Some of you might have seen me when you were on your campus tour because my office is right across from Admissions or some of you might have heard about my now infamous emails I send out to students throughout the course of an academic year.
In case we haven’t had a chance to meet or you haven’t heard of me yet, let me give you a snapshot of who I am…. I am starting my fifth year at Gonzaga University as the Vice President for Student Development. I have also worked within Student Affairs at The University of Southern California, Arizona State University, and Bowling Green State University. I am the mom of two teenage boys, one is attending Spokane Falls Community College and one is a (soon to be) senior at Lewis and Clark and my partner is originally from Argentina. I am originally from Kansas and am the sixth (baby girl) of seven kids. Fun fact: my senior year I played tennis in the state high tournament. I truly feel blessed and humbled to be leading the Division of Student Development.
So, how is “student development” informed by the university mission? “In keeping with its Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic heritage and identity, Gonzaga models and expects excellence in academic and professional pursuits and intentionally develops the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, culturally, physically, and emotionally.” I often tell colleagues throughout the world that St. Ignatius of Loyola was the first student development theorist because he realized the inherent nature of being able to focus on the “whole student”. As a Division we want to create a community where students actually LIVE the university mission. We make the vision statement come alive through our four shared priorities:
Purpose – college is all about exploring student organizations, community engagement, internships, or research opportunities (to name a few) to determine what is your purpose in life. For those of you that like lists, check out this link https://www.gonzaga.edu/student-development/Career-Center-and-GAMP/Students/docs/Four%20Year%20Plan.pdf that provides a four year checklist of ideas to begin your discernment process of discovering your purpose. I would also suggest you attend one of the First Year Retreats https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/Mission/University-Ministry/retreats/first-retreat.asp sponsored through University Mission and Ministry (1st floor Hemmingson). Our staff will accompany you through this ongoing process of identifying your talents, discerning your vocation, while discovering your future career direction.
Promoting well-being and healthy living – is a daily habit that we take seriously and forms the basis for “cura personalis” care of the whole person- body, mind, and spirit. We have provided daily practices that include: Mindfulness Mondays focuses on being present is shown to reduce stress and promote creativity; Talk About It Tuesday provides an opportunity share what is happening in your life and cultivating an attitude of gratitude; Wellness Walk Wednesday provides an opportunity for you to walk for 30 minutes with me – yes that is rain, snow, or sun; check out the Health Hut during “Think About It Thursday” and learn about what the topic is for that week; and finally “Embrace Failure Friday” – everyone fails – let’s learn from our failures and move on to….
Developing resilience – we have a great on-line resource http://www.gonzaga.edu/Student-Development/Wellbeing-Resources/Wellness-Toolbox.asp that provides a wellness toolbox that covers the issues related above as well as a special emphasis on resilience. The Center for Cura Personalis have established some resilience activities that includes: creating a gratitude of attitude, trying new things; and sharing your story. In addition, “The Examen” is a daily meditation/prayer developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola and is based upon the Spiritual Exercises. I use a variation of the Examen on a daily basis, but, if you are new to this concept I would encourage you to use this approach: https://www.gonzaga.edu/student-life/ccp/inc/Resilience/The%20Examen%20infographic.pdf.
Cultivating intercultural competence – is embedded in our mission statement and is lived out in our residential communities, through coursework, and programs that include: intergroup dialogue, diversity monologues, invited speakers, and volunteering in the community. If you are interested in developing your own intercultural development plan you can stop by (or find out more information about taking the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI) at the Career and Professional Development, 1st floor Crosby. As an institution, we believe in the God-given dignity of the human person, we accompany students in exploring their own identities, and developing skills, attitudes and behaviors that allow them to be in respectful relationship with all people and learning to put the best interpretation on others’ words and behaviors.
We are committed to these priorities because we believe Gonzaga students, as individuals and in community, are on a quest for self-knowledge and character formation. I look forward to welcoming you on campus during Orientation and accompanying you through your tenure at GU as we “transform together”.
Dr. Judi Biggs Garbuio is the Vice President for Student Development.