Our New Vice President of Student Development Welcomes You!
Welcome to the extended family that is Gonzaga University!
At Gonzaga, we take your student’s development very seriously. One of the things that sets GU apart from other institutions is our emphasis on cura personalis, the care and concern for the whole student: body, mind, and spirit. Cura personalis is grounded in the very heart of Gonzaga’s mission, which describes our hope that each student graduating from Gonzaga University has been equipped with the skills, motivation, and humility to impact the world in a positive way.
To this end, we strive to uphold the Jesuit concept of accompaniment, which centers on walking alongside someone and providing opportunities for self-learning through reflection, challenge, and advocacy. We seek to honor the ability in each of our students to think critically and apply understanding to their actions. We expect great things from our students and will challenge them to meet such expectations in a manner that is intentionally designed for their benefit and the benefit of the greater community. We hope to partner with you, and ask for your trust in this endeavor.
Sending a child to University represents a milestone in the life of your family, often including a physical break of your family structure. Things will be different. Letting go of your student can be a difficult journey to navigate. Entrusting them with more responsibility to care for themselves as they make decisions that can have a greater impact on their lives, though scary, is the next step in fulfilling the hope held by parents for their children to become significant contributors to society.
We want you to know that you are not alone as you move through this transition. To that end, we invite you to join the community of Gonzaga parents and guardians facilitated by the Office for Parent and Family Programs. As a parent or family member of an incoming Gonzaga first year student, or as a continuing student parent, we hope you will make use of the multiple free resources geared to prepare you and your student for college life. Parent and Family Programs is designed to connect you to resources to navigate their continued transition into adulthood easier, including monthly electronic newsletters, relevant topical forums, and other opportunities to interact with and glean insight from other GU parents and family.
I hope you will also join us for the 2013 Fall Family Weekend from October 25-27. This is an opportunity for you to reconnect with your student and for the university to showcase some of our talented faculty members and staff. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can assist you with both now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Judi Biggs Garbuio, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Development