President's Message: Celebrating Milestones and Community

Dear Friends, Alumni, and Supporters,

This summer marked the conclusion of my fifteenth (and penultimate) year as Gonzaga’s President, but I can hardly remember a busier or more dynamic time in the university’s history. The concluding event of every academic year is, of course, commencement, and we celebrated the accomplishments of over 2,000 newly-minted alumni across three ceremonies. For our undergraduates, this held special meaning: The Class of 2024 was constituted of students who began their Gonzaga journey at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many businesses (including universities) were closed or operating via distance technology. Those students who chose to begin, or continue, their GU journey during those challenging months will forever remain close to my heart.

Just days following our commencement ceremonies we joined nearly 300 alumni in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Gonzaga-in-Florence program, and the dedication of the beautiful memorial fountain and courtyard made possible by major benefaction from the family of Trustee Emeritus Angelo and Phyllis Mozilo. Phyllis and Angelo were unfailing supporters of the Gonzaga-in-Florence program, and their children have continued their support of the program that bears their family name. This flagship study abroad program – one of the oldest and best-known in the city – continues to inspire and engage students in an immersive experience so popular that we must limit the numbers that can participate.

Also in the category of new buildings, a 90-bed residence hall, Mantua Hall, is in the final months of construction at the corner of Sharp Avenue and Cincinnati Street. Mantua Hall – named for the Duchy in northern Italy over which the Gonzaga family once ruled – is contemplated as the first in a sequence of new residential facilities to both replace aged facilities and increase campus housing for undergraduates.

As I reflect on the meaning and purpose of these events, initiatives, and facilities I am deeply humbled by the generosity of so many individuals who continue to make achievement of our Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic mission possible. Inspired by their own experience of Gonzaga, alumni and friends continue to help us create an even more robust living and learning environment for our students – one within which the true manifestation of “community” can take root and flourish.

Community – that which connotes and engenders a deep and abiding care and concern for one another, whether on campus among employees and students, or off-campus in the extensive and rapidly growing networks of alumni, parents, fans and friends – is showcased in every story of this magazine. You’ll see a glimpse of the many ways students celebrate their unique cultural communities and how they rally to work toward greater representation on campus and beyond. Alumni will reminisce and connect over traditions gone by. Families will find solace in learning about some of the many ways our tremendous colleagues continue to deepen our focus on whole-person care for their students, a testament to the Jesuit tenet of cura personalis.

There are countless other examples ahead. I’d be remiss not to point out the tremendous gifts to the sense of belonging that two longtime team members have contributed over a collective 76 years at GU. Now retired, Dr. Raymond Reyes and Dale Goodwin have, in their unique ways, fostered the spirit of Gonzaga in undeniable ways. No doubt some of you have had special encounters with them both.

Community-building is certainly not only the domain those who have spent their careers on our campus. Mandi Price (’13), shown on the cover, is building a remarkable Hollywood career that includes her hopes to “fill L.A. with Zags.” She means that. And gratefully, she is one of many alumni who are building Zag communities across the country.

These examples, a few of the million things that make us who we are, are testament to the heart of what makes Gonzaga a unique community, and a reflection of our Jesuit mission identity, which has always called us to be “with and for others.”May God continue to bless us all in the days and years to come.

With deep gratitude,

Thayne M. McCulloh, D.Phil
President