Gonzaga Giving Newsletter, Summer 2011

June 2011

GonzagaGiving [Firsts]

Three grads take different paths after graduation Each year after commencement, Gonzaga graduates fan out across the Pacific Northwest, the nation and the world. They embark on further studies, employment or a time of service to others. They also realize, as never before, the true value of their Gonzaga education.

Three students from the Class of 2010 talk about their first experiences in the ‘real world:’

Andy Iarocci (’10) studies at Creighton University’s School of Medicine. “Two particular aspects of my GU education prepared me for graduate school and the future. First, the size of GU’s student population allowed me to pursue much more from an education perspective. The biology and chemistry departments were fantastic in their abilities to educate at a very high standard, but equally important, the size of the classes allowed me to develop long-lasting relationships with my professors that would not be possible in many other academic environments. I can’t thank those professors enough for what they have done for me and the opportunities they helped create for me. Second, the Jesuit education is structured around a well-rounded education in the liberal arts. My passions are in the scientific field, but

The paths Gonzaga graduates take are influenced by their time in the the classrooms and special gathering places on campus. Your gifts shape the University and students’ experiences with it. without a background in the liberal arts, I would be lacking significant qualities that have made me successful. For example, the philosophy courses at Gonzaga forced me to think more logically. My thoughts are more structured and analytically more sound which is very useful in the research environment. English courses tuned my reading and writing abilities, providing a strong foundation for the world of scientific publishing.”

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Scholarship Challenge

Q&A

The First Win

Endowment

Report card of performance

Hear from the Academic Vice President on her first year

One Zag and an unending winning streak

How it all started

Three grads take different paths after graduation (continued) Business administration major Stratton Shook (’10) made a graceful leap from Gonzaga and Washington state to the “other” Washington. In April, Shook had just taken a marketing research job at Wakefield Research in Arlington, Va. His experience in Gonzaga’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program gave him a strong edge in the job market, Shook said.

Wallace Medical Concern, which offers free urgent and acute medical care. Her role calls for everything from assisting with biopsies, to interpreting Spanish for doctors or seeking out housing for a patient.

“The ideas of service, social justice and vocation were omnipresent at Gonzaga,” she says. “Although I came to college with the vague notion that I “My entrepreneurial wanted to do good, my background allowed The place God calls you experience at Gonzaga me to distinguish to is where your deep gave me the tools to myself from many gladness and the world’s develop, to articulate and other peers who to discern what exactly have only business or deep hunger meet. this meant for me and humanities degrees. how I could build a life My experience in - Frederich Buechner, Wishful Thinking around it. the Hogan Program enabled me to give real-world examples,” “At Gonzaga, Frederich Buechner’s quote Shook said. “While I may not have a great about vocation is so ingrained in our depth of experience, I am able to succeed collective thought that it’s trite; anywhere across a huge spectrum of job titles and else, it’s downright revolutionary – to think responsibilities.” of yourself on that scale and to let the His Gonzaga friendships played a role, too. needs of others weigh just has heavily as “In every job I applied for, I had a friend your own desires. And yet, at Gonzaga, that standing behind me assuring me that this seems to be the norm.” was the right thing to do.”

Poston hopes to spend a second year at the Lindsay Poston (’10) is a member Wallace clinic, to go on to medical school of JVC Northwest whose placement near and then “to return in a few years to the Portland, Ore., is in the medical field. She free clinic scene with a little more to offer.” is the clinic and referral coordinator at the

The first win [Planned Giving] From the first win of the women’s basketball team in 1963 to the first NCAA Elite Eight berth in 2011, Nancy Driscoll (’66) has been there.

Nancy joined the 1962-63 Gonzaga women’s basketball team as a freshman. The following year the Zag Women garnered their first-ever win–thereby launching GU’s winning tradition.

Nancy shared a passion for cheering on the Zags with her dear friend and fellow GU fan Glo Ross. After Glo’s death in 2008, Nancy memorialized her friend with a scholarship for students in the women’s basketball program.

Establishing the Glo E. Ross Scholarship Fund was a positive experience for Nancy. Her involvement opened up further conversations that led to making a farsighted decision to include Gonzaga in her estate plans.

Take your first step toward charitable estate gift planning by contacting the Office of Planned Giving. Connect with Judy Rogers at 800.388.0881 or email her at rogers2@gonzaga.edu. We also encourage you to compare various estate gift options through our Planned Giving website at gonzaga.edu/plannedgiving.

Basketball photo above, left to right: Nancy Driscoll, Carol Desmarais, Sue Corrigan, Merrilu Silva, Kathy Haener, Joan Manning (Captain), Mary Barrett-Smith, Joanna Mahowski, Jane Ware, Valerie Ho, Jeannie Zappone, Kathy Dellwo.

By the numbers Gonzaga Scholarship Challenge

$4.5 million total scholarship dollars raised in 2010-11

45

named endowed scholarships established since 2009

1,037

requests from students for additional financial assistance since 2009 First generation students receiving scholarships through the Gonzaga Scholars Program

12

$4,016,376 has been directed to endowed scholarship funds through estate gifts since 2009

AC

[Update]

The Annual Campaign achieved a record-breaking year, reaching $1.5 million in support to unrestricted funds, scholarships and more. Part of this success was due to the work of 30 Gonzaga Telefund student employees reaching out to alumni, parents and friends during the academic year. The Telefund program completed the year with $800,000 in pledged support to Gonzaga University.

Thank you! For your convenience, you can pay your pledge online at gonzaga.edu/makeagift.

