Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University

CENTERS OF DISTINCTION

Santa Clara University’s Centers of Distinction serve as major points of interaction between the University and society. Each center focuses on a theme that is central to the school’s distinctive mission as a Jesuit university offering “an educational environment that integrates rigorous inquiry and scholarship, creative imagination, reflective engagement with society, and a commitment to fashioning a more humane and just world.” Each center engages faculty and students from different disciplines, as well as experts and leaders from the community.

The Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education
The Ignatian Center is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the Jesuit and Catholic mission and identity of Santa Clara University through the exploration of the exploration of the Ignatian vision, the educational and spiritual legacy of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Following the Jesuit ideal of being “contemplatives in action,” the Ignatian Center seeks to integrate faith and justice in a scholarly way and combine Ignatian reflection with active community engagement.

Brought about by the merger of the Bannan Center for Jesuit Education and the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Community-Based Learning in 2005, the Ignatian Center touches the lives of students, faculty and staff and links the University with its important stakeholders through partnerships, scholarship, and service. The Arrupe Partnerships for Community-based Learning educate students and the University as a whole in the realities of the lives of the marginalized and the poor through community placements in Santa Clara County. The Bannan Institute for Jesuit Educational Mission assists the University in keeping its Catholic and Jesuit characters at the center of the educational enterprise. The Kolvenbach Solidarity Program offers students, faculty, staff, and alumni immersion experiences in the reality of our globalizing world.

Center for Science, Technology, and Society
The Seeking to illuminate the dynamic interplay of science and technology with culture and society, the Center brings together scholars, industry leaders, and public advocates to promote the use of science and technology for the common good With strong partnerships in Silicon Valley, the Center conducts applied research, sponsors lectures and conferences, publishes the magazine STS Nexus, and offers an interdisciplinary minor.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
The Ethics Center is one of the pre-eminent centers for research and dialogue on ethical issues in critical areas of American life. Established in 1986, the Center works with faculty, staff, students, community leaders, and the public to address ethical issues more effectively in teaching, research, and action. The center’s focus areas are business, health care and biotechnology, character education, government, global leadership, technology, and emerging issues in ethics. Articles, cases, briefings, and dialogue in all fields of applied ethics are available through the Center.