Santa Clara University

News for the Campus Community
The Faculty-Staff Newsletter, e-mail edition
Santa Clara University, April 3, 2006, Vol. 6, No. 11

Table of contents

Commencement 2006 
U.S. News survey gives high marks to SCU's School of Law and Leavey School of Business
Back by popular demand
Bootstrapping the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Exhibit showcases history of 1906 earthquake and SCU
New spring immersion programs prove popular
Teaching with technology
Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp

Commencement 2006

Commencement 2006 is around the corner. Thomas Reese, S.J., former editor of America magazine and visiting scholar at SCU, will address the University's 155th graduating class on June 17; Peter Steinfels, former senior religion correspondent for The New York Times, will be the speaker at the graduate school ceremony on June 16; and Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, will address law school graduates on May 20.

Thomas Reese, S.J. A political scientist, scholar, and priest, Thomas Reese, S.J., was editor of America magazine, a leading Jesuit weekly and Web site, from June 1998 to May 2005. He is the author of, among other books, a trilogy examining church organization and politics on the local, national, and international levels: Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church; A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. Reese is often called upon by media outlets as an expert on the Catholic Church, and he appeared on television throughout the world last year as an insightful commentator on the papal funeral and election. During the 2005-06 academic year, Reese has been a visiting scholar at SCU. In July 2006, Reese will return to the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as a senior fellow before he became editor of America magazine in 1998. The Woodstock Theological Center is an independent nonprofit institute at Georgetown University.

Peter Steinfels Peter Steinfels is the author of A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America and currently directs the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture with his wife, Margaret O’Brien Steinfels. He has served as an editor of Commonweal magazine, an independent journal published by Catholic lay people, and The Hastings Center Report, the leading journal of medical and scientific ethics. He has been a visiting professor at Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Dayton. Steinfels and his wife will receive honorary degrees from SCU. "Peter and Margaret have enhanced our society through their ongoing work to educate the American public about the importance of spiritual life and their careful analysis of the role of the Catholic Church in American society. We believe that our students and their families can learn from Peter and Margaret's knowledge, wisdom, and experience," said SCU President Paul Locatelli, S.J.

Samantha Power Samantha Power is a professor of practice in public policy at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. Her book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction and the 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award for general nonfiction. Power was the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy (1998-2002). From 1993 to 1996, Power covered the wars in the former Yugoslavia as a reporter for U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Globe, and the Economist. Dean Donald J. Polden remarked: “We are extremely pleased Professor Power will be speaking at this year’s law commencement. She is one of the leading commentators and thinkers about international and national government policies that affect the protection of international human rights.”

U.S. News survey gives high marks to SCU's School of Law and Leavey School of Business

U.S. News & World Report's annual graduate school rankings named SCU's School of Law one of the top 100 schools in the country and the Leavey School of Business' part-time MBA program among the top 15 in the country. The rankings, released last week in the "America's Best Graduate Schools" publication, also recognized the law school’s intellectual property law program as among the top 5 in the country.

"We are pleased that the quality of our faculty, students, and programs continue to be recognized,” said Donald Polden, dean of the SCU School of Law. “It is especially remarkable that three of the top 4 programs in intellectual property and technology law and policy—UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Santa Clara—are in the Bay Area. This is a tremendous reflection of the support and leadership of our technology community.” 

Other California law schools in the top tier include Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Southern California; University of California, Davis; University of California, Hastings; Loyola Law School; University of San Diego; and University of San Francisco. 

The part-time MBA program at SCU's Leavey School of Business is ranked No. 12 among the top 15 MBA part-time programs in the country, and the Executive MBA program is No. 21 nationally. SCU's part-time MBA program was also ranked the 15th largest in the nation.

"Since its inception in 1963, Santa Clara University’s MBA program has provided working professionals with real-world, real-time business education that enables our alumni to lead with confidence, as well as compassion. We’re pleased that once again the exceptional qualities of our faculty, curriculum, and graduates have been recognized nationally," said Barry Z. Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business.

SCU’s Executive MBA program was launched in 1999 to serve more experienced leaders in high-tech industries. This is the first year the young program has appeared on the national list. "We’re delighted that our Executive MBA, uniquely tailored to Silicon Valley leaders, has earned a significant reputation across the country," said Elizabeth Ford, assistant dean of the Business School’s graduate programs.

