COMMITMENT 1:
FOSTER RESPONSIBILITY FOR SHARED MISSION
Goal 1: Ensure that all students are afforded structured opportunities for mission education, spiritual development and faith formation.
3, 6, 11, 12
Meredith McKay, Rian Oliver
Goal 2: Further develop and assess the integration of mission and identity into all aspects of University life, to include the education of our [faculty and staff to enhance their work with] students, the hiring and development of faculty and staff, and the evaluation of our academic program.
6, 12
Ellen Maccarone, Academic Deans, Director of Office of Mission Engagement
• Offer retreats, small groups and Christian Life Communities, ecumenical and interfaith groups, and student employment.
• Zags360 (student-athlete holistic wellness program) helps students grow in areas of mind, body, and spirit.
• University Ministry and the First-Year Seminar partner to provide intentional mission programming, increasing students’ understanding of the mission.
• Collaborations with Nursing including spiritual support for health students experiencing grief or encountering traumatic experiences in clinical settings.
Goal 3: Be a leader in incorporating the environmental call of Laudato Sí. 6, 7, 10 ,12
Jim Simon, Brian Henning, Meredith McKay
• Continue faculty and staff mission formation programs and support academic deans and faculty for mission-informed educational offerings, including Discernment Workshops for mid-and later-career faculty and Leading in a Jesuit University for all employees.
• Added mission development in the Essentials for Supervision series by HR.
• Amended language of this goal; see italicized phrase within brackets.
• Gonzaga Explore: a summer outdoor adventure for high school students to explore ecology, theology, and leadership.
• Participation in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, working toward the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
• The Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment became the Inland Northwest’s leader in helping communities understand and respond to the climate crisis, generating publicity for Gonzaga over the last four years. See Annual Impact Report - https://climateinstitute.my.canva.site/ay25
• The Office of Sustainability assesses progress toward Climate Action Plan (CAP) goals, completing AASHE STARS, a comprehensive framework for understanding industry-held standards in sustainability in higher education. An update to the CAP is also underway.
Developing Dashboard
Goal 4: Infuse our work with the commitments of the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAP). 1, 6, 7, 8/9, 10, 12
Molly Ayers, Ann Ciasullo, Brian Henning, Ellen Maccarone, Meredith McKay
• University-wide programs support all four of the UAPs. Continued investment in outdoor learning models is crucial in caring for our common home.
• University Ministry helps students find who they want to be as they leave Gonzaga - a way of ‘journeying with youth toward a hope-filled future’.
• Each element will be evaluated via the Mission Priority Examen (MPE) and the expected annual report to the provincial after the second round MPE.
• Mission Formation took 36 faculty and staff to see Gonzaga’s Opportunity Northeast Initiative in action, showing ‘journeying with youth toward a hope filled future’ and ‘walking with the excluded’.
• The Climate Institute merges three UAPs ‘journeying with youth toward a hopefilled future,’ ‘care for our common home,’ and ‘walking with the excluded’.
Goal 5: In response to the formation of the Jesuits West Province and its call for continued and enhanced regional collaboration ‘through partnerships and in networks, to serve the people of God,’ further develop and enhance partnership initiatives with the Spokane Diocese and other apostolic partners. 6, 7, 12
Molly Ayers, Ellen Maccarone, Meredith McKay
• Partners include the Catholic Diocese, Opportunity Northeast (ONE), Gonzaga Family Haven, the CORE of US West, and the Office of Tribal Relations’ ongoing work including Salish language revitalization and summer camps for Native students.
• Others are Gonzaga Prep, St. Al’s parish & elementary school, SEEL-Spokane, The ‘Chief Mission Officer + 1’ initiative, and ongoing support of the Nazareth Guild.
• University Ministry, Jesuits West and the Ignatian Solidarity Network partner to build long-term networks.
• The Center for Community Engagement partners with Gonzaga Family Haven and Opportunity Northeast.
• After the loss of federal funding for AmeriCorps, the Center for Community Engagement began a new partnership with Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest to support shared efforts to serve local youth, address food insecurity, and promote environmental justice and sustainability.
Developing
In-Progress
COMMITMENT 2:
ANIMATE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE INSTITUTION
Goal 1: Develop academic programs of distinction for Gonzaga. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Mia Bertagnolli, Academic Deans & Directors
GU implements nationally recognized markers of academic excellence, including new academic programs, institutes and centers, such as the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology and the School of Health Sciences. GU joined Phi Beta Kappa as well.
