Mia (Herzog) Bertagnolli ’84, Ph.D., has a mind for math and science and a heart for others. Throughout her long tenure at Gonzaga University, she has lived out both, mentoring students who develop the same critical thinking, curiosity, and desire to serve in making the world a better place.
Mia’s love for math and science began in grade school. Her math teacher. recognizing her aptitude, gave her the opportunity to excel offering her extra work and tutoring. At Prep, in Mr. Ballantyne’s honors algebra class, she learned the language of math – it was “fun” translating the numbers and variables on the page into a language that spoke to her. She couldn’t wait to use this new language.
The opportunity arrived when she took her first biology course. Her teacher, Claire Achen, demonstrated a passion for the subject that rubbed off on Mia to further inspire a love for learning, math, and science. In addition to taking two classes with Al Falkner, she took chemistry and physics classes taught by Kurt Kromholtz `55 and Phil Kuder `68; an impressive lineup of academic strength, integrity and inspiration.
Armed with this powerful academic experience, Mia graduated and moved on to Gonzaga University, where she excelled. The strong foundational academics she received at Prep made the new challenges at the university fun—Calc 3, Differential Equations, and physical chemistry. She majored in biology with a minor in chemistry. She moved on to grad school at the University of Utah, ultimately earning her Ph.D. in biology. This program included rotations through different departments in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, where she found her next mentor, Dr. Mary Beckerle, now the CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The 5 years she spent studying cell adhesion in Mary’s lab and serving as a graduate teaching assistant further inspired her passion for science in academics.
Then Gonzaga University called her back to her roots. The school offered her a rare joint position in the biology and chemistry departments. She could not pass up the opportunity to return to Jesuit education.
Mia grew up surrounded by Jesuits. Sunday Mass was at Prep, where her family was involved in leading the music. Her uncle, who taught at Gonzaga, had good friends who were Jesuits, including Fr. Tony Lehmann, S.J. She knew about Magis before she experienced Jesuit education. They modeled being persons for others in their daily lives, and it helped to form who she was as a person. Utah was an exceptional academic experience, but it took her away from the Jesuits and their commitment to a particular type of education—that of the whole person. Not just career readiness and skill development, but the commitment to use her career to educate the whole person, to serve others, and to develop those who strive to make the world a better place.
Mia has thrived at GU. She has had the opportunity to watch students and their families experience the impact of a Jesuit education. She has valued the opportunity to mentor students to be adaptable learners with critical thinking and communication skills, to learn with curiosity, and to be open to other people’s experiences, both in the classroom and away from the classroom.
Mia is now the Interim Provost and Professor of Biology at Gonzaga University, where she has spent her entire career. She taught for more than two decades, served as chair of the Biology Department, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Director of the Center for Teaching and Advising, Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and as the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. She is profoundly grateful to her parents, Hans and Mallene Herzog, for their commitment to Jesuit education and their constant support and encouragement.