Of the 347 accredited MBA programs that were ranked in magazine’s survey, the School of Business stood in the top 25 percent (at No. 73). In addition to listing overall rankings, the magazine placed new Santa Clara MBA salaries among the top 20, and its full-time graduate student body among the top 20 most diverse (28.8 percent minorities).

In addition to SCU, the other California part-time programs that ranked in the top 15 are at the University of California, Los Angeles; University of Southern California; and University of California, Berkeley.

The rankings are based on expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students. To see a complete list of graduate school rankings, visit U.S. News & World Report online.

Back by popular demand

The Alumni Association’s Life After SCU kicked off its second year with two back-to-back “courses” on March 14 and 15 designed to prepare SCU seniors for what they can expect after the pomp and circumstance die down.

“We want to help seniors become knowledgeable on things they might not have learned in the classroom or on the athletic playing field, but need to know for the ‘real world,’” said Erin Hussey ’05, alumni association assistant director and coordinator of Life After SCU.

Fred Parrella, religious studies professor and teacher of the popular course Theology of Marriage, addressed 18 seniors and six alumni at “What TomKat Never Learned,” a presentation on marriage in the post-modern world. “Cooking 101: Spaghetti NOT by Chef Boyardee” proved to be very popular, as well, and gave students and alumni the opportunity to learn from internationally renowned and award-winning chefs at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell. Life After SCU participants learned how to prepare six different classic Italian sauces and pastas.

“Everyone enjoyed listening to Dr. Parrella’s wit and expertise, and chefs from the Culinary Institute couldn’t have been more gracious or entertaining,” said Hussey. Upcoming Life After SCU courses include “Real Estate 101,” “Intro to Golf,” and “Wine Tasting 101.”

Bootstrapping the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

As a history major at SCU, Kevin Holmes ’01 learned the value of careful research and analysis. As the former chief operating officer of the national collegiate marketing firm AllDorm Inc. (started by friends of his while they were still SCU undergraduates), he learned first-hand the joys and challenges of entrepreneurial endeavors.

Since October 2005, he has been drawing on that experience to help launch successful business ventures from the Santa Clara community as the first full-time director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

As director, he started by examining the history of the CIE itself, interviewing former directors, analyzing past strategies, and researching existing endeavors at universities across the country. He hopes to orchestrate the future of the CIE by building on that past to “create a tight community of people who are helping each other and launching ventures or running emerging companies.”

Read More...

Exhibit showcases history of 1906 earthquake and SCU

When the 1906 earthquake rattled the Bay Area 100 years ago this month, classes at SCU were under way, leaving students, faculty, and staff to experience together one of the century’s most devastating natural disasters. Their experiences are documented in letters, College records, and photographs on display in Orradre Library, from April 7 through June 12 as part of University Archives’ exhibit titled “‘The Powers of Mother Earth:’ Santa Clara College and the Earthquake of 1906.”

Among the items on display is a photograph of beds lined up on the lawn outside the dormitories, which many feared were unstable after the quake. “We want people to know that we have this collection to view and that these artifacts have survived the passage of time. In exhibits like this one, we like to show and tell people about what we have; it is part of our mission of preserving and providing access,” said Anne McMahon, University archivist. An online exhibit will be available later this summer.

Photograph courtesy of Santa Clara University Archives

New spring immersion programs prove popular

Spring break is a popular time for students to relax and re-group for the upcoming quarter. But many SCU students have chosen to spend their time away from the classroom, getting to know communities different from their own and working to make life better for those in need through the University's immersion programs.

This spring, the Pedro Arrupe Center’s Discover project offered seven immersion trips, including three new programs. Among the new programs was a trip to Appalachia where a group of 12 students stayed at a farm-style retreat center and helped low-income families in rural West Virginia with their spring chores. In all, 95 SCU students and five staff members participated in immersion trips over the break.

Teaching with technology

Students in Pedro Hernandez’s Teaching with Technology course finished the winter quarter with an exhibit titled “Technologies for Learning.” The exhibit included physical artifacts, electronic presentations, and online components designed to encourage people to think about the history, application, and implication of different types of technology. “The hope is that this exhibit will spark a discussion on campus about what policies should be made regarding technology in the classroom,” Hernandez said.

