Gambling on McCulloh

This summer, as many of the returning students know, the board of trustees made a largely symbolic yet historic decision. In July they gave Thayne McCulloh the honor of a full appointment to the position of president of Gonzaga.

Considering that McCulloh was our interim president last year, this appointment to the position would seem second-nature. Why not appoint the guy who already has the job? However, McCulloh becomes the first non-Jesuit president of Gonzaga, a tradition that the university was very proud of. So deep is this tradition that two votes were needed to make it happen. First, the board of members, an all-Jesuit board, had to vote to suspend Gonzaga's bylaws stating that the president of the University would be a member of the Jesuits. Only after that vote could board of trustees vote to appoint McCulloh. This means that either the board could not find a Jesuit willing to man the post or that McCulloh, with his years of experience in the Gonzaga administration, was simply the right man for the job at the right time. I fully believe that the board of trustees saw the latter and I agree with their decision to appoint McCulloh. It is nice to see an individual whom most Gonzaga students have only known as "interim," whether it be the academic vice president or president of the University, to finally have a permanent post.

Gonzaga has multiple issues facing it this fall. Obviously these are  tough economic times and Gonzaga will be hard pressed to make sure that all of those who want to attend Gonzaga can afford to go here. Couple this with a potentially dwindling donor base (again because of bad economic times), the fact that we do not have enough beds on campus to house all of our underclassmen, and the ongoing controversy surrounding "The Vagina Monologues," and the University has got its hands full. McCulloh I believe understands the balance that a university must make to maintain an open environment to higher learning while making sure that the university keeps its doors open. He has held arguably the two most important administration positions at Gonzaga: academic vice president and, now, president. With the Jesuits stamp of approval, it is nice to see that the University is willing to go beyond its Jesuit roots to ensure that Gonzaga continues to evolve into an elite institution.

While I sit here and heap praise on McCulloh, I also want to state some of my expectations. I would expect our president to truly listen to the students and to the faculty. As much as I understand the need to keep donors and parents happy, at the end of the day it's the professors in the classroom and the students who are learning here. I do not want our concerns to go unnoticed, nor should they. I would also expect the president to help insure that costs are kept down as much as possible. While many of us are more than able to afford the costs of tuition, books, housing, etc., many more struggle to make ends meet. Keeping Gonzaga open means keeping it open for everyone on the socio economic ladder and not just for those who come from upper-middle class and upper-class families. Finally, I would expect the administration to be supportive of all of the departments and the entire faculty. The professors are the heart and soul of Gonzaga and I would hope that all of them get the same support from Gonzaga as students receive.

It's too early to tell what kind of president McCulloh will be. All I can say in the meantime is best of luck to him. We will all be watching.