The CTA is a faculty-led organization that receives its funding through the AVP's office. The formal mission statement for the CTA is as follows:

The Center for Teaching and Advising, in support of the Mission of Gonzaga University, seeks to enhance learning by promoting an ongoing conversation among faculty about teaching and advising and by providing faculty with the instructional opportunities and resources necessary for exemplary work to occur in those areas. Specifically, the Center aims to

• provide a venue for GU faculty to explore and exchange successful strategies for teaching and advising
• cultivate a campus culture in which teaching and advising are highly valued, broadly discussed, and openly debated
• promote the importance of advising as an integral part of teaching and learning
• serve as a center where recent and emerging scholarship and practices in higher education are made available and accessible to the campus community
• create a physical space on campus for conversation, reflection, and exchange of ideas among faculty and advisors from all disciplines
• assist faculty in integrating the Gonzaga Mission into their teaching and advising
• provide tangible support for teachers of The Core
• promote faculty mentoring relationships
• support faculty in their concurrent development as teachers, learners, and scholars in higher education

The CTA is located on the first floor of the Foley Library. To get there, use the east outside entrance to the library (this is a separate entrance on your left as you're facing the front of the library). The Center is down the hall on the right, across from the Foley Teleconference Center. Spring 2007 hours of operation are as follows:

• Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Thursdays 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
• Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Center is led by a faculty director who serves a 3-year term. The current Director of the CTA is Dr. Teresa Derrickson, Assistant Professor in the Department of English (derrickson@gonzaga.edu / (509) 323-6717)

The CTA Director works in conjunction with a permanent-standing Advisory Council. The Advisory Council meets once a month and offers input on the shape and direction of the Center. Current members of the CTA Advisory Council include

• Susan Foster-Dow – Academic Services
• Michael Herzog – Senior Faculty Advisor to AVP
• Fr. Pat Lee – Vice President of Mission
• Tom McKenzie – Math
• Heather Easterling – English
• Jane Rinehart –Sociology
• Mark Alfino – Philosophy / International Programs
• Dennis McMinn – Chemistry
• Sara Ganzerli – Engineering
• Molly Kretchmar – Psychology
• Foster Walsh – School of Education
• Paul Hastings – School of Education
• Dan Law – School of Business
• Megan Ballard – School of Law
• Cindy Fitzgerald – School of Professional Studies
• David Kingma – Foley
• Jane Hession – School of Business, administration
• Tina Geithner – School of Professional Studies
  

The formal project plan for the Center for Teaching and Advising was drafted by a faculty-led working group during the 2005-2006 school year. The plan serves as a working set of by-laws for the Center.