Dear Gonzaga Community,

From my first day on campus a little over a year ago, I experienced an energy and spirit that carried well beyond the physical campus in Spokane. Just walk through any airport across the country wearing Zags gear and you will know what I mean. This is why starting a Presidential Tour to meet our alumni in their towns is so exciting; one gets to experience the same spirit thousands of miles away, right there, in front of your eyes. Be it a game watch or similar alumni gathering, Zags come together to meet other Zags and share their stories.

Having the opportunity to meet our engaged alumni community in Washington, D.C., through our Forging Forward series was both meaningful and fun. Hearing them share cherished memories from their formative years at Gonzaga, along with their hopes for our future and the things they care about, is both inspiring and energizing as it carries that “be more, do more” vision they learned in Gonzaga’s classrooms as they internalized the notion of ”magis” alongside math, science, literature and other subjects.

That same spirit of “be more, do more” inspiration carried into my recent visit to Olympia with senior Jack Kashork, one of our current students who represented our student body so well when meeting with state lawmakers to advocate for the Washington College Grant and the College Bound Scholarship programs. As an ambassador for the Independent Colleges of Washington, Jack spoke powerfully about the importance of access, ensuring students can continue to choose the institution that aligns with their goals and values, and still receive state funding at the same level as those attending public colleges and universities. His passion for Gonzaga and commitment to his fellow students shone through in the Spokesman-Review article published after our visits.

Even as I travel to represent Gonzaga and navigate broader challenges facing higher education, my thoughts return constantly to our campus and to our community. When visiting with other presidents and colleagues in higher ed, I hear firsthand how they are also dealing with the heightened political tensions and growing pressures on educational programs and funding, resources we had somewhat taken for granted as essential threads in the fabric of an educated citizenship. Beyond facing funding cuts that call for rethinking instructional delivery models and continuing important services with fewer resources, many of our campuses are in places where people are experiencing fear, concern, and uncertainty for their future, their safety and their sense of belonging.

I still remember the day I arrived in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1993. I had an extra day to wait until the dorms opened, and I was alone in a new town, an ocean away from home and did not know what to do, what the future would bring. I was asking myself, “Will I fit in? How will this be?” As I do every time I have questions popping up in my mind with few answers, I walked into an open church on Pennsylvania Avenue, just at the edges of Georgetown.

It was communion time and I naturally decided to follow the crowd and line up. I just walked straight forward, unaware that there was an orderly row-by-row process to lining up for communion. I probably broke 15 rules of good behavior right then, without even noticing. It was only at the end of mass, when a woman with a shining big smile came to me standing at the back of the church that I realized what just happened. She hugged me and said only one sentence: “Welcome to the United States!” No judgment, no reprimand, nothing. Just a smile, a hug, and a welcome to this strange girl who had no clue that in the United States, you line up in order at the time of communion!

I knew right then that I had arrived home, my new home, a place where I would always find people who would make me feel welcome.

Recently, Vice President for Mission Integration Ellen Maccarone and University Chaplain Fr. Robert Lyons, S.J., shared a message of support related to ongoing federal immigration actions, along with reminder on how to find help. As a university that exists as part of a larger network of Catholic institutions dedicated to universal hospitality, encountering the stranger, and ensuring broad access to and achievement of educational opportunities, we deeply believe in welcoming and supporting the members of our community. We continue to provide assistance to those in need either directly or through collaborations.

Commitment to respecting the dignity of every human person, to justice, and to standing with those who are most vulnerable are the core tenets of our Jesuit, Catholic, and humanistic institutions. Our memberships in the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Ignatian Solidarity Network strengthen this work, and we will continue to lean on our national and international networks to stay true to our centuries-old mission of care and service to the common good.

Let’s continue to be present with each other and remind everyone of the many resources available to us, within and outside our campus. It is in these simple acts of attention and kindness that we can be close with and for others, ready to lend not just a hand, but a hug. Sometimes, a simple “welcome home” goes a long way.