Report card

[Gonzaga Scholarship Challenge]

After completing the first year of the Gonzaga Scholarship Challenge, we must thank the Gonzaga community for their overwhelming response to help students in need.

Because of your gifts, more than $4.5 million was provided for student scholarships–an increase of $1.4 million over last year. The $4.5 million includes both annual scholarship funds and endowment funds received between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. The annual (or current use) scholarship funds were in excess of $1.1 million and helped the Financial Aid Office support 525 student requests for emergency aid and offset the University’s operating budget.

Additionally, endowment gifts totaling $2.5 million were added to the University’s pooled endowment fund and will benefit students for many years, according to the intent of various donors.

Go to blogs.gonzaga.edu/GonzagaGiving to meet Rick Peshel, a current student passionate for raising awareness about government student aid budget cuts.

The Gonzaga Scholarship Challenge brought awareness to the changing landscape of federal and state spending for higher education. In both levels of government, budget proposals call for reductions to student financial aid, just as more students than ever are seeking access to obtaining a degree in higher education. The Work Award Fund and Completion Fund, major initiatives in the Scholarship Challenge, were created for Gonzaga students to subsidize these government budget cuts. They also help the 30 percent of Gonzaga students eligible for state work study and some of our most financially needy students affected by cuts to the Pell Grant program.

The Gonzaga Scholarship Challenge will continue into the next academic year, building upon initial success while striving to reach an increased goal of $5 million in donor-funded scholarship support.

Work Award Fund: Used by the offices of Financial Aid and Student Employment to supplement the recent budget cuts to Washington State’s Work Study Program. Work Awards allow students to continue working while at Gonzaga, earning money needed for tuition, books and living expenses, giving them important experience for future careers. A Work Award is estimated at $5,000 per student.

Having a job through the work-study program gives me peace of mind. I have the opportunity to support myself while attending classes and complete a business degree.

Jessica Dutton (’14)

Completion Fund: Discretionary fund used by the Office of Financial Aid for students requesting emergency funding in order to attend or complete their education at Gonzaga.

Q&A

[A look at the first year of Academic Vice President and alumna Patricia O’Connell Killen, Ph.D.]

What do you want people to think of first when they think about Gonzaga?

I want them to think about a university deeply rooted in its Jesuit, Catholic and humanist values, a university that supports the development of whole persons who fearlessly engage big questions and problems and, with their faculty, bring the richness of all academic disciplines and professions to addressing those problems. I want people to think of Gonzaga as a place that helps students develop the capacities of mind, the imaginations and the courage to be the leaders the world needs for the 22nd century.

What are some things you have learned in your first year as AVP?

The incredible commitment of faculty and staff to the mission of the University and their willingness to extend themselves on behalf of students is an invaluable asset. Gonzaga has excellent faculty who work closely with students–from advising, to shared research projects, to internships and other kinds of experiential learning that are community based–everything about the place is permeated with its Jesuit, Catholic, humanist heritage.

What are some needs of the academic sector at Gonzaga?

We need support for equipment, be it a musical instrument endowment fund or equipment for scientific laboratories.

We need support for student-faculty research and creative projects of all kinds. We need support to expand faculty development and training, not only for teaching but also for faculty who take on service to the University as program and department chairs. All these forms of support will help Gonzaga take truly excellent programs to the next level.

This support will increase opportunities for our students– both directly and by helping to sustain a vital faculty.

What hopes do you have for Gonzaga in the coming year?

I hope next year, especially in light of conversation about the proposals for revision of the core curriculum, we will do better at finding time for faculty to thoughtfully engage each other in conversation across disciplinary lines. I also hope that next year we will have enhanced the ways we welcome and support new faculty who have come to join us in our shared work of educating our students.

More Q&A with Patricia O’Connell Killen, Ph.D. at: blogs.gonzaga.edu/GonzagaGiving/QA

Snapshot

[Campus Life]

Class of 2011 graduate Wayne Hoskins takes the celebratory walk from the stage in the Spokane Arena after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the 118th Gonzaga University commencement ceremony. [Photo by Rajah Bose.]

How it all started

[Endowment]

The endowment at Gonzaga University was started in early 1928 in response to concern over the University’s irreducible debt.

Father Daniel Reidy, president at the time, proposed a campaign to create an endowment fund to help needy students and solve the dilemma of uncollectable tuition. The name of this first endowed fund was the Cataldo Memorial Fund in honor of Father Joseph Cataldo and his Jubilee year.

Fast forward 83 years and there are now 424 endowed scholarships and 115 other endowed funds valued at $121,989,000 as of April 30, 2011. Yet, doubling the endowment for the next generation of Zags is truly how the vision of the founding University leaders can be fully realized. Meeting the rising scholarship needs of students and at the same time preventing increases in tuition can be accomplished when a large and strong endowment is in place. Generous donor support and a commitment to our Jesuit, Catholic and humanistic mission have provided much for the Gonzaga community, but much is still needed to help all students get the education they need.

Total Gifts to the Endowment by Fiscal Year 2011*

$2,968,353

2010

$3,075,109

2009

$3,118,342

2008

$5,104,729

2007

$3,274,344

Development Office, Gonzaga University, 502 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99258-0098 800.463.6925 www.gonzaga.edu/supportgu

*Total gifts as of March 31, 2011.

Did you know?

You can create a named endowed scholarship with a minimum gift of $5,000 each year for five years?

Learn more at gonzaga.edu/scholarshipchallenge.