zags while taking advantage of all that the Hemmingson Center has to offer. • “ZAGTalk,” patterned after the popular TED Talks, premieres in Seattle at 5 p.m. at the W Hotel, featuring two short presentations: one by Deborah Nieding, chair of Gonzaga’s teacher education program, on “Turning What If into What Next,” and one by John Naekel (’99), formerly with adidas and Nike and current owner of two highly popular bars in Portland (The Old Gold and Paydirt), on “The Power of Risk.” Meanwhile, alumni and
Zag supporters will gather for a game watch at the W. Gonzaga Day is an opportunity for alumni and friends worldwide to celebrate those things that bring together this Zag Nation: community, desire to help others, and make this world a better place. For more info, visit www.gonzaga.edu/gonzagaday.
GU, United Way partner in outreach Gonzaga employees donated more than $24,000 to United Way this past fall. Even more impactful is the collaborative community outreach that Gonzaga and United Way deliver to help build a strong community. Here are a few examples: • Free tax prep: Last year 58 GU accounting students volunteered 655 hours preparing tax returns for seniors and low-income working families, under the direction of Professor Andrew Brajcich. The tax team numbers 85 this season. • Excelerate Success: Education Professor John Traynor has conducted research and worked with Spokane Public Schools to improve educational outcomes for all students, and Education Dean Vincent Alfonso serves on the team that is addressing post-secondary attainment and grade-level reading proficiency. GU and Excelerate Success are supporting a multi-sector collaborative effort to transform Northeast neighborhoods into a thriving community. • CCASL Connections: Bailley Wootten serves on the Youth Program Quality Initiative in Spokane, developing high-quality programs like the mentoring and parent support program at Shaw Middle School, involving
Katie Herzog and Colleen Vandenboom “hook” fishing lines at the Logan Block Party.
many GU students. • United Way internships: For years GU students have served internships for United Way. • Day of Action (September 2015): On United Way’s annual service day members of GU’s soccer team volunteered in the East Central Community Center. • Logan Neighborhood Support: United Way vice president Sally Pritchard advises GU’s Mapping Assets and Promoting Strengths Project, an assessment effort to identify neighborhood priorities that build on strengths and define opportunities for collective action.
NOTEWORTHY
FOCUS ON... MARSHALL IN HIS ZONE
New Hires
Sasha Gibson, social justice & outreach program coordinator; Maria Morales Sanchez, student leadership & engagement program coordinator, UMEC; Gregory Onofrio, coordinator of Liturgy & Music, University Ministry; Diane Smith, project manager/business analyst, ITS; Kevin DeLaune, computer lab web & distance education specialist, Education; Cole Kelly, program coordinator, Hogan Program, Business; Andrea Kathrens, program assistant II, Learning Strategies; Molly Anderson, admissions counselor, Admissions; David Tagnani, lecturer-AT, English; Paul Emigh, lecturer-IR, Physics; Sanna Lehtonen, counselor, Health & Counseling Services; Josiah Bird, manager on duty, Hemmingson Center; Laura Van Horne, project coordinator, Sponsored Research; Maggie Crabtree, lecturer-IR, Integrated Media; Rachel Tamura, program assistant, Communication Arts, Theatre and Integrated Media; Samantha Howell, summer sessions & data production coordinator, AVP; Crisco Moua, custodian, Plant; Mayra Villalobos, senior program assistant, Education; Casey Nowacki, custodian, Plant
New Positions/Promotions
Brian Best, crime prevention & education officer, Security; Matthew Gerdes, parking enforcement & transit officer, Security; Dan Harris, lead concierge, GUEST; Kathleen Burrow, concierge & reservation coordinator; Duran Paasch, event operations specialist, GUEST; Anna Creed, moderate means data program coordinator, Law; Drew Rieder, director, Regional Alumni Chapters; Renae Howat, program assistant II, Athletic Development; Elizabeth Roewe, associate director, Learning Strategies; Valerie Shayman, academic adviser, Academic Advising and Course Enrollment; Darren Owsley, chief technology officer, ITS; Colleen Vandenboom, assistant dean, Student Involvement & Leadership; Jim Jones, associate chief info officer; Andrew Main, operations manager, Hemmingson Center; Vivi Windsor, event manager-event services, Hemmingson Center
Goodbyes
Leslie Hebert, director marketing & recruitment, Virtual Campus, Mike Herzog, chief of staff to president; Chris Bingley, associate vice president, University Advancement; Vickie Williams, associate professor, Law; George Morris, assistant to the VP for mission; Mark Wilson, professor/supervising attorney, Legal Foundation; Scott Boyd, director annual giving, Athletics; Monica Stenzel, lecturer-IR, History; Teri Eveland, administrative assistant to VP, Administration & Planning; Lisa Bridston, admissions counselor, Virtual Campus; Jacob Nitkin-Raymond, custodian, Plant
Anniversaries
30 25 20 15 10
Kathleen Allen, interim dean, Foley Library; Akbar Ansari, professor, Mechanical Engineering;
