McCulloh named University President

      At Gonzaga this summer a familiar face with an unfamiliar title has become the first of his kind. In a University-wide e-mail sent July 16, Thayne McCulloh was officially announced as Gonzaga's 26th elected University President and the first non-Jesuit President.

McCulloh is stepping into this position as no stranger to the University. For the past year he has been the interim president, following Fr. Robert Spitzer's, S.J., resignation in 2009, and has been with the University for more than 20 years in various positions in Student Life, Housing, Financial Aid and Academics, according to Dale Goodwin, director of public relations. 

"He has seen a broad view of the University over his 20 years and I think that will serve him well," Goodwin said. "He has been involved in so many aspects of University life." 

McCulloh arrived at Gonzaga in 1986 as a student. Before graduating from Gonzaga he served as a resident assistant, resident director and student body president. 

Beginning in 1990, McCulloh went on to hold a number of positions at Gonzaga, including several positions in student affairs and housing, assistant dean of students, dean of student academic services and dean of student financial services. In 2002 McCulloh was appointed associate academic vice president and in 2004 he was appointed vice president for administration and planning. 

After Stephen Freedman's departure from the  University in 2007, McCulloh was named interim academic vice president, the position that he held until becoming interim president of the University. 

In the e-mail announcing McCulloh as University President, John Luger, Chair of the Board of Trustees, explained the logistics of of selecting Gonzaga's first non-Jesuit President. 

"In order to seize this opportunity, the bylaws requiring the president to be a Jesuit were suspended," Luger said. "While this does not preclude Gonzaga from having a Jesuit leader in the future, we know that Dr. McCulloh is the right person to lead Gonzaga into its 125th Anniversary (2012) and beyond." 

Throughout the University there seems to be no concern with McCulloh's lay status and how it will affect his leadership of the University. Goodwin said that he believes most people will not recognize a difference in the quality of Gonzaga because McCulloh is not  Jesuit. 

"He was educated in the Jesuit tradition, worked in the Jesuit environment for 20 years, is a very spiritual man and thoroughly buys into Jesuit philosophies," Goodwin said of McCulloh. "Any changes that we see will be more programmatic and perhaps structural, but the Jesuit education will remain his top priority in my opinion." 

Throughout McCulloh's term as interim president he proved to the University as a whole that he was capable of the new position he has received, according to University officials. "The Board of Trustees is honored to have this leader, who has emerged from our midst and is himself a sterling example of what a Gonzaga education makes possible," Luger said. 

"As he has proven in his year as interim president he is a devout collaborator. He seeks the counsel of others, he encourages dialogue and as a result his decisions and vision are shaped by the thoughts of many," Goodwin said of McCulloh's leadership abilities. 

As McCulloh steps into this new position, the Gonzaga community  awaits the changes that his new vision will bring about. "We look forward to the opportunities Dr. McCulloh's leadership presents to all of us," Luger said. "We pledge to you that our cooperative efforts with Dr. McCulloh will always be placed in the service of this great institution, as we anticipate a bright future."