Spirit April 2017 by Gonzaga University

spirit

Lives Changed in Mission:Possible Through Mission:Possible, more than 100 students and a dozen faculty/staff advisers traveled during Spring Break to work alongside nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable populations. Planned by Gonzaga’s Center for Community Action and Service Learning, immersion opportunities help students experience service through simplicity, spirituality, community and justice.

GONZAGA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER

• Building a great university, 2 • Making first contact count, 3 • Mission in Montgomery, 4 APRIL 2017 | VOL 18 | #7

WE’RE ALL PART OF THE SAME TEAM HERE

This year’s locations and partners were: Denver – refugee resettlement Knoxville, Tenn. – construction work on the home of a man with special needs Montgomery, Ala. – serving children and adults at a Catholic Mission Neah Bay, Wash. – Makah Reservation support New York City – supporting women and children impacted by incarceration Portland, Ore. – homeless services at Blanchet House of Hospitality San Francisco – habitat restoration at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy St. Louis – homeless services Tacoma, Wash. – supporting adults with developmental disabilities All but one of the nine locations are places where CCASL has sent teams in years past. New this year was Montgomery, Alabama, which proved to be a whole new kind of experience. Whereas some teams are busy doing physical work, the Montgomery group concentrated on immersion into our nation’s history of slavery, racism and civil rights efforts. They visited museums (Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Memorial, Voting Rights History, to name a few) and places of historical significance, such as Dr. Martin Luther King’s church and home, plus the famous Selma bridge where “Bloody Sunday” took place as blacks marched for an end to segregation. Students also sat beside and heard stories from people who knew Dr. King personally – even his barber. It was a heady – and emotional – experience for the students and staff alike. Each evening, they debriefed together, making themselves vulnerable to the realities of their own histories and being honest about the ignorance many have had regarding the fight for equality in our country’s very history as well as the present day. Justin Wiens, in his editorial for The Bulletin, wrote: “I received a living education, and began to fill in the gaps of my timeline of the racial history of the United States. Previously, my timeline began with slavery, jumped to segregation, and then culminated with Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement. After visiting with the Equal Justice Initiative, I learned about terror lynchings that murdered more than 4,000 African Americans.”

Becca Dunne (‘18) volunteers at Resurrection Catholic School in Montgomery, Alabama. After visits to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Equal Justice Initiative – two

“Learning about the past is essential, but the most important thing I learned was that the struggle for equality and justice is far from over.” – Justin Wiens Montgomery law agencies working against mass incarceration of blacks, the death penalty and hate crimes, Gonzaga students returned once again to their home for the week to reflect. What came next was the filling of a white board with all the ideas they had for bringing these messages home to Gonzaga. From encouraging greater support of the Black Student Union (and Black Lives Matter movement) and the many opportunities through UMEC, to bringing speakers to campus and forming new justicerelated student groups, the Montgomery team wanted to ensure that their learning would not end in Alabama.

Same Team (cont.) “On the bus ride back to our hotel following the championship game, I had red and blue face paint all over my shirt as my oldest son Ben, 8, used it to wipe his tears. On Tuesday morning, Ben and I were walking back from the hotel coffee shop and I asked, “Where do you want to go next?” Herzog explains. “Ben responded simply, “San Antonio (site of the 2018 Final Four).”

We’re all part of the same team here One of the most memorable stories from the Final Four was when more than 50, some estimate closer to 100, former players walked into a meeting room to wish the Zags their best, and the current Zags gave the oldtimers a standing ovation. Family. We know it. We feel it every day on this campus. When this amazing run began in 1999, the university was catapulted into an arena far bigger than it had ever found itself. One of the first tasks was to build a television ad campaign for TV games. The slogan that carried our message for those first five or six years was, “We’re all part of the same team here.” Incredibly, authentically, that still applies.

Mission:Possible and other immersion opportunities (like the Comprehensive Leadership Program’s trip to Father Greg Boyle’s Homeboy Industries in East L.A.) hold the potential for life-changing experiences on the individual level, but also for our campus, community and world. The next time you hear a student or faculty/staff member mention their Mission:Possible experience, go ahead and ask: ‘Where did you see God at work?’ They’ll be happy to share. – Kate Vanskike Look for Mission:Possible blogs to learn more: gonzaga.edu/tobecontinued.