• The UW-GU Health Partnership has created research opportunities for both medical students and undergraduate students through the McKinstry Fellows and Seattle Summer Research Initiative. Cross-institutional and co-curricular leadership development programs include the Leadership Pathways Program and the Gonzaga sponsored Certificate in Health Care Leadership. Joint hires of faculty create specialized and unique educational experiences.
Goal 2: Foster a rich, evolving Core curriculum promoting critical inquiry and discourse. 3, 6
Kathleen Jeffs, Ann Ciasullo
Core Curriculum launched in 2016 and a mid-cycle accreditation NWCCU visit in 2023 showed recommendations were fulfilled. Three foundational Core courses - COMM 100, ENGL 101, and PHIL 101 - now feature a new outcome focusing on digital and AI literacy.
• Several workshops on innovative curricular development in the First Year Seminar (FYS) and Core Integration Seminars (CIS) feature interdisciplinary team teaching.
• The Core continues to partner with Housing and Residence Life on LivingLearning Communities (LLCs); several sections of the FYS are populated with students in themed LLCs (e.g. Cura Personalis, Learns to Lead, etc.).
Goal 3: Offer student experiences to deepen understanding of cultures and global issues. 3, 6, 7
Tina Isabelli, Nate Mannetter, Ann Ciasullo
All international students are integrated into our university systems for stronger international, graduate, and undergraduate student experience and support. The Core and the CGE co-sponsored two workshops on enhancing learning and classroom experiences for international students. Targets include:
• at least 50% undergraduate participation in Study Abroad; 2025 is 56.3%.
• annually hosting four international visiting scholars, including Fulbrights; 2025 hosted seven international faculty.
• 6% of entering undergraduates and 15% of graduate students will be from outside the U.S.; Fall 2024 showed 5% of entering undergraduates and 7% of graduate students.
METRICS & MEASURES
(p.32, 2023 Strategic plan)
1-13, 15, 17-19, 26, 27, 35, 38-40
2-4, 7, 8, 10, 38, 39
5-7, 18, 19
In-Progress
Developing Dashboard
Goal 4: Attract, support, and retain a richly diverse faculty and staff.
Goal 5: Undergraduate students will gain skills through experiential learning.
6
Mia Bertagnolli, Jamie Jamieson Tancrell, Robin Kelley
3, 6, 7
Goal 6: Full-time faculty pursue scholarly, artistic, and professional activities. 4
Kathleen Jeffs, Nichole Barta, Ray Angle, Jeff Dodd, Kent Porterfield, Molly Ayers
Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan guides continued progress toward 2022 targets: minimally, 20% full-time faculty and staff will comprise employees from racially, ethnically or culturally diverse populations (using federally-defined categories). 2025 target: increase the percentage. Offering training for search committees on inclusive hiring practices.
Experiential learning takes many forms at Gonzaga, selected indicators we are tracking:
• Student Research Target: 40% of all undergraduate students engage in research during their time at Gonzaga. The 2022 NSSE 33.3% of students responded that they ‘plan to do’ or had ‘done’ to ‘have worked with a faculty member on a research project’ compared to 39.5% in 2025.
• Student Internships Target: 80%. The NSSE 2022 data respondents showed 81.4% of seniors either ‘planned to do’ or ‘had done’ an internship, co-op, field experience, student teaching, or clinical placement compared to 82.4% in 2025.
• The Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology is hiring research assistants as interns to assist engineers in the Institute to develop responsible AI tools.
• The Center for Community Engagement offers 21 academic and co-curricular community engagement programs annually. 2,326 students engaged in these programs over the 24-25 academic year.
Mia Bertagnolli, Nichole Barta, CURCI, Jackie Van Allen
Goal 7: Adopt research-based high-impact practices in our pedagogies. 3, 4, 6, 7
Mia Bertagnolli, Kent Porterfield, Nichole Barta
Faculty who contribute to scholarship and artistic expression positively impact the world, our community, and our broader society, a response to the Jesuit imperative to be contemplatives in action. Gonzaga is committed to seeking external grants and revenues that support faculty professional development.
• Target: Regularly secure $5M of annual external grant support.
