Santa Clara University

News for the Campus Community
The Faculty-Staff Newsletter, e-mail edition
Santa Clara University, Sept. 15, 2005, Vol. 5, No. 1

Table of contents

SCU taking in students displaced by Hurricane Katrina
We the people: SCU celebrates Constitution Day
Loyola Hall is SCU's new office building
SCU retains #2 place in U.S. News annual rankings
Free campus shuttle for mass transit users will start Sept. 15
Vintage Santa Clara XXII
18th Annual Staff Recognition Dinner
Obituary
SCU in the News
SCU People
SCU Events
Grants, awards, and publications

SCU taking in students displaced by Hurricane Katrina

New SCU undergraduates at the orientation

SCU admitted more than 60 undergraduate students from Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University, Xavier University, and Dillard University who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. More than 40 students have confirmed their attendance at SCU and will be matriculating as visiting students for the fall quarter. The students arrived on Tuesday, Sept. 13 and attended a special all-day orientation on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

A number of the students who were displaced have ties to the Bay Area, but some, like Loyola junior Dawnyel Verrett, are coming to California for the first time. Dawnyel’s grandmother, Constance Thibodaux, told fyi that in the aftermath of the hurricane, Dawnyel felt like her life had been completely uprooted. When she learned she had been accepted at SCU, she was thrilled. “Santa Clara is where she wanted to go and I told her God will work it out. We’re happy for her, but we’ll miss her so much,” Thibodaux said.

In light of the tremendous losses many of the students and their families have suffered, SCU is waiving tuition for the visiting students and giving special consideration on room and board charges depending on financial need.

Emergency fund for visiting students: An emergency fund has been established by the Board of Trustees to help pay for books and incidentals. To contribute to this fund, please send donations to the Development Office and make checks payable to "Santa Clara University" with the notation "Katrina Visiting Students Fund."

Donations for victims in New Orleans: In coordination with the Jesuit Provincial office in New Orleans, Campus Ministry is collecting funds for victims of the hurricane. One hundred percent of the funds donated will go directly to victims in New Orleans. Please send those donations to Peggy Tritto in Campus Ministry. Make checks payable to "Santa Clara University" with the notation "Hurricane Relief."

We the people: SCU celebrates Constitution Day

Mark your calendar! Congress recently passed legislation designating Sept. 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. This legislation requires educational institutions receiving federal funding to implement an educational program that pertains to the United States Constitution on this day each year.

During the next few weeks you will see references to resources celebrating Constitution Day placed around campus and on the SCU Web site. We encourage you to participate in SCU’s efforts to recognize the pivotal role this document has played in shaping the character of the U.S. for more than 200 years. Please visit www.scu.edu/constitutionday for more information.

Loyola Hall is SCU's new office building

Heads Up: If you are returning to campus after a summer off, there have been a lot of changes in office space. The newest addition to the campus: Loyola Hall. Loyola Hall is at 425 El Camino Real, on the same side of the street as Schott Stadium, past the new apartments under construction, just as the Alameda turns into El Camino Real. Previously, the building was a research and development site for Sanmina-SCI.

Loyola Hall now houses almost all the development and university relations staff: gift processing and operations; corporate, foundation and donor relations; major gifts; annual and special gifts; planned giving; research; student call center, and Norman Martin, S.J. Alumni Relations staff are still at Donohoe Alumni house.

It is also home to the Center for Science, Technology and Society, and the Northern California Innocence Project. The Bursar’s Office has moved back to Walsh to new and improved offices. Stop by and say hello!

SCU retains #2 spot in U.S. News annual rankings: Undergraduate engineering program nationally ranked

Rankings in 2005 include, for the first time, listings for undergraduate engineering programs at colleges and universities where the highest degree offered is a bachelor's or master's of science. SCU's undergraduate school of engineering ranked 14th nationally.

In its annual ranking, "America's Best Colleges 2006," the magazine compared SCU to similar comprehensive universities that offer a range of undergraduate programs and master's degrees, but few doctoral programs. The Western region includes colleges and universities from Colorado to the West Coast, including Texas.

Additional highlights from the 2006 compilation:

• SCU had the highest average freshman retention rate in the Western region, at 92 percent.
• SCU's residential learning community model for residence life and shared learning was again noted as a program college-bound students and their parents should consider.
• SCU was listed 12th in the "great schools at a great price" regional category.

The "America's Best Colleges" rankings are on the magazine's Web site, www.usnews.com.

Free campus shuttle for mass transit users begins Sept. 15

New SCU Shuttle

The shuttle, operated by Serendipity Land Yachts and marked with an “SCU Shuttle” sign, will pick up faculty, staff, and students Monday through Friday from the Santa Clara CalTrain/VTA Transit Facility, across the street from SCU’s main entrance. The shuttle will make five stops before returning to the transit facility.

The stops include: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Mission Church, the Benson Center, Kids on Campus, and Loyola Hall. The shuttle schedule is coordinated with arrival and departure times of morning and evening trains and buses. For a complete shuttle schedule and route map, click here.

Vintage Santa Clara XXII

Vintage Santa Clara sold out once again this year, with more than 2,000 attendees enjoying an afternoon of wine, food, and live music in the Mission Gardens. Back by popular demand was the Silent Auction, featuring items such as a weekend getaway at the Stanford Inn by the Sea and a day of pampering at Dolce Vita Day Spa and Salon. All proceeds from the event benefit the Alumni Family Scholarship Fund and other Alumni Association events and programs.