Spokane gathered April 5 to pay tribute to their Zag men’s basketball team, and Coach Few and his team gave thanks for their support. Ken Anderson (’81, MBA ’84) was sitting at his computer in a Shanghai, China, hotel room early on a Sunday morning watching the Elite 8 Gonzaga men’s basketball game against Xavier, on ESPN Gametracker. Not very glamorous, but truly ‘Zag.’ “Well into the game it became obvious we would win and go to the Final Four,” says GU’s dean of the School of Business Administration and a former Zag player (1979-81). “Tears rolled down my cheeks and I thought of all the guys who had worn the jersey and how much joy and pride they all were feeling at that moment, and how many tears they were shedding.” Tears of joy are part of any family, and the Gonzaga family is no exception. “I got to the arena four hours before game time for the semifinal game against South Carolina,” says John Caputo, professor of Communication and Leadership. “By the time the game started I was shedding tears of joy with many around me because we were HERE, in the Final Four, and we deserved to be.”

VIEW ONLINE AT: www.gonzaga.edu/spirit

Paul Hastings, associate professor of counseling psychology, has been on this ride for 38 years at GU. He got infected with the Bulldog basketball bug right off the bat. His wife Denise and their three boys were no different. Hastings’ middle son Michael called right after the Xavier win and said, “Dad, let’s go.” There was virtually no pause before the Hastings were making plans to get to Phoenix. “We had one of the most special weeks in our family’s life,” Paul says. “Our lives, families and careers have followed the run of these Zags for so long, from the days of John Stockton and coaches Hillock, Fitzgerald, Monson and now Few. And our lives have been built around this university.”

Connecting families

And Hastings has been especially impressed by our students. Before the championship game Adam Morrison (’07) and Ronny Turiaf (’05) came down the steps next to our section (in the University of Phoenix Stadium), and everybody applauded for them and highfived them. But when our president, Thayne McCulloh (’89), came down, the students gave him a standing ovation,” Hastings says. “That was very special.”

And not only was this about bringing longtime friends and fans together. It was also about bringing our families together.

This place also has always been special to Steve and Vicki Hertz (both ’72) and their family. She is field experience coordinator for student teachers in the

While it was this epic basketball journey that brought us all together, “this” was about far more than basketball. It was about the widespread Gonzaga family coming together, many of whom hadn’t seen each other in 20, 30 years, but it hardly seemed like a day had passed since they last hugged, as we Zags do.

Nigel Williams-Goss shares his smile and autographs with fans at the April 5 rally.

GU Regent Emeritus Bill Wrigglesworth (’75) was overjoyed to get the call from his two grown children, Michael and Kelly, after the Zags had defeated Xavier for a berth in the Final Four. “We’ve got to go, dad!” they hollered into the phone.

School of Education, and he is associate athletic director. They came here as students in 1970, were married, and graduated all six of their kids from GU. “How can you possibly describe what this milestone means to every player and coach, longtime fans and newcomers, faculty, staff and students who have weathered the ups and downs, but always hung with ‘our kids?’” Vicki wonders. “Is there one word that could possibly describe the heart and soul of a place like Gonzaga and this incredible experience shared by an extended family like ours? In Italian, it’s called musica. Translated, I believe it’s ZAG. This single word means everything to us. It has inspired and guided our lives.”

Sports brought us together “I found myself very nostalgic throughout the week, with so many wonderful memories of GU basketball coming to mind. But for my husband Wayne and I, it’s more than basketball; it’s a chance to escape the craziness of our lives and bond as a family,” says Director of Student Accounts Carolyn Boese. “Sports are bigger than politics. Politically, Spokane is an incredibly diverse community. For three weeks, no one was talking about politics. Gonzaga basketball allowed us to forget about past differences and cheer for a common cause. Being on social media became fun again. It was the best of sports,” says Ryan Herzog, assistant professor of economics, who took his family to Phoenix.

see Same Team p. 4

APRIL 2017

AROUND CAMPUS

Continuing to build a great university

New Hires Ann Muhich, research technician, Biology; Erika Whittaker, event coordinator, University Advancement; Felicia Kolb, counselor, Financial Aid; Kimberly Grome, research technician, Biology; Theresa Randles, office coordinator, University Ministry; Trinity Spencer, travel & expense assistant/office administrator, Controller’s Office

>> Alaska Air CEO Brad Tilden delivers “Doing the Right Thing,” for the Aram Lecture on Business Ethics, April 10 in Wolff Auditorium. A reception at 5:30 p.m. precedes his free public talk at 6 p.m. Please RSVP at gonzaga.edu/ aramlecture. >> “In the Wake of Disaster: The Great Recession in Historical Perspective,” is the subject of a talk by Christina Romer (’57), professor of economics at UC Berkeley, as part of the 25th School of Business Economics Symposium, April 18, 11:45 a.m. in the Hemmingson Ballroom. Cost is $100 per person. Register at gonzaga.edu/ romer. >> The Academic Honors Convocation is April 25, 3:30 p.m. in Cataldo Hall. An academic procession begins about 3:20. The event recognizes student and faculty scholarship, with peer-reviewed faculty awards and departmental student awards. The first Eva Lassman Award will be presented. Brian Henning will deliver the keynote address. >> The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Accreditation Mid-Cycle Evaluation Team visits Gonzaga April 10-11. >> Greater Gonzaga Guild Annual Luncheon, featuring Kristina Morehouse and Heather Crandall on “Media’s Influence on How We See the World,” is April 25, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Herak Club Room at McCarthey Athletic Center. Reservations are required through Mary Joan Hahn at ext. 6095.

