Santa Clara University

The plan will guide the University's priorities, leadership focus, community engagement and plans for the future.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 2, 2011—On Feb. 11, the board of trustees of Santa Clara University approved a new Strategic Plan, the document that will guide the University's priorities, leadership, community engagement and plans for the next several years.

At the core of the 16-page document are five strategic priorities:

• excellence in Jesuit education
• engagement with Silicon Valley
• global understanding and engagement
• justice and sustainability
• academic community.

In a letter to the SCU community, University President Michael Engh, S.J., said the plan “enables us to realize our vision and establish our distinctiveness in the competitive environment of higher education.”

The plan lists the broad outlines of how the University intends to achieve its top priorities, including investment of capital resources, global and community partnerships, additional faculty, and program enhancements.

"This strategic plan is an ambitious marriage of our mission and aspirations," said Robert Finocchio, Jr, chair of the board of trustees.  "We believe it points Santa Clara in the right directions:  global competitiveness and relevance for our students and University, grounded in competence, conscience and compassion in the service of others.”

A new website dedicated to the Strategic Plan is available at http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/. Included on the site are a more-detailed description of the plan, videos for each of the priorities, and a downloadable online version of the Strategic Plan brochure.

Background of Strategic Plan

The board's approval was the culmination of a collective process of widespread consultation, intense dialog, and strategic thinking across campus and among many stakeholders.

The last time the University implemented a strategic plan was in 2001. At that time, the University identified three broad goals: building a community of scholars, providing an integrated education, and focusing resources for excellence. That plan resulted in initiatives that are thriving today at SCU, including residential learning communities, the new core curriculum, a robust alumni-engagement program, and faculty research grant programs.   

What's Next
In the spring, each of the University's schools and centers will provide detailed sub-plans describing the initiatives, programs, and other changes they plan to enact to better align with the new Strategic Plan. While the current document lays out broad metrics for quantifying the University's progress in meeting the goals, the sub-plans will include more specific metrics for measuring success. Once approved, they will become an official part of the Strategic Plan.  

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley. Santa Clara offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's degrees in a number of professional fields, law degrees, and engineering and theology doctorates. Distinguished by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, Santa Clara educates leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion grounded in faith-inspired values. Founded in 1851, Santa Clara is California's oldest operating institution of higher education. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121

More information

Strategic Plan website
http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/

Details and videos of Priorities

http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/priorities-goals/excellence/index.cfm
http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/priorities-goals/engagement/index.cfm
http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/priorities-goals/global-understandin/index.cfm
http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/priorities-goals/justice-sustainability/index.cfm
http://www.scu.edu/strategicplan/2011/priorities-goals/academic-community/index.cfm