Welcome to our New SCU President: Michael Engh, S.J.

The Alumni Association would like to welcome Michael Engh, S.J. to the Santa Clara campus as the 28th President of Santa Clara University.  For Fr. Engh to meet you and for you to get to know him, we will be touring some of our U.S. chapters.  Save the date for the Presidential Reception in your area:

Sunday, February 1              Washington, D.C. Chapter
Wednesday, February 18       Peninsula Chapter
Tuesday, February 24           Monterey/Salinas Chapter
Saturday, February 28          Portland Chapter
Sunday, March 1                 Seattle Chapter
Thursday, March 5               Marin Chapter

Check our online event calendarfor further details, dates of additional regional receptions, and to RSVP and these and upcoming receptions.

Alumni Award Nominations DUE January 16th

It is nomination time for the Alumni Association’s highest honors: the Ignatian Award, the Louis I. Bannan, S.J. Award and the new Paul L. Locatelli S.J. Award.

• The Ignatian Award was established to publicly recognize alumni who live the SCU ideals through their outstanding service to humanity.
• The Louis I. Bannan S.J. Award recognizes an alumnus/a or couple each year for their service to the Alumni Association and Santa Clara University.
• The Paul L. Locatelli S.J. Award, established this spring, honors a SCU employee or affiliate who has given distinguished and outstanding service to the Association and the University.

Volunteer to Recruit the Class of 2013

Do you remember what inspired you to come to SCU?  Join the 2008-09 New Student Recruitment Team and connect with accepted students!

The New Student Recruitment Program connects alumni, parents, and friends of the University with approximately 10-15 high school students who have been admitted to SCU but have not yet accepted. Volunteers are asked to congratulate and encourage students to attend SCU through personal phone calls and/or e-mails in late-January, & March, 2009. 
 
We’ll provide all the information you need to help make your experience exciting, rewarding, and as easy as possible.  Contact John Spieth '06 in the Alumni Office at 408-554-4888 or studentrecruitment@scu.edu with questions. Fill out the form online to help recruit the Class of 2013.

Alumni Immersion Trips, Retreats, & Community Service

The winter months bring many exciting opportunities for community service and personal reflection.  Sign-up today for:

Alumni Immersion Trip to New Orleans: February 2nd -8th
The need to rebuild in New Orleans is still great, so SCU alumni are packing their work gloves and boots to help rebuild homes for families affected by Hurricane Katrina. Visit online for more information.

Annual Alumni Retreat: March 6th -8th
Spend a tranquil weekend of personal reflection led by SCU Jesuits at an oceanside retreat center with fellow alumni.  Applications are due by February 6th!  Visit online for further information and the application form.

Regional Community Service Opportunities
The Alumni for Others (AFO) program offers various opportunities for you to provide help in your community.  The next community service experience will be in Los Angeles with the LA Tutoring program on Saturday, January 10.  Check our online event calendarfor additional opportunities and to sign-up.

Obama Picks Leon Panetta '60, JD '63 as CIA Director

President-elect Barack Obama has selected Santa Clara University alumnus, professor and former congressman Leon Panetta to take over the Central Intelligence Agency, according to Democratic officials.

If confirmed by the Senate, Panetta would work closely with Obama to help restore the agency's credibility and reputation after a series of missteps that began before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I'm confident that Mr. Panetta will work together with Janet Napolitano - also an SCU political science grad and the appointee for Director of Homeland Security - to ensure our country's security while respecting civil liberties and human rights," said Elsa Chen, SCU assistant professor of political science.

For more on Leon Panetta appointment visit online.

Tickets Still Available for Alumna Lisa Sowle Cahill's Discussion of Ethics and Politics 

On Thursday, Jan. 15, five days before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, SCU will host Boston College Professor and SCU alumna, Lisa Sowle Cahill ’70 for a discussion on the ethics of politics.

Cahill, an advisor to Obama’s presidential campaign, writes on difficult topics, such as Catholic feminists raising families, peacemaking in the 21st century, stem cells and the Roman Catholic Church, and religion and homosexuality.

7:30 p.m.
Mayer Theatre
Tickets: $20
Purchased online or by calling 408-554-4400.

Learn more at the President’s Speaker Series Web site

Alumni Shadow Program Offered Through SCU Career Center 

Would you like to help a SCU student explore a profession to learn what it is "really like?" Help them see how their major might relate to the workplace? The Alumni Shadowing Program is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors wanting to shadow an alumni in the workplace for a half or full day.  Contact the Career Center at
408-554-4421 for further information or to sign-up.
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Register for inCircle!
Stay Connected with Friends, Networking, & Events through
SCU Alumni's Social Networking Community

Make sure to join the chapter group in your area!
Visit www.scu.edu/incircle to register.