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NOTEWORTHY

New Positions/Promotions

The Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement will provide Athletics another advantage in recruiting quality studentathletes, who are among the best academically in Division I sports.

Heeding the original call of Spokan Falls city fathers, Gonzaga continues to build up a great university here on the north bank of the Spokane River.

not available to residents of Jesuit House, including in-room bathrooms and showers. The new facility should be ready for occupancy by mid-fall.

Three major construction projects are either under way or about to take off. A fourth, the integrated science and engineering building, is in concept formation, says Ken Sammons, director of Plant and Construction Services.

Plans are in the works to renovate Jesuit House to house several academic programs, and the centers for Digital Humanities and Undergraduate Research. Project completion is planned for fall 2018.

The Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement is on schedule for opening by mid-fall. The three-story building includes a practice gym, weight training room, dining/nutrition training area, conference room, offices, classrooms and study rooms, as well as a new sky bridge to McCarthey Athletic Center. A floor above the second-floor weight room will connect with Athletic Department offices on the third floor of Martin Centre, which will be renovated to create an office complex that looks and functions as one space. The building also includes a new Hall of Fame in the extended atrium, off which new staircases will be built connecting visitors to the second and third floors of the new complex. In the meantime, the new Jesuit Residence is taking shape on the corner of Astor and Boone streets. Constructed to house 20 Jesuits and two guests at any one time, the facility offers amenities previously

Construction on the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center will kick off in May, with completion planned in December 2018. The complex will include the main auditorium/theater, recital hall, lobby, Woldson sitting rooms, green room, interdisciplinary arts/ design lab, and work rooms, restrooms and dressing rooms. Two floors will be visible to arts patrons, a third to actors. One of the most celebrated features is the bowl-like auditorium, Sammons said. Plans for a new science and engineering building include three floors – one in ground with daylight windows to the south, and two floors above ground. The building will tie directly into Paccar Center, with the possibility of a skywalk to Hughes Hall. Preliminary site exploration has begun to assess extent of remnants left from the old lumber mill that formerly occupied the site. Gonzaga Trustees are expected to review a proposal this month to begin design work soon. Construction start is dependent upon fundraising efforts.

Recent grads rank high on post-grad success survey Gonzaga’s recently released First Destination Survey Report for our 2015-16 graduates shows an impressive success rate, but even more significant, shows Zags are woven into their communities in education, business, health care and through volunteer services.

“I knew it would be hard leaving Gonzaga, but JVC offered me an incredible transition into the working world, and gave me a chance to start my life as a young adult off right. Life gets busy and if we don’t focus on what’s important, what’s important gets lost,” Dauenhauer says.

“They are going out and setting the world on fire in their first destinations,” says Ray Angle, assistant vice president for career and professional development.

The recent survey indicates a 94 percent success rate, meaning all but 6 percent of last year’s undergraduate and graduate school grads were either working, volunteering, continuing their education or serving in the military.

One firm hiring Gonzaga grads is Nike. Meggie Cockburn (’16) has been there just one year, but finds her work evolving every day. “There’s so much opportunity here. I am growing and developing my skills as a young professional,” she says.

The top five employers were the military, JVC, Providence Health Care, Spokane Public Schools and Boeing. Twenty percent of these graduates stayed in Spokane, with Seattle 2, Portland 3, Los Angeles 4, and San Francisco 5. Top grad school destinations were Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State and Santa Clara. Find the full report at gonzaga. edu/2016firstdestinationsurvey.

Cierra Dauenhauer (’16), a biochemistry major, knew she wanted to serve for a time before continuing on her career path.

Satish Shrestha, enterprise applications developer I, ITS; Adele Ohler, prospect development specialist, University Advancement; Bailley Wootton, associate director, CCASL; Jenna White, scheduling and events coordinator, Education; Addison Cavanaugh, campus reservationist/project coordinator, GUEST

Goodbyes Chris Carter, custodian, Plant; Diane Smith, project manager, ITS; Scott Davis, custodial specialist, Plant; Joan Henning, assistant director financial aid, Law

Anniversaries

25 15 10

Heather Teshome, senior assistant, Registrar’s Office

Mikhail Mitin, custodian specialist, Plant

Sam Jennings, custodial specialist, Plant; Allison Lynn, program coordinator, Education; Steven McCrorey, physician, Health Center; Carol Osenga, administrative assistant II, University Advancement; Amy Swank, director, Parent & Family Programs

Chris Heitner, groundskeeper, Plant; Abbey Shuster, bio lab coordinator, Biology; Sarah Trummel, acquisition assistant III, Law Library

Cradle Call Senad Avdic, custodian specialist, Plant, and his wife Sedina had a baby girl, Ajna.

