February 26, 2025
Dear Gonzaga Community,
It is clear in this new year 2025 we have entered a season of tremendous change. Nowhere is the change more evident than at the federal level, where many Executive Orders, funding freezes, and layoffs have significantly affected government agencies as well as public and private organizations, resulting in substantive impacts to the lives of individuals and families. We are already seeing how policy shifts are being reflected across many areas with potential impact on higher education, including immigration, healthcare, research funding, and social service programs, among others.
One of the roles of a university president is to engage with government officials, legislators, and policy makers at the local, state, and federal level. Since the beginning of this semester, I and many colleagues in the administration have been directly engaged in monitoring the activities and communications of our nation’s executive administration, seeking to clarify, understand, and (where applicable) best respond to them. Here are some actions taken to date:
- I have engaged with colleagues from national and state higher education associations and met with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to understand the national response and determine how Gonzaga can best position itself for continued success.
- The Board of Trustees recently engaged in discussions about a host of federal policy issues with Dr. Barbara Mistick, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
- A Campus Federal Support Response Group has been formed to monitor access to federal funding for grants and student aid.
- We continue to actively participate, through our member organizations (including the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities), in efforts to actively respond to communications such as the Department of Education’s recent “Dear Colleague Letter” regarding schools’ “nondiscrimination obligations” with its assertion that programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion are inherently discriminatory. One such example is a Letter of Response, submitted on our behalf by the American Council on Education (ACE) to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights.
In light of the change and disruption that is reflected in daily media headlines, I feel it is important that I share three key observations with you:
First, our Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic mission identity is central to our purpose as a higher education institution. Our values as a faith-based university are enshrined in our institution’s Mission Statement and reflect the seven core themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Our commitment to uphold these values and tenets is a constant in the face of change; our consistent invocation of them enables us to authentically lay claim to our Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic identity. We are a university community called to be people with and for others – especially those whom society has historically discriminated against, marginalized, and ostracized. These values are entirely consistent with federal and state law, and are reflected in Gonzaga’s commitment to inclusive excellence and our longstanding Policy on Non-Discrimination. Rooted in these values and commitments and as reflected in our mission statement, we remain focused on fostering a “. . . mature commitment to the dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet.”
Second, Gonzaga University has successfully navigated many periods of change and disruption across its storied history. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and its reverberations tested the mettle of our institution and its people – and gave us a chance to demonstrate our strength, creativity and resilience. While the going may not be easy, and the challenges may be very real, we must not allow disruptive forces to distract us from our individual and collective purpose, which is nothing less than the pursuit of truth as well as the transfer and generation of knowledge in service to humanity. Central to the success of this project is a commitment to listening to and engaging with many voices and perspectives, including (and sometimes especially) those very different from our own, and ones with whom we may disagree.
Third, we remain resolute in the belief that the nation and the world need Gonzaga University – and in particular, the talents and abilities of our remarkable students and graduates. I am constantly reminded of the incredible impact that Gonzaga alumni have made, and are making today, in professional endeavors and communities around the world. Our work is focused on creating a better future, expressed through the myriad endeavors and activities of our alumni, faculty, and staff. We must be constantly buoyed by this mission and the hope-filled future promised by it.
While it is not possible to know precisely how the actions at the federal level will impact each of us or our university, it is important to acknowledge the effect that policy changes and their implementation have had on members of our community. As a university that prioritizes its commitment to the health and welfare of every one of its members, it is important that I reinforce and underscore Gonzaga’s commitment to doing everything we possibly can to support all of our students, faculty, and staff. If you find yourself in need of assistance, please reach out and let someone know. (Please see Gozaga's Care & Support Resources; employees can also access resources at the Benefits portal of "MyGU")
Please be assured that we will continue to focus our efforts on understanding the intentions and implications of proposed and implemented change at the federal, state, and local level. As befits the role of a university in the context of a constitutional republic, we will continue to actively engage with legislators, agency officials and policymakers to influence decisions that will support our mission-based commitments. We will continue to share information that becomes available and continue to work to create opportunities for community engagement on important topics. Do not hesitate to bring forth your concerns and suggestions so that we together can actively engage these issues. Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Thayne M. McCulloh, D.Phil.
President