18th Annual Staff Recognition Dinner

SCU staff members celebrated each other at the 18th annual Staff Recognition Dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The evening began with hors d’oeuvres on the Alumni Terrace followed by an awards ceremony and dinner in Market Square. Nearly thirty staff members were recognized for their service of 20 years or more.

Aimee Algier, who is head of technical services at Orradre Library and has been with the University for fifteen years, was recognized for her outstanding volunteer work on and off campus. Among her volunteer activities, Algier donates her musical talents to charitable causes throughout the Bay Area and is an active member of the Action Community Team where she translates flyers from English to Spanish and Portuguese, gives presentations to Facilities staff members in Portuguese, and assists with the annual clothing drive.

Special recognition awards went to five staff members whose extraordinary show of professionalism and performance is helping to advance the University’s mission. These awards went to, Nancy Nino and Pete Sclafani, Alumni Relations; Chris Young, Facilities; Robin Reynolds, Athletics; and Matthew Duncan, Student Life. At the close of the awards ceremony, ten lucky staff members won raffle prizes which included gift certificates from Starbucks, Safeway and Sears.

Obituary

William Spohn, 1944-2005

Well-known for his work in the fields of scripture and ethics, Roman Catholic moral theology, and American philosophy and theology, Spohn served on the faculties of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (1979-92) and Santa Clara University, where in addition to his duties directing the Bannan Center he held the Augustin Cardinal Bea Chair in theology and Christian ethics.

In a message to SCU faculty, staff, and students, University President Paul Locatelli, S.J. called Spohn's passing "a great personal loss and an even greater loss for our University community."

"Bill had a brilliant mind, a loving heart, and a special ability to make the most complex of subjects clear and understandable to others," Locatelli said. "We are grateful for and blessed by his years of service to Santa Clara University, especially his leadership of the Bannan Center.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Bannan Center for Educational Mission at Santa Clara University.

Education columnist Mike Winerip wrote a feature story for the New York Times on ethics camps for teachers run by SCU's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Read the story.

SCU law school professor Kerry Macintosh published an opinion article in the San Jose Mercury News on the film "The Island" and the legal ramifications of cloning. Read the story.

Education reporter Sam Miller wrote a feature story for the Orange County Register on ethics camps for teachers run by SCU's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics in Orange County. Read the story.

David DeCosse, director of Campus Ethics Programs at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at SCU was quoted in a national story on students buying and selling term papers on the internet. Read the story.

Brad Joondeph, associate professor of law and former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote an opinion for the San Jose Mercury News on the legacy of William Rehnquist. Read the story.

More SCU in the News. 

Jenny Lynn Cox has been appointed assistant dean and executive director of the High Tech Law Institute, at SCU’s School of Law. She previously served as vice president for legal affairs, general counsel, and secretary at Kana Software Inc. and at CoVia Inc.

Jim Siwicki, S.J., has been appointed interim director of Campus Ministry for 2005-06 academic year. He will also serve as a resident minister in the DaVinci Residential Learning Community.

Courtney Hamilton, formerly major gifts officer with the SCU School of Law, has been appointed assistant director for employer relations at SCU’s Career Center.

Vidalino Raatior has joined International Programs as a program coordinator. He is the former associate director of SCU’s Center for Multicultural Learning, resident minister, and assistant director of international student resources.

Dennis Parnell, S.J., of the biology department has been appointed associate director of international programs for special projects. His principle duties will be to serve as the founding director of the Santa Clara in London Program.

2005 University Convocation, Sept. 19, 2.45 p.m. - 4 p.m., Leavey Center: Convocation is an assembly of the academic community to celebrate the new academic year with a formal recognition of students, staff, and faculty.

Workplace Ergonomics Workshop, Sept. 22, noon - 1 p.m., Human Resources, Cowell Center: A workshop on office ergonomics issues. The presentation addresses fundamental ergonomics awareness, early reporting of discomfort, workstation and equipment design, work methods, and ergonomic aspects of personal accommodation. More campus events More SCU events.

Sunwolf (communication) and L.R. Frey published two chapters in The handbook of group research and practice, “Facilitating group communication,” and “The communication perspective on group life.”

Silvia Figueira, (computer engineering) received a $30,000 subcontract award from 3DGeo, Inc. (U.S. Department of Energy funding) to support "Performance Monitoring, Prediction, and Run Time Adaptation of Grid Distributed Applications."

Angelo Ancheta (Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center) has received a one-year award from The State Bar of California that provides $26,742 to support the Center's general programs.

Lisa Kealhofer (anthropology and sociology) has received an award from the National Science Foundation that provides $99,953 to support "Iron Age Economics in Anatolia."

Rebecca Schapp (de Saisset Museum) has received a one-year award from the Arts Council Silicon Valley that provides $4,728 to support the 2005 Organization Enhancement Fund.

Susan De La Paz (education) published an article “Effects of Historical Reasoning Instruction and Writing Strategy Mastery in Culturally and Academically Diverse Middle School Classrooms” in the Journal of Educational Psychology.

Susan De La Paz, (education) Managing Cognitive Demands for Writing: Comparing the Effects of Instructional Components in Strategy Instruction, Reading and Writing Quarterly.

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