Gonzaga is sharing its heart and hands in April, on a number of service projects to help the community Spokane’s higher education partners are staging Spokane Gives Community Health & Resource Fair, April 8, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Sheridan Elementary School. That same day, GSBA will provide volunteers for a Logan Neighborhood Clean-Up project, from 9 a.m.-noon. Zag Volunteer Corps will amass 100 students to serve organizations throughout Spokane on April 22 in its Saturday of Service project. Finally, CCASL is inviting youngsters and their families from its youth programs to campus to enjoy family friendly activities as part of Spring Fling, also on April 22.

FOCUS ON . . . Deb Stevenson and helping This enterprising woman had a hard time adjusting to big college life on the West side, and flunked out. Perhaps that perspective has helped make Deb Stevenson, director of the Center for Student Academic Success, an all-star. She understands the help students often require to get over the humps of a rigorous college education. She later found Gonzaga, and graduated in 1992. During her final year at GU, she interned with the State Attorney General’s Office. A full-time job followed, working directly for then-Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire (’77 J.D.), editing and writing speeches. Her first job at GU in the Career Center was followed by time off to raise her family. She’s been back for 12 years and savors the opportunity to build a team to assist and support our students. CSAS is responsible for a variety of programs and retention initiatives. “We are the first people to interact with our incoming students even before they get here,” Stevenson says. “We create all firstyear student schedules, and then build in the kind of advising they need.” She admits to being bored at a Seattle conference when she called a Seattle U colleague to learn more about their learning commons. With that insight, Stevenson soon began building a one-stop shop for academic resources. “I made a proposal, the University accepted, and now, five years later, we have a beautiful new space in the Foley Center with centralized tutoring and other strategic learning resources, professional academic advising and disability support services.” Stevenson has a hard time counting all the ways her office helps students. “My team does an excellent job of nudging students in the right direction. We take a developmental and holistic approach to our work and enjoy seeing students grow to be more resilient. The sooner we can get to that struggling pre-med student, the more likely it is that student will stay at GU, engage in all this community has to offer and earn the degree,” Stevenson says.

Deb Stevenson loves her team and its work with students.

CSAS gets hundreds of early alert referrals from faculty every semester. “We recently had a case where a student was missing classes. The faculty member alerted us. We reached out to the student, but he did not respond. When the student finally showed up in class, the professor walked him over to CSAS. His needs were complex, but as a team we provided a collaborative approach and connected him in a seamless way to our Disability Access office first, then advised him on a new major, and finally showed him how to sign up for a tutoring session. This is a common occurrence,” Stevenson says. “When I came to GU years ago, my life changed. When I returned ‘home’ as an employee, I felt compelled to make a difference,” Stevenson says. “A former dean and mentor told me to shatter boundaries, take risks, do the things that have never been done here before, for the good of our students. Now, as a parent of college aged students, I have an additional perspective that helps me understand our students and families in a different, and hopefully deeper way.”

“Wonder exists at root of every GU professor,” student finds Gonzaga Will focus its efforts on growing endowment to assist inspiring students Students like ’19 Emma Kar. Though she never visited Spokane, Emma knew that she was destined to attend Gonzaga. She had spent months painstakingly narrowing her nine college choices. Just days before making her decision though, Emma saw the genuine nature of the Zag community, showing her that care for others, compassion and true authenticity awaited her at Gonzaga. Emma says that her Gonzaga education is a blessing, filled with knowledgeable and caring professors who have shaped her best self. One of Emma’s most memorable moments in the classroom was reading “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath in Professor Brian Cooney’s “Outsiders and Rebels” literature course. “That day I experienced an emotional connection with literature in a way I have never before,” Emma

reflects. What made the moment so enlightening was not just the newfound sensation from reading the poem, but also the authentic curiosity that Cooney had for Emma’s feelings about the poem. “This one experience taught me to appreciate the genuine sense of wonder that exists at the root of every professor at Gonzaga.” Of course, for Emma the GU experience would not have been possible without scholarship help. Emma’s thankful for the countless friendships she’s made, basketball games she’s attended, and the professors she’s met that have influenced her life tremendously. Impressively, 1,744 scholarships were awarded from endowed funds this past year, translating into $6.1 million for student assistance. Gonzaga Will pave the way for a brighter future, and a better world with more Zags setting it on fire. Learn more at gonzagawill.com. – Kourtney Schott (’18).

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