In the School of Education at Gonzaga University we prioritize thinking about the people we are preparing our students to serve. In our work, we never solely focus on the isolated pieces within all of the disciplines studied in our school. Rather, we think about how what we are learning applies to real world settings, namely, to those whom our work touches. We call that a practice of hope since it involves the intentionality of considering what others confront in life on a daily basis.
I write this letter to you with the intention of offering up the notion that hope for self and others is important to consider. We can never truly have genuine hope for ourselves and those we love if we cannot extend it freely to others. The hard edges of hope lie in doing the work of getting to know one another, understanding what needs exist in our communities, and being willing to problem solve to make life better for all of us.
Hoping in this way begs the question around what the purpose of education actually is. Is it simply to teach others to learn isolated skills or is it to teach others to learn skills and apply them in a way that lifts up the lives of others? Why should education consider this to be important? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pondered these very questions in a piece he wrote for the Morehouse College newspaper, the Maroon Tiger, in 1947 on the Purpose of Education. King stated, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”
The School of Education at Gonzaga University embraces the objective of hoping with and for others in its study and its practice. We welcome those who desire to change the world through learning, practicing, and caring for others in the process. Many amazing things are happening in the world today because of Gonzaga’s School of Education graduates and the work they are doing. May we all be willing to engage in a practice of hope boldly, knowing that ultimately, it is what we are called to do each and every day.
Yolanda Gallardo, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Education