Centers of Distinction

Santa Clara University has four Centers of Distinction that serve as major points of interaction between the University and local and global communities. Each center focuses on a theme that is central to Santa Clara’s distinctive mission as a Jesuit university and offers an educational environment integrating 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 through speakers, conferences, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities.

Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI and Human Potential

Rooted in the University’s Jesuit, human-centric mission and with a focus on real-world applications, the Center serves as an interdisciplinary hub where faculty, students, staff, alumni, and industry partners collaborate to contemplate, design, and deploy AI technologies that benefit society. This work enhances efficiency, problem-solving capabilities, safety, sustainability, and quality of life.

Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education

The Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education exemplifies and activates the Jesuit, Catholic character of Santa Clara University, bridging faith, justice, and the intellectual life.

We inspire our students, faculty, staff, and community to deepen awareness, thought, reflection, discernment, and action with a focus on our key Jesuit values: Seeking God in All Things, Care for Our Common Home, Faith that Does Justice, Care for the Whole Person (Cura Personalis), Discernment and Reflection, and Being People for and With Others.

  • Through our Community-Engaged Student Learning programs—such as Arrupe Engagement, Immersions, Fellowships, and Thriving Neighbors—we provide students with direct connections to communities that challenge their perspectives and deepen their commitment to the common good.
  • Through our Ignatian Formation programs—including Bannan Forum, Mission Engagement, and Ignatian Spirituality—we provide the framework for faculty and staff to grow in their understanding of and commitment to Jesuit Education.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics brings the traditions of ethical thinking to bear on real-world problems. Our mission is to engage individuals and organizations in making choices that ​respect and care for others. The Center serves professionals in business, education, health care, government, journalism, technology and the social sector—providing training, programs, and roundtables that explore the ethical challenges in the field. In addition, we focus on ethical issues in leadership, technology, the internet, and immigration. Through our website and international collaborations, we also bring ethical decision-making resources to the wider world.  The center offers fellowships and internships for students, research grants for students and faculty, and a LinkedIn certificate in Ethical Decision making.  The Markkula Center is the largest, most comprehensive applied ethics center in the U.S.

Miller Center for Global Impact

For over 25 years, Miller Center for Global Impact has been a leader in the global social enterprise movement. With an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s economic power, we accelerate social entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet, guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Located at Santa Clara University, we fuse the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the university’s heritage of social justice, community engagement, and global impact.

As one of the University’s Center of Distinction, we offer faculty and students real-world case studies, distinctive curricula, and unique opportunities for research, fellowships, and internships. Last year, we provided over 800 students with meaningful learning experiences in entrepreneurship, poverty eradication, and sustainable development. We also work with 500 executive mentors—global business leaders who engage their passion for business to help social entrepreneurs build sustainable, scalable, and investment-ready organizations. Miller Center has served more than 1,500 social enterprises based in over 100 countries that are impacting hundreds of millions of lives. More information can be found at the Miller Center for Global Impact website.