If you missed the physical exhibit, you can visit the Technologies for Learning interactive Web site.

Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp

Summer is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for the annual Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp at SCU. This year’s Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp will offer five weeks of summer camp. The camp will have an overnight and day camp option for the first session only, which is July 9-14. For the remaining sessions, a week of day camp will be offered.

The Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp includes instruction in six core sports: basketball, soccer, volleyball, flag football, baseball/softball, and swimming. Also, five bonus sports will be introduced: badminton, indoor soccer, kickball, dodgeball, tennis, and obstacle courses. Included in the camp fee this year is a Bronco Kidz Membership for the 2006-07 school year. With the membership campers will receive a birthday card from Bucky, a Bronco Kidz T-shirt, a newsletter, and invitations to sports clinics with student athletes throughout the school year.

The camp is also offering a 10 percent discount for faculty and staff of Santa Clara University. To take advantage of this discount, just use the code SCU EDU when signing up for the camp.

Register online or call 800-645-3226. If you have any further questions, please e-mail Nick Johnson.

Tips for traveling internationally, Human Resources Workshop
Tuesday, April 4, noon–1 p.m., Cowell Center, Human Resources:
Have you ever wondered what life outside the United States is all about? Have you thought about taking the “big trip” but you were not sure where to start planning? Come and hear from our own SCU expert Barbara Colyar, director of study abroad programs, on how to plan for such a trip.

Nancy Wait-Kromm, Soprano, Faculty Recital
Friday, April 7, 8 p.m., Recital Hall:
Voice Professor Nancy Wait-Kromm presents the third in her five-part series of art-song recitals, “All Creatures Great and Small.” The evening will include a menagerie of poetic songs celebrating the varied and wondrous animal kingdom. Tickets are $12 general; $10 60 and older, and SCU faculty/staff; and $5 students.

Mars 2006, Spring Astrobiology Seminar Series
Wednesdays beginning April 12, 5 p.m., Daly Science 207:
Eight world experts on the planet Mars will present talks at SCU during the spring quarter. Come to the “Spring Astrobiology Seminar Series – Mars 2006” and find out about the Red Planet. The series is presented by: the Residential Learning Communities Program; the da Vinci RLC; and the department of physics. Refreshments will be served.

"A Killing in Choctaw,"
Sunday, April 30, 7 p.m., Mayer Theatre:
This event is a one-man show written and performed by Carl Ray, a man who grew up in Alabama and watched his father being murdered because Carl had responded "yes" and "no" instead of "yes sir" and "no sir" when being addressed by a white man. The play documents his pain, his guilt, and the eventual freedom that he found in forgiveness. This event is being sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Learning and the Center of Performing Arts.

More SCU events.

Francisco Jimenez (ethnic studies) was interviewed on KPBS in San Diego about his experience as the son of a migrant farmworker and how he became the author of several award-winning autobiographical children's books. Listen to the interview. 

Michael Kevane (economics) was quoted in a Contra Costa Times article about the University of California’s decision to drop the system’s association with companies doing business in Sudan. Read the article.

Joanne Martin (theater and dance) was featured in an article in the March 2006 issue of Dramatics magazine, where she talked about her work as a costume designer. Read the article.

Thomas Reese, S.J., visiting scholar at SCU, was interviewed for a CNN Presents special program on the life of Pope John Paul II that aired April 1 and 2. Read more.

More SCU in the News. 

Karyne Levy joined the Office of Communications and Marketing in March 2006 as a writer/editor.

Steven Saum was named the new managing editor of Santa Clara Magazine. Saum comes to SCU from the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, where he was the editor in chief.

Richard Barber (physics) has received a subcontract award from UC Berkeley that provides $15,857 to support "Spatial Instabilities, Homogeneities and Proximity Effects: Highly Correlated Metals." UC Berkeley's award was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sally Wood (electrical engineering) received a subcontract award from Southern Methodist University (SMU) that provides $17,500 to support "Processing Arrays of Nygiost-Limited Observations to Produce a Thin Electro-Optic Sensor (PANOTYPES)." The award to SMU is funded by the Office of Naval Research. SCU's funding will provide funding for graduate students to participate in the project.

To submit grants, awards, and publication information, click here.