Gonzaga President Katia Passerini talks changes, initial ideas and higher ed woes in first day leading the school

Her first day on the job, Gonzaga’s first female president Katia Passerini said she’s ready and eager to wade into the everchanging waters of higher education with the university’s mission as her compass.

“I’m here today because I believe that fundamentally, our education transforms lives,” Passerini said on Tuesday. “Our students go on and become servant leaders who change the world and focus on the common good, and my commitment is that we continue to educate them with our great holistic tradition of educating students, not only intellectually, but also spiritually, socially and athletically.”

Passerini is the school’s 27th president, coming to Gonzaga after five years in leadership at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. She replaces former President Thayne McCulloh, who held the position since 2010 when he became the first non-Jesuit leader in the school’s history, ultimately finishing his role as the second-longest serving president at Gonzaga.

“I know that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants,” Passerini said.

Passerini, a lifelong Catholic, makes history in her own rite as the first woman to lead the institution. She’s in good company in the region, she said, joined by Washington State University’s first female president Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, and Shari McMahon, who is the second consecutive woman to lead Eastern Washington University.

An issue Passerini identified her first day was the school’s “demographic cliff,” a pattern afflicting higher education nationwide where young adults are less likely to attend college. There was a 1.2 million drop in enrollment among young Americans from 2011-2022, according to the Pew Research Center in a trend that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

Gonzaga has nearly rebounded to pre-COVID levels, sitting at 7,470 students enrolled in 2024 compared to 2017’s enrollment of 7,506. Enrollment was lowest in 2022 at 7,253.

To bring more prospective students to Gonzaga, Passerini suggested appealing to young people eager to get to work, and introducing more certificates and other programs to entice alumni back to Gonzaga.

“Maybe it’s the time where the undergraduate model is not sufficient anymore. We might need to accelerate undergraduate into graduate type of education so that we can capture the students before and during their work,” Passerini said. “Other options that we can look at is whether there are more opportunities for internship and co-ops and externships while they’re working on their education.”

Passerini lived in Italy before she came to the United States as a student at George Washington University in 1994, earning a master’s degree in international business. She plans to boost Gonzaga’s reputation globally and emphasize international programs, both for stateside students looking to study abroad and international students attending Gonzaga. Last year, more than 400 international students from 39 countries attended Gonzaga.

“We can always again, as I said before, do more. And so I hope that we will continue to welcome international students. I hope that we will continue to use our Florence campus … to become really the hub where we can connect with students across the world,” she said, referring to Gonzaga’s school in Florence, Italy, which has been enrolling students for over 60 years.

Passerini’s efforts for globalized outreach coincides with the federal government’s moves to restrict international students. In April, the Trump Administration revoked two Gonzaga students’ visas and in May paused visa application interviews, which at the time the university estimated would affect 14 international students.

Asked about Gonzaga’s intentions to enter the Pac-12 athletic conference next July, she said she’s excited to join the ranks of WSU, Oregon State University and Boise State University.

“It’s not going to be easy, because the landscape of higher education is changing, but also the athletic landscape is changing. But that’s why we will work very closely with the presidents and the commissioner to make sure that this transition, which will launch next July, is very well executed,” Passerini said. “Then we’ll just wait for our athletes to win.”

Reflecting on her professional experience which most recently included five years in administrative positions as provost, executive vice president and interim president of Seton Hall, Passerini feels well-equipped for the role heading Gonzaga. She also served in dean and professor roles at both the New Jersey Institute of Technology and St. John’s University.

“I have taken my academic career really from the standpoint of being a professional student, and that’s how I plan to take on in my next job,” Passerini said.

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct a quote from Passerini.