Engaging holistically with faculty, staff, and advisors supports development of the whole person. Many of our high-impact practices, including community engaged learning, living-learning communities, first-and final-year seminars, global studies, research, internships (See Goal 5) are tracked in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Our 2025 participation rate for the NSSE was an impressive 35.4% (compared to 17.8% the last NSSE, 2022) and we will be interpreting the results in Fall 2025. The Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology is developing a ZAGAI Learning Assistant, providing real-time student feedback for a holistic view of student learning to faculty.
2-4, 7-10, 18, 35, 38, 39
Goal 8: Foster community, trust, and confidence through shared governance. 6, 8/9
Mia Bertagnolli
GU offers opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators and students to address matters in which they have a direct and reasonable interest. Faculty participate in governance through the Faculty Assembly and the Faculty Senate. Review of the Faculty Handbook is underway through a collaboration between faculty and administration. The Staff Assembly provides a forum for staff to communicate effectively with one another and with the administration. The University Budget Committee (UBC) meets four times a year, and includes representatives appointed by the Faculty Senate, Staff Assembly, and the Gonzaga Student Body Association.
20-22, 25, 36, 37
PROVIDE AN INTEGRATIVE JESUIT
EDUCATIONAL
EXPERIENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS
Goal 1: We seek to make college accessible.
5 Nate Mannetter
Goal 2: Enroll and support a richly diverse student body. 5, 3, 6
Nate Mannetter, Kent Porterfield, Kathleen Jeffs, Robin Kelley
• In 2018 Gonzaga implemented a full-tuition commitment for high-need students, known as the Gonzaga Access Pledge. This financial aid program aimed to provide robust and transparent financial support for Pell-eligible students from the State of Washington. Under this, new first-year students who qualify for the Pell Grant will have the full amount of their tuition covered with grants and scholarships for the duration of their time as a full-time undergraduate.
• The 1887 program offers hardship grants, study abroad, and experiential learning opportunities that include Pell students. As we build the first-and second-year programs and advertise them to families, we will also measure impact and accessibility for all of our students.
The 2022 goal was 30% of each entering undergraduate class to comprise students from racially, ethnically, or culturally diverse populations, including international students (using federally-defined categories). 2025 goal: increase the percentage. The first-and second-year experience programming are recording participation and access for all students, including BRIDGE and Unity Scholars. The Senior Survey and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) will indicate both participation and impact for all students. In 2025 we increased the number of students trained in intercultural fluency to assist with retention of all students.
In Spring 2025 GU applied to renew the prestigious Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which we have held since 2016. The goal is to ensure that every student who wants a quality civic engagement learning experience will be offered the opportunity.
service. 3, 7, 11, 12
Kent Porterfield, Molly Ayers, Meredith McKay, Rian Oliver
• Opportunity Northeast, Gonzaga’s place-based initiative, involves students, faculty, and staff in transformative, experiential learning opportunities while engaging deeply in shared community development.
• First-year and second-year program surveys as well as the NSSE will gauge impact and participation to gather the voices of our students.
• University Ministry trains small group leaders, retreat leaders, and a monthly leader formation cohort for those who desire to develop faith-based leadership skills.
• 2025: Course sections with the Community Engaged Learning attribute increased by 23% year-over-year from 102 in 23-24 to 125 in 24-25. The number of students in CEL courses increased 15.5% from 1,599 in 23-24, to 1,847 in 24-25.
&
(p.32, 2023 Strategic plan)
Goal 3: Foster student leadership through exploration and
Goal 4: Develop resiliency, well-being, healthy living, community, and flourishing.
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8/9, 11, 12
Jennifer Fountain, Meredith McKay, Rian Oliver
• University Ministry reports larger numbers of students in faith-based small groups, and greater connection with religiously-affiliated clubs and organizations. Our definitions for well-being include ways of being that challenge our culture’s obession with busy-ness and achievement. Initiatives such as a weekly phone-free zone are working, evidenced by increased participation.
• Health and Counseling Services in 2025 completed internal and external reviews; New Student and Family Programs incorporates wellbeing and flourishing into Orientation to help students succeed; Zags360, our studentathlete wellness program, examines opportunities for all Gonzaga students. The first and second year experience programming, including living learning and co-curricular options, give us a chance to accompany students on holistic journey at GU.
• Gonzaga served as Lead Higher Education partner with Lakeside Companies in developing a consortium for a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The resulting American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center is one of only 31 federally designated “Tech Hubs.”
