March 2025 | Volume 26 No. 7
In This Issue
Finding & Keeping Gonzaga Students
The Maestro Behind the Madness
Making Room to Grow
Dessert of the Month
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, this month’s bake is a Chocolate Guinness Cake, adapted from Nigella Lawson in New York Times Cooking. A chocolate cake from scratch is a staple recipe, but something about the Guinness just sends this recipe over the top.
FOR THE CAKE
Butter, for the pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
¾ cups sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
FOR THE FROSTING
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream (or sub ¼ cup Irish cream)
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter over medium-low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat, then add cocoa and superfine sugar. Whisk to blend.Step 2 Combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered 9-inch cake pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.
Step 3 For the frosting: Use a fork to mix and smooth out any lumps in the confectioners’ sugar, then add in the cream cheese and mix until smooth using a mixer or a food processor. Add heavy cream and mix until smooth and spreadable.
Step 4 Remove cake from pan and place on platter or stand. In Lawson’s words, “Ice top of cake only, so it resembles a frothy pint of Guiness.”
Cheers!
From The Archives
The History of Founder's Day
By Stephanie Plowman, special collections librarian
Traditionally, Founder’s Day recognized Fr. Joseph Cataldo, S.J., who is considered the founder of Gonzaga. Following his death on April 9, 1928, Gonzaga started to recognize his birthday, March 17, as Founder’s Day by giving students the day off. That tradition held through 1972, by which point it became apparent sharing the day with St. Patrick’s Day was problematic.
As reported, by this time students on this day off would be drunk and throw food in the COG. Bill Edmonds wrote in an editorial in the Gonzaga Bulletin, March 24, 1972:
“A little clean fun is fine, and overindulgence in the fruit of the vine is excusable in most circumstances. But a near riot is not to be condoned. When people start throwing salad bowls at each other with murderous intent, events have gotten out of hand. St Patrick's Day (or Founder's Day, if you will) has become an excuse for the most vulgar kind of rowdyism. Wars like the one in the COG Thursday, March 16, are not fun or even mildly enjoyable. They are simply an outlet for all the frustrations of people who drink four or five times a year, cannot hold their liquor in such quantity and are bent on raising all kinds of hell. Maybe Founder's Day should be abolished or at least changed to a different date for the welfare and lives of all.”
The following fall, Gonzaga changed Founder’s Day to October 30. From October 1977 until 1988, Gonzaga even commemorated the founding of the University with a week-long celebration featuring several speakers and events such as a special Mass.
I cannot locate the official decision why the holiday was changed from March to October, but after it was moved to the fall, the holiday was observed on the last Monday of October, possibly to give a day off near mid-terms for students and for faculty. Although Fr. Ignatius of Loyola’s birthday is October 23, 1491, I have never heard his name being associated with Gonzaga’s celebration of Founder’s Day.
Around Campus
March 6, Zags Give Day The biggest day of giving for Gonzaga! Double your impact, create opportunities and transform lives – be a part of something extraordinary on Zags Give Day!
March 7, 7 p.m. The Spokane International Film Festival presents the world premiere of RECOLLECTION by local filmmaker Caden Butera | Myrtle Woldson Center, Coughlin Theater
March 12, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. The 10th annual Women Lead Spring Conference, designed to educate and empower women in the workplace | Hemmingson Center
March 18, 7 p.m. A lecture by Dr. Michael Lobel, professor of art history at Hunter College, entitled “Van Gogh and the End of Nature” | Jepson Center, Wolff Auditorium
March 20, 7:30-8:30 p.m. The Visting Writer Series welcomes Kate Lebo, an essayist, cookbook writer and poet | The Humanities Building, College Commons
March 21, Diversity & Social Justice in Education Conference Submission Deadline
March 21-22, 28-29, 7:30 p.m. and March 23-30, 2 p.m. Watch a post-modern re-telling of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s 1895 “Stupid F**king Bird” | College Hall, Magnuson Theatre
March 27, 4-6 p.m. A compelling panel discussion on the intersections of public health, law and justice, featuring a keynote by Washington State Supreme Court Justice Debra Stephens | Jepson Center, Wolff Auditorium
March 29, 7:30 p.m. A captivating evening of dance by Alonso King LINES Ballet, paying tribute to the iconic Alice Coltrane | Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center
CREW Council Honored
The Department of Nursing Civility, Respect and Employee Wellness (CREW) Council were recently honored with the 2025 Academic Healthy Work Environment Award by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. The CREW council includes Ana Chavez, Trena Redman, Kaylyn O’Rourke, Shauna Ellefson, Erin Hennessy (pictured on phone held by Shauna), Susan Edwards and Alex Giffin (from left to right). The Academic Healthy Work Environment Award recognizes and honors an academic setting that demonstrates commitment to promoting a healthy work environment, involvement in the community, personal health resources to promote health in the work environment and promoting excellence in faculty and student outcomes. Congratulations!
Noteworthy
New Hires
CK Daily, program specialist, University Advancement; Jabez LaBret, executive in residence, School of Business; Jadyn Ashcroft, student services specialist, Graduate Enrollment Management; Jakob Rosman, instructional support and scientific materials specialist, College of Arts and Sciences; Jonathan Wenger, volleyball coach, Athletics; Mary Condon, program coordinator, Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment; Sydney Zinnecker, dance program coordinator, College of Arts and Sciences; Timothy Fennessy, visiting assistant professor, School of Law
Changes/ Promotions
Briana Ingram, integrated work management system administrator, Plant; Chris McGaughey, head men’s soccer coach, Athletics; Christopher Michaelson, men’s soccer assistant coach, Athletics; Claire Le Poullouin, instructional technology specialist, Instructional Design and Delivery; Elizabeth Reamer, budget & personnel officer and facilities support, Plant; Cole Fairbairn, asst director strategic communications, Student Financial Services; Darci Smith, JFVP coordinator, School of Business; Graham Morehead, computer science lecturer-IR, School of Engineering & Applied Sciences; Fr. John C. Bentz, S.J., Jesuit specialist, Mission and Ministry; Kira Fredricks, academic advisor I, Center for Student Academic Success
Goodbyes
Aneshia Jerralds, asst dean for residential experience, Housing and Residence Life; Christopher Almgren, facilities coordinator I, Auxiliary Enterprises; Erin Magnuson, admissions specialist, Graduate Enrollment Management; Jacob Russell, security officer, CPSS; Kenneth Sammons, AVP plant and construction services, Plant; Kindra Gillen, asst volleyball coach, Athletics; Marilyn Johnson, head of technical services librarian, School of Law; McKenzie Hand, academic advisor II, Center for Student Academic Success; Megan Farley, access and accomodation specialist, Center for Student Academic Success; Rebecca Larson, senior training specialist, Human Resources; Sophie Cieslicki, residence director, Housing and Residence Life
Anniversaries
15 Kurt Heimbigner, interim associate vice president, Marketing and Communications
10 Addison Cavanaugh, business solutions and systems analyst, Controller’s Office; Angie Hinz, CURCI program manager, Center for Undergraduate Research