Valerie Kitt, circulation supervisor, Foley Library Hugh Lefcort, professor, Biology
Erin Dorsey, senior lecturer-AT, Integrated Media; Terence McLure, clerk, Mail Services; Sergey Tsyukalo, painter, Plant
Samuel Anderson, groundkeeper, Plant; Julius Ciaffa, associate professor, Philosophy; Jana Clarry, payroll specialist; Todd Coleman, groundkeeper, Plant; Robert Hardie, technical support specialist, Athletics; Laurie Hitchcock, senior faculty assistant, Art; Daniel Stewart, professor, Entrepreneurship
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LeAnn Blair, elder law paralegal, Law Clinic; Aaron Collins, custodial specialist, Plant; Scott Davis, custodial specialist, Plant-Arena; Jill Herbert, academic curriculum specialist, Registrar; Brian Kenny, lead investigator, Title IX/EO; Brain Michaelson, assistant men’s basketball coach; Laurie Powers, director, Center for Professional Development, Law
Cradle Call
Andrew Brajcich, assistant professor, Accounting, and his wife Alexandra had a baby boy, Henry. Amy Smith, admissions counselor, Virtual Campus, and husband Channing had a baby girl, Norah. Liz Higgins, marketing manager, GUEST, and husband Will had a baby girl, Finleigh. Joseph Hirst, security officer, Campus Security, and wife Krista had a baby girl, Ella. Whitney Franklin, director of special events, University Advancement, and husband Travis had a baby boy, Rowan. Linda Jones, senior graphic & web designer, Marcom, and husband Todd had a baby girl, Lilly Dre.
Tod Marshall champions the importance of the humanities in our curriculum.
Tod Marshall peers out the opening of his tent on a sun-kissed summer morning, somewhere in Glacier Park, and breathes in the simple grandeur of his mountainous surroundings. In that moment the world becomes much smaller, and the focus much more elemental. Nothing else matters but the task at hand. Back to urban life, things aren’t so simple for the man who has set high standards for himself, and who’d do anything for his students. Nine years ago he developed the Visiting Writers Series, and today it stands resolute as one of the literary treasures of the Pacific Northwest, bringing both regional and nationally acclaimed poets, nonfiction writers, and novelists to Spokane. “But what most might not see is a man bustling behind the scenes, the one lobbying for money to keep the program strong, building relationships, and the one setting up chairs. He doesn’t have to do that. He has a full plate,” says faculty colleague J.D. Thayer. “But he does that because he’s devoted to Gonzaga. He is always willing to give his students time and attention, and takes a real interest in trying to help them realize their potential as writers, scholars and human beings.” Marshall sees himself as squirrel-like and friendly. But those close to him call him genuine; a powerhouse. He’s an ardent advocate for the humanities and their importance in our society.
Gonzaga colleagues call him the Powers Chair of the Humanities. And people around Washington state now call him poet laureate, a title bestowed upon him by Gov. Jay Inslee in January. He is the state’s fourth poet laureate and the first from eastern Washington. “I’m excited to use this position to bring poetry to as many people as I can, both through sharing poems with many people, and through instilling the urge within people to make their own poems, to find their own singing voices,” he said. He’s looking forward to collecting and creating a book of Washington-made poems upon completion of his two-year term as poet laureate. He plans to travel to every corner of the state, to small towns and big cities. Obviously, Marshall is not short on energy. He is a full professor of English and directs Gonzaga’s writing concentration. He’s the author of three books and the editor of two. When he’s not sharing his passion for writing and poetry with his students, or talking with anyone who comes calling for his advice – with which he is quite benevolent and often sought – you might find him on the basketball or racquetball court. And during his extended breaks he finds wonder and respite on wilderness adventures with wife Amy Sinisterra, backpacking or fly fishing.
BUDGET PROCESS CHANGES Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh announced that Gonzaga is preparing to initiate a two-year budget process to create a smoother resource allocation experience, particularly in periods of fluctuating enrollment. Under the current proposal, the first two-year budget would be approved in April. Gonzaga’s FY 2016-17 draft budget is approximately $283 million. Of that, 85 percent is derived from tuition and fees. McCulloh said overall enrollment has decreased over the past five years, largely from downturns in graduate
enrollment offset by a steady trend in undergrad enrollment. Administration is budgeting for a fall 2016 freshmen class of 1,150, with total on-campus undergraduate headcount similar to the current year (4,740). Trustees approved an undergraduate tuition increase of 4 percent. Among other expense changes, the draft budget proposes a salary pool of 3.5 percent of FY 15/16 salaries to fund various changes to overall compensation, including annual increases, re-evaluations, sabbaticals and new positions.
