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Table of contentsStudents head to New Orleans, find hope amidst the rubble Students head to New Orleans, find hope amidst the rubble |
News for the Campus Community
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| Alexandra Goldberg ('06) and Katie Fier ('09) take a break in New Orleans |
The spirit of New Orleans is powerful and alive. That is the impression Michael Colyer, assistant director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, left with after he and 13 SCU students spent a week in the storm-ravaged city as part of a special immersion trip.
Colyer and the students partnered with Catholic Charities while in New Orleans, spending seven hours a day swinging sledgehammers and tearing down walls as they gutted houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed. As far as the eye could see, there was devastation, Colyer told fyi. “It was like going into a third world country.”
As physically challenging as the trip was, the emotional toll was just as great. “When we got there, it still really looked bad,” Colyer said. The students were asking, “How can it still be like this?” and “Who is not doing their job?” “A lot of us got angry, but people we spoke with who went through the hurricane told us, ‘You should have seen it four months ago, you couldn’t even get down the street.’”
Talking with New Orleanians not only helped the students put their own experiences and observations in perspective, it allowed them to see first hand the determination and hope shared by the city’s residents who have chosen to stay and rebuild their lives.
The resilience of the hurricane survivors may be best captured in the response given by a long-time, elderly resident of the city.When a student asked her if she thought New Orleans would ever be what it was, the woman answered, “Honey, it’s going to be even better.”
On Jan. 11, NBC 11’s “The Bay Area Today” showcased two SCU students who participated in the immersion trip.
See more pictures from the immersion trip to New Orleans.
Budget talk with Bob Warren
Fiscal Year 2007 Proposed Budget: Expenses
Fyi sat down with Bob Warren, vice president for Administration and Finance, in early December to discuss the 2006-07 budget. Warren spoke about the overall financial health of the University as a result of strong operating and investment activities. The proposed budget will go to the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees for review in mid-January and will be presented to the Board of Trustees on Jan. 20. Details of the final budget will be made available soon after.
Financial status:
- Overall net assets grew to $800 million as a result of favorable operating and investment performance the last several years.
- The endowment fund reached the $500 million threshold at the end of the 2004 calendar year.
Faculty and staff salary proposal highlights:
- Merit component: The merit pool is a percentage of the salary base and is expected to be consistent for both faculty and staff.
- Equity and market adjustments: The faculty pool includes improvements in the compensation of part-time faculty, as well as a proposal to improve the faculty housing program.
Additional items of interest:
- Tuition: The proposed tuition for 2006-07 will be comparable to the tuition rates at other private universities with which SCU competes.
- Enrollment: Enrollment continues to be strong at the University. Targets for 2006-07 are:
-- Undergraduate students—4,575
-- Entering freshman—1,200
-- Transfer students—200
- Financial aid: The budget proposes that the discount rate for financial aid be 25 percent and that the University contribute 20 percent of the gross tuition rate to support financial aid.
- Athletic scholarships: Giving has declined, yet the cost of athletics continues to rise. The proposed budget supports sustaining the level of athletic scholarships that the University currently offers.
- Library (Information Commons): There is a placeholder in the budget for debt service to support the new library in anticipation that the University will not raise the full amount needed to finance the construction of the new building.
- Technology investments: The University continues to make investments in the technology infrastructure and is budgeting for a renewal and replacement fund. The University has been increasing the budget, adding about a quarter of a million dollars a year to support the plan.
The Commons on Kennedy Mall opens its doors
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| Commons on Kennedy Mall |
There is nothing like an 8-o’clock, Monday morning class to jolt undergrads back to reality after a long winter break, but for students registered for Composition & Rhetoric I, the shock may have been more about the new building they were sitting in rather than the syllabi on their desks.
SCU’s first-ever “green” building, the Commons on Kennedy Mall, opened its doors on Jan. 9 and classes are well underway in the building’s state-of-the-art classrooms.
There is still work to be done on the Commons, but once completed, it will be a flexible, multipurpose space that will include meeting rooms, a kitchen, classrooms, and lecture space for faculty and students. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2006.
For more information about the sustainable materials used to build the Commons on Kennedy Mall, visit www.scu.edu/sustainability/commons/.
Waterfree urinals make their campus debut
Men’s bathrooms across SCU are undergoing a major makeover this winter with the installation of more than 170 waterfree urinals. It may not be the most glamorous project on campus, but it is an important one, says Director of Facilities Jeffrey Charles. “I'm confident when all is said and done and the 176 waterfree urinals are in place, along with the urinals that will go in the University’s new buildings, the water savings will exceed our expectations...and we will be doing the right thing,” Charles told fyi.
The University will save more than two million gallons of water per year according to the City of San Jose, which is offering the University a rebate based upon the amount of water conserved. This new technology also conserves energy by eliminating the need for water to be pumped to or from the urinal. And, with less energy being used, overall carbon dioxide emissions are significantly reduced.
Mission City Federal Credit Union closes campus office
Mission City Federal Credit Union is closing its campus office on Jan. 31, 2006. The credit union invites members to visit their main office, located at 1391 Franklin Street in Santa Clara, one block west of Franklin Square.
