91³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPOKANE, Wash. — 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University and Shorelight today announced the launch of 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Global, a new partnership that will operate international undergraduate direct and graduate direct admission for the University. 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Global will further enhance 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s mission as an exemplary learning community educating students worldwide for lives of leadership and service for the common good.

“We are excited to partner with a student-focused industry leader like Shorelight because we believe in the power of international education at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø as a core part of our Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic mission. This mission states that 91³Ô¹ÏÍø ‘fosters a mature commitment to the dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet,’” said 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Provost and Senior Vice President Deena J. González, Ph.D.

“Our campus, the classroom experience for students, and the Spokane community are enriched by multicultural perspectives and, in particular, the presence of international students. 91³Ô¹ÏÍø wishes to prepare students to solve problems all over the world — and that is made possible by learning from the life experiences of people from a variety of cultures and perspectives,” Provost González added.

Shorelight’s personalized, service-oriented approach will help 91³Ô¹ÏÍø recruit and retain international students from across the world and ensure a comfortable, welcoming transition to college life. As a result, this partnership will allow more international students to access 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s robust undergraduate and graduate programs.

“We are thrilled to partner with 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a top 100 National University, to bring their student-centered approach, dedication to teaching, and commitment to service learning to international students across the globe. We know that world-class international students seeking a transformative U.S. higher education experience will find it at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø and contribute in so many ways to the extraordinary 91³Ô¹ÏÍø community,” said Shorelight CEO Tom Dretler. “Student success is at the heart of everything we do, and 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s combination of high demand degree programs and a distinct student experience will enable international students to thrive.”

An important part of 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Global is the University’s English Language Center. For more than four decades, the Center has been instrumental in helping students transition to life at college and in the United States. The Center has supported essential English language development for students like Rui Hachimura, now an NBA star with the Washington Wizards, who came to 91³Ô¹ÏÍø from Toyama, Japan. The English Language Center has served more than 8,500 students from 105 countries, including more than two dozen student-athletes in recent years.

The first international students welcomed as a part of this partnership will arrive on campus at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø for the fall 2021 semester. Students also have the option to begin their studies spring 2021 through Shorelight’s digital platform, American Collegiate Live.

About Shorelight Education

is reinventing the international education experience for students worldwide. Based in Boston, the company partners with top-ranked, nonprofit North American universities to build innovative programs and high-touch, technology-driven services that help talented students thrive and become global citizens. 

About 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University

91³Ô¹ÏÍø University, established in Spokane, Wash., in 1887, is situated along the Spokane River less than a mile from the city’s downtown core. 91³Ô¹ÏÍø is a Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic University ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a top-100 National University. 91³Ô¹ÏÍø develops every student’s intellectual skills, imaginative capacities and ability to innovate so its graduates become leaders who shape and serve their professions and communities for the common good. At the undergraduate level, 91³Ô¹ÏÍø offers 16 degrees through 49 majors, 58 minors and 49 concentrations. At the graduate level, 91³Ô¹ÏÍø offers 24 degrees with 21 concentrations — including four doctoral degrees and one juris doctorate. 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s six schools and one college are the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business Administration, the School of Education, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing and Human Physiology, the School of Leadership Studies, and the School of Law.

MEDIA: For more information please contact Peter Tormey, Ph.D., associate director public relations, 91³Ô¹ÏÍø University, at tormey@gonzaga.edu or (509) 313-6132. For more information about Shorelight, please contact Alex Goldstein, at agoldstein@ninetywest.com or (617) 429-4027.