President’s Perspective
With every ending, a beginning
T
his issue of Gonzaga Quarterly finds the university in that very special time of summer celebration and renewal. After an intense and extended spring, Commencement Weekend and the culmination of years of effort came all too quickly; in an instant, it seems, the graduates walk across the stage, shift the tassels of their mortarboards from right to left, and are gone. The Latin root of the word “graduate” is gradus, which means “step.” Along with the root of the word “commencement,” which is “to initiate,” the word “graduation” reminds us that the culmination of our educational endeavor is about preparing our students for new beginnings and taking new steps. What commencement reminds us is that with every ending there is also a beginning – and that this beginning is as much the case for Gonzaga as it is for every student who begins and ends their time with us. The dramatic change in tempo is deceptive, however, for it is but a prelude to a summer filled with important and exciting activity. By the time you read this, we will already have had students enrolled in summer session for nearly five weeks; the Gonzaga-in-Florence summer program will be winding down; and students on faculty-led study abroad programs from Zambia to the Galapagos will be well into their exotic and deeply significant adventures. Campus is filled from June through August with young people attending sports camps and conferences. And offices from Academic Services to Student Life to Plant Services are busily preparing publications, buildings, and programs for the academic year to come. Just before our graduation ceremonies began, we marked an important date in the process of enrolling our incoming freshmen class for next fall: the May 1 deadline for decision-making. Our goal has been to enroll an entering undergraduate class of between 1,050 and 1,100, and based on the early-May return it appears as though we will not only achieve that goal, but it will likely be the most academically prepared entering class in our history. Reflective of our commitment to student diversity, it will also be one of our most ethnically, economically, and geographically diverse classes as well. For the Law School, this has been a record year in terms of applications as well as continued success in attracting students from ethnically diverse communities; the proportion of women applicants has also dramatically increased. In the face of a challenging economy and a very competitive higher education environment,
our colleagues in Admission and Financial Aid have done exceptionally well; we have much indeed to be grateful for. There are many changes that will continue to define us as this summer unfolds, some of them in key leadership positions. This issue offers, for example, a feature on our incoming academic vice president, Dr. Patricia O’Connell Killen. I also want to share with you an exciting and important development in our senior leadership that will meaningfully help the administration advance the institution’s welfare over the coming several years. After consultation with the Trustees, I was given approval to create the position of executive vice president. It is my hope and intention that this position will allow us to create a more integrated and efficient organization, in part by bringing a number of separate operational departments of the university together under a single divisional umbrella. It is also my pleasure to share with you that the position will be filled by Earl “Marty” Martin, who for the past four years has served as dean of the Law School and most recently as acting academic vice president. As the position becomes more clearly defined over the course of the summer, I will share information about it with you. At press time, I was informed of another imminent transition that will take place later this summer: our longtime Dean of the School of Professional Studies Dr. Mary McFarland has accepted a position as director of a new and very important international project. The Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins is a new initiative launched in conjunction with Jesuit Refugee Services and the worldwide Society of Jesus, to support distance delivery of collegiate education to displaced peoples living in refugee camps around the globe. Dr. McFarland’s continued involvement with this endeavor in her new capacity will keep her connected to Gonzaga and will in turn keep Gonzaga at the forefront of Jesuit distance education worldwide. I am profoundly grateful to each and every one of you – from our newest to our oldest alumni, our parents, benefactors, Jesuits and good friends – for your constant belief that the renewal of our mission is a cause worth supporting and believing in. Summer is frequently a time of travel and adventure: may your summertime adventures, whether they take you abroad or only into your own backyard, be safe and enjoyable ones. May the Holy Spirit guide and protect you; and may Christ’s peace be with you always.
Dr. Thayne McCulloh Gonzaga interim president
SUMMER 2010– 3