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AT THE CORE
CORE ESSENCE
Heart of mission shines through Political Virtue, Beauty, and Spartacus: Fact or Fiction, are three courses offered last fall as a preview of Gonzaga’s new First-Year Seminar (FYS), part of the revised University Core Curriculum. Feedback was summed up by this freshman’s response: “I have never learned so much about the dynamic levels of one topic in a class. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to grow as students, to grow as friends, and to become a group that was able to take a classroom topic and apply it to our own lives. I am unbelievably grateful for the impact this class has had on me.” The revised University Core, approved by Trustees in December, will be introduced to all new Gonzaga students in the fall. Grounded in our Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic heritage and mission, the revised core is organized around one overarching question (see graphic), which is progressively addressed by yearly questions to add cohesiveness and intentionality to the core experience. “The revision also allows for more interdisciplinary connections, expands credits in important areas, and reflects our values by adding designations in writing, global studies and social justice to the curriculum,” says Core Director Molly Kretchmar-Hendricks. The First-Year Seminar and the Core Integration Seminar are both new. The FYS, intended to introduce new students to university intellectual life and
As students of a Catholic, Jesuit, and Humanistic University, how do we educate ourselves to become women and men for a more just and humane global community? Year 1: Understanding and creating: How do we pursue knowledge and cultivate understanding? First-Year Seminar • Writing • Reasoning • Communication & Speech • Math • Scientific Inquiry Year 2: Being and becoming: Who are we and what does it mean to be human? Philosophy of Human Nature • Christianity & Catholic Traditions Year 3: Caring and doing: What principles characterize a well lived life? Ethics • World or Comparative Religion Year 4: Imagining the possible: What is our role in the world? Core Integration Seminar Broadening courses: Fine Arts & Design, History, Literature, Social & Behavioral Science Designations: Writing Enriched (3); Global Studies (2); Social Justice (1)
Gonzaga’s mission and heritage, brings an interdisciplinary perspective to a particular topic. The seminar format highlights the participatory character of university life, emphasizing learning as an active, collegial process. Fall 2015 elective sections of the FYS were described as transformative learning and teaching experiences by both students and faculty. The Core Integration Seminar (CIS) offers students a culminating seminar experience in which they ‘imagine the possible’ by integrating the principles of Jesuit education, prior components of the Core, and their disciplinary expertise. Proposed topics, such as What is Happiness?, Doubt and Faith, and Why People Hate, will be developed by each faculty member in ways that draw on multiple disciplinary perspectives and
connect to students’ future roles in the world. Describing the basic goals of the Jesuit educational tradition, John O’Malley, S.J. writes: “What the tradition is meant to do is to allow students to escape from the confines of their experience up to the present… To help them escape from the bondage of unexamined assumptions and prejudices. To help them expand their consciousness and the areas in which they can dare to ask questions, not only in the areas in which their trade, discipline or profession moves, but about life itself.” “Reflecting this tradition, the re-envisioned Core Curriculum is designed to keep the dynamic heart of Catholic, Jesuit, humanistic education alive for new students in a changing world,” says Kretchmar-Hendricks.
TV has all WCC tourney games covered It’s a different place at WCC basketball midpoint than either Zag team has found itself in recent years; neither team sitting atop league standings. But when it comes down to NCAA tournament consideration, nothing speaks more clearly than a WCC Tournament championship and an automatic bid into the Big Dance. Following is the schedule for all games, played for the eighth consecutive year at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Thursday, March 3 Women Women Women Women
#8 vs. #9 #7 vs. #10 #3 vs. #6 #4 vs. #5
Noon 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m.
TV
BW* BW BW BW
Friday, March 4 Women Women Men
#1 vs. #8/9 Noon #2 vs. #7/10 2 p.m. #8 vs. #9 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 5 Men Men Men Men
#3 vs. #6 #4 vs. #5 #1 vs. #8/9 #2 vs. #7
Monday, March 7 Women Women Men Men
Semifinal Semifinal Semifinal Semifinal
TV
Tuesday, March 8
BW BW BW
Women Men
Final Final
1 p.m. 6 p.m.
TV
ESPNU ESPN
* BW = Television broadcast on BYUtv and online at TheW.tv
1 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 p.m.
BW BW ESPN2 ESPN2
Noon 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
BW BW ESPN ESPN2 Senior Kyle Wiltjer is leading the WCC in scoring, and securing a master’s degree at GU.
VIEW ONLINE AT: www.gonzaga.edu/spirit