Intimate Intellectual Pursuits with Gonzaga's Jesuit Honor Society

A large group of students at Alpha Sigma Nu conference
Gonzaga chapter president Jade Treese (front left) attending an ASN conference in Chicago.
September 28, 2023
Lucy Klebeck ('23)

Every year, juniors and seniors at Gonzaga in the top 15% of their class receive an email inviting them to apply for membership in Alpha Sigma Nu (ASN), the Jesuit Honors Society. The email students receive states that “as a member of the society you will be able to meet and celebrate this life with others like yourself who want to talk about great books, big ideas, their spiritual life, or work making the world a better place.” ASN is the only honor society permitted to use the Jesuit name and Gonzaga’s chapter was established in 1939.

Out of those invited, only a small portion of students who apply will be accepted, resulting in about 4% of the junior class and 2% of the senior class being inducted each year. In the 2022-23 school year 40 juniors and 29 seniors were admitted. The induction ceremony and banquet take place at Bozarth Mansion, where students are given an engraved Alpha Sigma Nu pin and a medal to be worn at graduation.

Students typically apply based on their desire to become a part of an intellectual community on campus and are evaluated on a combination of their academics, leadership and service involvement. Current Gonzaga Alpha Sigma Nu President Jade Treese, a senior nursing major, decided to apply after studying abroad. She wanted to become more involved on campus and was “excited to find a community through academics that allows for scholarly conversations that [her] friends could have but might not necessarily want to have.”

Following induction into ASN, members are invited to attend events put on by the society around campus. All events are funded by President Thayne McCulloh, himself a former Gonzaga ASN student president. The events range from talks given by GU faculty to community service projects to spiritual practices. Last year, the society handed out backpacks and restaurant vouchers to members of the community suffering from homelessness and led a practice of the “Morning Prayer” from the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Catholic church.

Academic presentations put on by the society typically feature Gonzaga faculty members, and while they are not widely promoted, they are open to all students. The lack of promotion encourages intimate conversation between members, and the subject matter serves as a jumping point for intellectual discussion with fellow society members and students.

This intimacy serves to develop intellectual community, which is integral to ASN, and director Dan Bradley states that the primary purpose of the society is to celebrate students “who have excelled to the highest levels in their pursuit of the values of a Jesuit education: intellectual growth, service to others and the development of a spiritual life.”

ASN is nationally and internationally recognized. An international scope encourages connections and conversations between Jesuits across the globe. Inducted students become members for life, and graduates are encouraged to stay connected through alumni club meetings in major cities.

Currently, the 2023-24 leadership team and Bradley are busy planning academic, service, and spiritual events for the upcoming year and a new round of students are beginning the application process.