• The UW School of Medicine-GU Health Partnership’s health education, research and innovation center opened in 2022.
• The Informatics Institute is collaborating with SEAS and the School of Business for a $70M NIST Proposal with UW, University of Idaho, Community Colleges, and industry for a Center on AI-powered Resilient Aerospace Manufacturing.
Goal 5: Develop partnerships that support regional needs, community engaged learning. 1, 2, 6, 7, 12
John Sklut, Dori Sonntag, Jay Yang, Julie Wolter, Molly Ayers, Ellen Maccarone, Meredith McKay
• University Ministry provides hands-on opportunities with Global Neighborhood Thrift, Feast World Kitchen, and the West Central Abbey Dinner Table, as examples. Community prayers for hope and healing keep our students spiritually connected with our area’s most vulnerable people.
• Outdoor Learning is partnering with academic areas such as Environmental Studies.
• The Center for Community Engagement partners with over 100 area non-profits. Through Opportunity Northeast, Gonzaga’s place-based initiative, over 600 GU students serve in schools, community-based organizations; University faculty and staff lead youth educational programs, workforce development initiatives, food security programs, and economic development initiatives that serve 600+ youth and 500+ adults.
• President McCulloh launched Gonzaga’s Corporate Engagement Council, made up of academic and administrative leadership who are focused on delivering a vision to become the premier higher education partner for the business community in the region and nationally. Eleven companies are centrally managed as a start to this effort with a focus on enhanced collaboration to make GU a stronger partner in the region.
6: Students will demonstrate readiness to transition into their educational, professional, or vocational journey.
3 Ray Angle
• Target: average of four students per year receiving national baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate fellowships. In 2024 we had a a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship who secured admission into Oxford University and will have her tuition waived.
• Target: 90% of undergraduate students successfully transitioning to their next educational, professional or vocational stage within one year of graduation. The First Destination Survey success rate for the undergraduate class for the past five years is as follows: 2021: 95.8%; 2022: 95.1%; 2023: 92.9%; 2024: 91.7%.
Developing 7, 8, 35, 40
Goal
COMMITMENT 4:
OPTIMIZE INSTITUTIONAL STEWARDSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY
GOAL
Goal 1: Enhance student success, retention, and graduation. 3, 5
Kathleen Jeffs, Kent Porterfield, Jennifer Fountain, Dean’s Offices, Everyone
Goal 2: Continually manage operating revenues and expenses to execute our mission. Cabinet, ELT, Deans, Everyone
The target four-year undergraduate graduation rate is reliably at or above 80%, and the target six-year graduation rate is at or above 90%. To address emerging headwinds facing higher education we are standing up new efforts to increase student outreach, engagement, and support, including technology investments (CRM) and opportunties for connection.
Financial stewardship includes the careful management of gifts and endowment funds.
• Our goal is to maintain a healthy operating margin between 3% and 5% to ensure long-term financial sustainability. While the pandemic impacted results in FY 2020 and FY 2021, we saw a strong rebound in FY 2022 due to the return of regular revenue streams, staffing savings, and a generous $5 million unrestricted gift.
• FY 2023 presented challenges, with rising costs — especially from inflation and new building expenses—outpacing modest revenue growth. In FY 2024, we made progress through increased revenues and strategic budget adjustments.
• Net Operating Margins by Fiscal Year: FY 2020: 1.7%; 2021: 2.5%; 2022: 5.7%; 2023: -1.7%; 2024: 1.0%.
We continue to monitor and adapt our financial strategies to support Gonzaga’s mission and long-term vitality.
Goal 3: Elevate Gonzaga’s market position as among the nation’s premier, accessible academic institutions through effective marketing and communications of Gonzaga’s distinctive attributes and Jesuit values. 5, 11, 6
Kurt Heimbigner, Nate Mannetter, Jay Yang, Devon Thomas
Gonzaga refreshed its brand strategy with “Lead the Way.” In 2025, US News ranked Gonzaga #98 in the “National University” category and #56 for best undergraduate teaching. Kiplinger’s named Gonzaga the #21 best value among private universities and the #62 best value among all colleges and universities nationwide. In 2025 Gonzaga established a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society. Gonzaga was recognized with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award and is regularly named as Top 10 school for veterans.
