This is the start of a series of interviews with professors, fellow alumni, and guests, and we have decided to start with a well-known professor.  Many of you will be familiar with the name and face, for he has had the opportunity to teach quite a few of you. 

I had the pleasure of sitting down and meeting with the Organizational Leadership professor, Tony Andenoro.  I found myself laughing upon entering his office, the designate meeting spot we had agreed upon for the interview, because as I was walking down the hall, towards his office, I was able to hear his animated voice, as he was finishing up a phone call.  That is Tony, larger than life personality! As I entered his office, a place I had not been in awhile I noticed the warm, fun, and charismatic environment Tony had created.  You knew exactly whose office it was upon entering.  There was nothing boring about this office space, no bare space, dull colors, or quietness.  It was a welcoming space that was covered with photos, license plates, meaningful sayings, and above all my all time favorite, his candy dish always fully stocked!  Tony greeted me, with a big smile on his face, clapping his hands together, saying, “Are you ready to do this?” As if we were about to run a track meet!  That was the exact enthusiasm he brought to his class everyday.  “I sure am!” And so, the interview began….  

Tony has been teaching in the program for about five years now and has seen the program mature and transform into what it is today.  When asked about the changes he has seen within the program he reflected with an ever-expressive pause and let out a playful laugh.  He quickly apologized and explained his reaction; the dynamic in the program has changed dramatically.  When he first entered, the program was located in the Schoenberg building.  For those of you who have seen the building, you know what a drastic change it is from Tilford.  The Schoenberg building is a small, dark, closed in, little building located on the edge of campus where very little sunlight enters.  Tony remembers making a lot of ‘hallway decisions’ where professors would end up running into one another, gathering in discussion, and thereby deciding on topics. 

When Tony first entered into the program, about 5 years ago, he entered in with 3 other individuals.  As he spoke, he paused and reflected on the shift he has experienced within the past 5 years.  He noted there was a definite newness and focus in energy when the program moved from the Schoenberg building to the Tilford building.  Aside from the new physical environment there was also a new dynamic in the energy felt.  The floor that the ORGL program moved to in Tilford was a floor of leadership studies and joined the CLP (Comprehensive Leadership Studies), COML (Communication and Leadership Studies), and PhD in Leadership Studies programs.  The programs being on one floor brought diversity and allowed strengths to develop through collaboration.

When asked how Tony would like to see the ORGL program continue in its path of development he reflected a moment and excitedly responded, “exploring the idea of concentrations!”  For any of you who have had the opportunity to have Tony as a professor you might remember he speaks with a level of passion and excitement that is contagious and uplifting.  I could not help but giggle as he elaborated on his response, only because the excitement he displayed was one of a small child on Christmas day.  Tony said he would like to see the program add specific courses and work towards developing concentrations that would best guide the students into the specific fields and topics for the aspirations they desire.  Building off of this, regarding the hopes and goals for the ORGL program, Tony responded by saying he does not want this to be the perfect program, but instead he wants perfect programs!  Tony believes there is no such thing as a perfect program, so we need to bring our focus creating a context that supports and challenges the students they serve.  Tony believes if the program focuses on creating a dynamic environment that is flexible and grounded in diverse opportunities for application, they can create perfect programs for each of the students that enroll in ORGL. Key ideas in his vision for this include a renewed emphasis on advising students, a strong connection to community, and lastly real intentionality placed on the graduate student research experience. 

Lastly, when asked what were his goals for the next upcoming few years, true to Tony’s form he gave a typical response in an atypical way.  He responded by saying he would like to make tenure.  However, unlike many professors when asked why that was his goal he said it would mean a lot to him because he sees it as the recognition and acknowledgment of what he has done to help students.  Having had the pleasure of learning from Tony, I can say first hand that this is the kind of professor Tony Andenoro is, a professor who puts his students first and is willing to go above and beyond to help them grow, learn, and succeed.

Tony is encouraged by quotes.  He uses them constantly and challenges his students to do the same.  Therefore, being a past student of Tony, I gave him a taste of his own medicine and asked him to give me a quote that speaks to him and tell me why.  The quote he gave me was by Frederick Douglass.

“Where there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground”

Tony used this quote in 2005 to motivate him while writing his dissertation.  He said that he used to think it meant that the process needed to be perfect.  However, now be believes the quote to mean there is hope and progress within the struggle, and the process needs to be embraced more fully!

Aside from teaching fulltime, Tony has also been working research regarding his time in Zambia that addresses moving beyond the principle of accompaniment to create sustainable options for the international communities that Gonzaga students visit, specifically how to teach leadership through struggling.  He is also working alongside Patrick Ferro and several other faculty members in an effort to develop emotional intelligence in university engineering instructors to create more socially engaged and interpersonally competent engineering graduates.  The two are working on a grant to further this research create implications that extend well beyond Gonzaga.  Tony is also the Vice President and 2012 Conference Chair for the Association Leadership Educators, which provides collaborative opportunities for scholars, practitioners, students, trainers, and consultants in the field of Leadership Education.  Not that he isn’t busy enough, but he recently got married in October 2011!  A Big Congratulations!