The credit union ATM will remain on campus and is a full service machine. The ATM is available to the SCU community anytime the Benson Center is open. For more information about Mission City Federal Credit Union, call 408-244-5818 or toll-free at 888-361-1894, or visit them online at www.missioncityfcu.org.
OCM says good-bye to director
Susan Shea, SCU’s first director of the Office of Communications and Marketing, will retire from the University at the end of January. At the January 13 President’s retreat, Susan noted that the University’s integrated marketing efforts have gained significant momentum as more faculty, staff, and key volunteers become involved. "I am particularly proud of the OCM staff’s professionalism and teamwork," she noted. "The campus community lets us know daily how much their expertise and problem-solving is appreciated."
There will be a reception in Susan’s honor on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Williman Room.
SCU in the News |
Some of the links to the news stories below may require registration. If you need help retrieving a story, please contact fyi.
Brad Joondeph (law) was interviewed for two newscasts on NBC 11 about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Christopher Kitts (engineering) appeared in a NASA Ames Research Center documentary entitled "GeneSat: The Next Generation of Small Satellite Research.” The film has been shown at several conferences and is being circulated among Congressional representatives as an example of university contributions to fundamental NASA research and development initiatives.
Judy Nadler (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics) was quoted in a Pasadena Star-News article about claims that a Congressman from Southern California may have been involved in an unethical land deal. Read the article.
Miriam Schulman (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics) was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about a new trend in automotive design that is not user-friendly for shorter drivers. Read the article.
Meir Statman (economics) offered tips for getting out of debt in Money Magazine. Read the article.
Gerald Uelmen (law) was quoted in a San Jose Mercury News article about the job responsibilities that lay ahead for Carol Corrigan, California's newest state Supreme Court justice. Read the article.
SCU President Paul Locatelli, S.J., wrote an opinion piece for the San Jose Mercury News about where God can be found during the busy holiday season. Read the article.
SCU People |
SCU Events |
Black History Month, February 2006: February is Black History Month, and the Center for Multicultural Learning is organizing a calendar of events specific to this month. If you are planning an event relevant to Black History Month (BHM), please fill out the program form and return it the Center for Multicultural Learning by Jan. 23.
Free Fitness Preview Classes, Jan. 18 and 20 (times vary), Malley Fitness and Recreation Center: Campus Recreation is offering a free preview of its Monday/Wednesday/Friday Morning Step and Sculpt Class at 6.45 a.m. to 7.45 a.m. and BalleCore 8 to 9 a.m. Space and equipment are limited. For more information contact Recreation Assistant Nick Johnson.
Orradre Library Exhibit, "Future Cities and Sustainable Development", Jan. 3-Feb. 20, Orradre Library lobby: Orradre’s newest exhibit, "Future Cities and Sustainable Development,” highlights SCU's "green" building (The Commons on Kennedy Mall) currently under construction, and informs visitors about the value of recycling and using energy-efficient products.
Winter Career Fair, Jan. 19, 4.30-7.30 p.m., Benson Memorial Center: The Winter Career Fair is a gathering of students and employers to explore full-time, part-time, internship, and co-op opportunities for all majors. Over 85 employers are currently registered.
Sunday, Jan. 27, Engineering Design Center Lab (building 402, room 618), 9 a.m.– noon, 2-4 p.m.: Sun Microsystems will be on campus holding sessions on academic computing and administrative computing using some of their latest technology. Learn more.
Grants, awards, and publications |
Mark Ardema (mechanical engineering) has been elected Fellow of the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The AIAA, with 35,000 members in 79 countries, elected only 30 people worldwide this year.
Aldo Billingslea (theatre and dance) appeared in the Marin Theatre Company world premiere of Scott Kaiser's "Splittin' the Raft." It was a highly-stylized theatrical retelling of Mark Twain's "Huck Finn" as interpreted by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglas.
Marilyn Fernandez (sociology) has been elected Vice President of the Pacific Sociological Association (PSA).
John Hawley (English) gave a presentation titled "Can the Cosmopolitan Speak?" at a conference at Delhi University on "new" literatures in English.
Christopher Kitts (engineering) was selected as a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) based on his long-standing contributions to the field of electrical engineering.
Fayeq Oweis (modern languages and literatures) published "Pocket Guide to Arabic Script," a booklet that offers a complete and easy-to-use reference for the Arabic writing system (Hippocrene Books, New York, Nov. 2005).
Barry Z. Posner (business) had his manuscript, "Leading in Cynical Times” (with J.M. Kouzes), published in the Journal of Management Inquiry, 2005.
Chad Raphael (communication) recently published his book, “Investigated Reporting: Muckrakers, Regulators, and the Struggle Over Television Documentary” (University of Illinois Press).
SCU’s highly-regarded and award-winning student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers won third place in the Outstanding Student Competition at the Society of Women Engineers' annual conference in November 2005 for its One Step Ahead Program.
To submit grants, awards, and publication information, click here.
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