Markers of the McCulloh Presidency

President McCulloh at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new STA Cityline Electric bus service.

During his 16 years as president, McCulloh has championed teamwork, knowing that dynamic growth can only be achieved through collaboration. Through shared leadership, Gonzaga has experienced major developments in student services, community engagement, academic prowess and overall prestige as a nationally recognized institution. All of these have been grounded in commitment to the University’s Catholic, Jesuit, humanistic core and upon the University Strategic Plan, which underwent period reviews and updates to assure relevancy in changing times.

Here, you’ll find examples under the categories of Mission, Academics, Philanthropy, National Recognition and Presidential Initiatives.

Mission

2012 - Statement of Affirmation as a Jesuit University (2024 update)
2013 - Revision of the University mission statement
2015 - Allegiance to the pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si, and development of our Climate Action Plan
2017 - Della Strada Jesuit Community constructed
2017 - Deepened connection to the Jesuits’ Universal Apostolic Preferences
2019 - Mission Priority Examen completion
2020 - Formation programs for faculty and staff (expanded in 2022)
2020 - Created Institutional Work Values to illustrate how we fulfill our mission and vision to serve our students
2022 - Board Pilgrimage to Rome, Vatican City and Florence, Italy

Related Programs Expanded or Launched

2009 - Office of Tribal Relations: Native American Cultural Center, a place of belonging for Indigenous students (rededicated in 2020 as sčintxʷ in the language of the Spokane Tribe); providing context for our Jesuit-Native history
2015 - Office of Sustainability
2021 - Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment (originally Center for Climate, Society and the Environment)

Community Engagement

2020 - Opportunity Northeast, a place-based initiative committed to Northeast Spokane
2020 - Gonzaga Family Haven, a housing partnership with Gonzaga Prep and Catholic Charities Eastern Washington
2020 - Developing the Hamilton Street and Sharp Avenue traffic safety projects
2023 - Supporting the development of Spokane Transit Authority’s City Line project

Focus on Inclusive Programming

2015 - Lincoln LGBTQ+ Resource Center moves to Hemmingson Center and first full-time director joins
2016 - Establishment of the Council on Equity, Inclusion and Intercultural Awareness
2016 - Celebrated 175 years of friendship between the Jesuits and the Native tribes
2017 - First campus climate survey provides insights from faculty, staff and students
2017 - Cultural development added to University mission statement
2019 - Formal space for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
2020 - First Chief Diversity Officer hired
2022 - DEI becomes Office of Inclusive Excellence, completes strategic plan
2022 - Alumni launches affinity communities
2024 - Established the Unity Scholars Program to support students from marginalized communities

Academics

  • Learning environments using the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm
  • Implementing the Provost model of administration integrated academics with student affairs for a seamless whole-person approach to the educational experience
  • Increased grant funding for research from National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health
  • Concentrated efforts around research and creative inquiry
  • Opening and development of various centers and programs to promote student wellbeing
  • Gonzaga in Florence program and campus updates

2013 - The School of Nursing and Human Physiology is established separate from the College of Arts and Sciences (transitioning to the School of Health Sciences in 2024)
2016 - University of Washington School of Medicine - Gonzaga Health Partnership formed (building opens in 2022)
2020 - The Center for Global Engagement partners with Shorelight to create Gonzaga Global
2022 - The Center for Lifelong Learning
2024 - The Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology

Innovative Solutions

2012 - Virtual Campus offers advanced online learning paving the way for the graduate program to double the number of online offerings
2019 - Transitioned from Virtual Campus to Instructional Design & Delivery and Graduate Enrollment Management
2020-2022 - Progressive and creative leadership throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Organized and structured pandemic response
  • Avoidance of massive layoffs or furloughs
  • Unconditional support for Gonzaga in Florence during the pandemic

Philanthropy

Through significant gifts and a sound investment strategy during McCulloh’s presidency, the University endowment rose by 350%, from $106 million to $492 million, ensuring aid for many deserving future Zags. He prioritized nurturing relationships and ensuring benefactors that investing in Gonzaga is advancing the common good, even securing two of the largest private donations in University history. Successful completion of the “Gonzaga Will” capital campaign in 2018 – GU’s largest ever, at $355 million – helped fund many of these great additions to the campus and more:

2012 - Boone Avenue Retail Center (BARC)
2015 - John J. Hemmingson University Center
2017 - Della Strada Jesuit Community
2018 - Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center
2018 - Renovation of the Humanities Building
2021 - John and Joan Bollier Family Center for Integrated Science and Engineering
2025 - Mantua Residence Hall

Athletic Facilities

Since the closure of the Gonzaga Will campaign, the University has raised more than $300 million to help fund scholarships, academic programming and campus development.

National Recognition

2012 - Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke at commencement
2013 - Jane Goodall spoke at the Presidential Speaker Series, followed by Thomas Friedman as well as numerous additional national and international speakers
2013 - First-ever #1 national ranking in men’s basketball
2016-2024 - Gonzaga women’s rowing wins nine consecutive WCC Championships
2017 - First-ever national championship appearance for men's basketball
2018 - Gonzaga debuted as a Top 100 national university, moving up from previous status as a regional institution.
2023 - Gonzaga achieves a 97% graduate placement rate
2023 - Gonzaga recognized in the top 3% for undergraduate teaching programs
2023 - McCulloh is recognized at a global event in China for international student support
2024 - Gonzaga earns recognition as a Phi Beta Kappa institution
2024 - Voted to join the PAC12, effective July 1, 2026
2025 - U.S. Department of Commerce awards $48 million to help launch Spokane as a regional Tech Hub, a project Gonzaga has been a leader in since the beginning

Presidential Initiatives

  • Celebrating Gonzaga's 125th anniversary through special programs like the Presidential Speaker Series and hosting the OPUS Prize
  • Faculty and staff recognition through summer and holiday events and celebration of longtime employees through the Annual Anniversarian Dinner
  • Served on community boards including Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Independent Colleges of Washington, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Committee on Economic Development and Providence Health Care
  • McCulloh recognized on the list of “People of Influence” by the Spokane Journal of Business, noting his efforts to improve quality of life in the Inland Northwest