Gonzaga University History Department

Gonzaga University History Department This is the official Gonzaga University History Department page.

We share news and events about the history program, faculty, and students and offer opportunities to connect with alums and the community.

The History Department’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has new members and new officers!We kicked off finals week by induct...
05/27/2026

The History Department’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has new members and new officers!

We kicked off finals week by inducting six new members and congratulating our graduating seniors.

We also thanked Samantha, Nick, and Arden for serving as co-presidents this past year, and we welcomed five new officers: Naomi, Myles, Aidan, Milla, and Bella!

Cutting the cake was a team effort!

We want to thank everyone from the Gonzaga community, Spokane, and beyond who attended Dr. Laurie Arnold’s inspiring Wil...
05/21/2026

We want to thank everyone from the Gonzaga community, Spokane, and beyond who attended Dr. Laurie Arnold’s inspiring William L. Davis, S.J., Lecture! This year the Davis Lecture served as the Friday evening keynote lecture for the regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, and it gave us a chance to reconnect with some of our wonderful alumni from throughout the region.

We were especially honored to welcome the many Plateau artists and curators who were gathering that weekend at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (for which Dr. Arnold serves on the Board of Trustees).

And special thanks, of course, to Professor Arnold for delivering the lecture and inviting us to reflect on how we might better share our next 250 years as neighbors!

The History Department was honored to host this year’s regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference! In late April, more than nin...
05/20/2026

The History Department was honored to host this year’s regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference! In late April, more than ninety History honors students from fifteen Pacific Northwest universities presented their research, including twenty students from Gonzaga. We thank all of them for sharing their work! (Special thanks to Professor De Barra for organizing the conference and to Professor Donnelly for delivering the Friday afternoon keynote lecture!)

Gonzaga hosted its inaugural Student Achievement Showcase and Symposium (SASSy) on April 22. Six History majors particip...
05/07/2026

Gonzaga hosted its inaugural Student Achievement Showcase and Symposium (SASSy) on April 22. Six History majors participated, sharing the research that informed their Senior Essays. We are so impressed by these amazing seniors and all they have accomplished!

The versatility of the history major was on display when the Society of Professional Journalists recognized Sean Coughli...
05/06/2026

The versatility of the history major was on display when the Society of Professional Journalists recognized Sean Coughlin and Alex Hernandez with Region 10 Mark of Excellence Awards.

Sean won best opinion writing and Alex best general column writing and best arts/fashion journalism.

Check out more of Sean's and Alex’s work at the Gonzaga Bulletin online.

Sean:
https://www.gonzagabulletin.com/search/?f=html&t=article%2Ccollection%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube&s=start_time&sd=desc&l=25&nsa=eedition&q=sean+coughlin

Alex:
https://www.gonzagabulletin.com/search/?f=html&t=article%2Ccollection%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube&s=start_time&sd=desc&l=25&nsa=eedition&q=alex+hernandez

https://www.spj.org/region-10-mark-of-excellence-awards-2025-winners-announced/

Four students in Professor Rast’s “Introduction to Public History” course enjoyed a rare treat last week: a tour of Coll...
05/05/2026

Four students in Professor Rast’s “Introduction to Public History” course enjoyed a rare treat last week: a tour of College Hall with former Gonzaga Campus Architect Mac McCandless!

The students are working to nominate College Hall, Gonzaga’s oldest building, to the Spokane Register of Historic Places. They’re receiving great support from Special Collections Librarian Stephanie Plowman, who joined the tour.

Mac pointed out some of the building’s hidden history: the former sitting rooms at the main entrance (where visitors met with Jesuits), the darker bricks on the south facade (where awnings once covered porches for exclusive use of Jesuits and seniors), and the bricked-in former entrance to the first-floor Jesuit chapel (a space in which we can still appreciate the stained-glass windows).

Mac also provided access to the spaces above the Magnuson Theater, including the former shooting range beneath heavy timber beams and a peek at the other side of the fire escape door at the top of the east-side stairwell.

He also shared some good stories, but we’re saving those for the nomination!

A belated congratulations to History and Philosophy double major Noah Day (’27), who has won a Summer 2026 Morris Underg...
05/01/2026

A belated congratulations to History and Philosophy double major Noah Day (’27), who has won a Summer 2026 Morris Undergraduate Research Fellowship!

Thanks to the generosity of Gonzaga alumni Liz and Scott Morris, students in the College of Arts and Sciences can apply for one of these fellowships. Applicants must propose an original scholarly project that takes them beyond the classroom and gives them the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor as they engage in the production of knowledge.

Noah joins History majors Lilly Alkumeidy (’27) and Aidan Younger (’27) as three of this year’s seven Morris Fellows!

Noah will be working with Professor Chandler Rogers (Philosophy) to investigate the works of Martin Heidegger and Byung-Chul Han to reveal how modern information technologies change the way textual knowledge presents itself to students and, importantly, how students can safeguard honesty and creativity against these changes.

Congrats, Noah!

Graduating History and Classical Civilizations Majors & Minors:May 1 is the deadline to RSVP for our Graduation Luncheon...
04/30/2026

Graduating History and Classical Civilizations Majors & Minors:

May 1 is the deadline to RSVP for our Graduation Luncheon on May 9, from noon–1:30 p.m. in 153 Humanities Building.

Join your peers along with History and Classical Civilizations faculty over lunch to celebrate YOU. Family members are welcome!

Please RSVP to [email protected] with the number in your party and any dietary restrictions.

We wish all of you well as you approach your last finals week at GU.

Congratulations are in order for senior History major and English and Political Science minor Nick Hylen! Nick will be p...
04/29/2026

Congratulations are in order for senior History major and English and Political Science minor Nick Hylen! Nick will be pursuing a J.D. at Gonzaga University School of Law.

Nick shares:

"I am taking another step forward in my longtime dream of becoming a lawyer by attending Gonzaga Law this fall. I am very excited for what will no doubt be three difficult yet rewarding years in this community, one I've fallen so deeply in love with these last three years. History has prepared me for the law in a critical way: that being the fact historians are experts in the art of storytelling. If courts cared solely about the letter of the law, attorneys would submit written arguments to remote jurors and judges. That isn't the way our justice system works because humans crave stories in order to form their beliefs - so, my development as a storyteller in Gonzaga's History Department will no doubt serve me well as an attorney."

https://www.gonzaga.edu/school-of-law

Gonzaga’s History Department is hosting the Phi Alpha Theta (PAT) regional conference, April 24-25, 2026.More than 90 s...
04/23/2026

Gonzaga’s History Department is hosting the Phi Alpha Theta (PAT) regional conference, April 24-25, 2026.

More than 90 students at Pacific Northwest universities who are members of Phi Alpha Theta (the National History Honor Society) are presenting their research, including: Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University, Seattle University, University of Washington, Western Washington University, University of Portland, Portland State University, Western Oregon University, University of Idaho, Boise State University, University of Montana, Montana State University

20 Gonzaga students are presenting a wide range of research topics (check them out!). We wish all participants a great experience in presenting and learning amongst history enthusiasts and colleagues!

Address

502 E Boone Avenue
Spokane, WA
99258

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

(509) 313-3687

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