• The Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology collaborates with Enrollment Management and Marketing and Communications to showcase informatics in the Core Curriculum and across disciplines, to position GU as a university of choice for interdisciplinary, humanity-centered learning and innovation in informatics.
• Gonzaga continues to strengthen the durability and competitiveness of all Division 1 intercollegiate programs to differentiate Gonzaga as a nationallyrecognized athletic institution. In particular, the University will support its successful men’s and women’s basketball programs to maintain and improve the competitive position these create for the University. The impacts of recent changes to the NCAA Constitution and the Transformation Committee in Division I require further assessment.
& MEASURES
(p.32, 2023 Strategic plan)
1-4, 7, 8, 10, 2628, 31-33, 35, 38-39
Developing 11, 16
Goal 4: Enhance people strategies, systems, and processes enabling faculty and staff to maximize their contribution to the mission. 3, 4, 6, 12
Cabinet, ELT, Mia Bertagnolli, Nichole Barta, Ray Kliewer, Ellen Maccarone
• Mission Formation Programs for employees grew. In 2025, 16 faculty and staff members became Mission Advocates after completing the program. Six faculty and staff participated in programs offered by AJCU, ACCU or Collegium. Since 2020, more than seventy faculty and fifty staff have participated in the formation cohorts.
• In Spring 2025 Gonzaga received first place at the Eddy Awards for the best retirement plan transition in the non-profit sector. Named best-in-class among more than 1,000 entries nationwide, Gonzaga was recognized for its innovative work to improve retirement planning for its employees by increasing engagement, readiness, and financial security. This work marks a significant expansion of employee assistance resources.
• Gonzaga is a finalist for the Plan Sponsor of the Year award from Plan Sponsor (Industry Association). Developing 13, 19, 23-25, 36, 37, 40
Goal 5: Create and Maintain welcoming and inclusive spaces.
3
Kent Porterfield, Robin Kelley, Tomson Spink, Tony Brown, Becky Wilkey, Borre Ulrichsen
• The Second Year Village proposal includes construction phases to reduce costs. A learning commons is planned in Foley Library, and a reconciliation and reflection space is envisioned in collaboration with the Diocese of Spokane. The former Bea House houses the School of Leadership Studies and the Honors Program.
• A comprehensive Campus Threat Assessment prioritizes maintenance projects to maintain a safe and healthy environment. A Top Risks List provides a framework to more efficiently steward resources while reducing environmental impacts and risk exposure.
• A comprehensive BIAS Team Response Protocol ensures a welcoming, safe, and inclusive campus environment by creating opportunities for restorative solutions, civil discourse, and corrective coaching.
Goal 6: Maintain enrollments through program options, enrollment planning. 1, 3, 6 Mia Bertagnolli, Nate Mannetter
Goal 7: Drive more efficient and effective processes and technology to enhance student, faculty and staff engagement. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Borre Ulrichsen, Darren Owsley, Tomson Spink, Justin Marquis, Jay Yang
Goal 8: Steward and grow benefaction to ensure access and affordability, improve academic programs, and fund strategic initiatives. 6 Cabinet, Dori Sonntag, Jeff Geldien Chris Johnson
The Schools and the College are re-imagining existing programs, e.g., The data Science Master’s program bridges students in engineering, business, health science, mathematics, and other fields.
We are continually updating our Information Technology infrastructure to ensure our services and processes best serve our community and our mission. We have made significant investment in our ZRM (Zags Relationship Management system) to best facilitate our student engagement. Engineering staff (one data scientist and two AI engineers) were hired to specifically drive efficiency and sustainability for pedagogical and scholarly innovation across disciplines. In-Progress 2-4, 25
Growing and sustaining unrestricted fund revenues and increasing endowment contributions provide a durable funding source that improves the long-term financial sustainability of our academic mission and strengthens our ability to support robust and equitable financial aid programs.
• Target: $70 - $90 million in annual fundraising activity by 2030 (gifts, pledges and expectancies); 2025-$75M+ raised as of April 30, 2025.
• Target: Increase the endowment of the University to $500 million. 2024: $487.1m.
• Target: Increase endowment principal by $300 million from donor commitments by 2030.
• For these figures see the Annual Report of the President, “Endowments and Life Income Values”, p. 20.
Gonzaga University Office of the President
502 E. Boone Avenue
Spokane, WA 99258