Santa Clara University

Parent Letter Fall 2007

October 25, 2007

Dear Parents:

The 2007-08 academic year is well underway, with many remarkable things happening in virtually every part of the University. I would like to share some highlights with you.

Santa Clara University took third place out of the 20 universities – worldwide – selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. The competition, which promotes energy efficiency and sustainable living, included universities such as M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, and two-time Solar Decathlon winner University of Colorado, Boulder. Led by students from the School of Engineering and supported by faculty and corporate sponsors, our cross-disciplinary team of more than 40 undergraduate students designed and built a 500-square-foot solar-powered house using cutting-edge technologies. This facility will become a research laboratory and teaching tool on our campus. Congratulations!

Jane Goodall visited campus October 8 to kick off the second year of our President’s Speaker Series and discussed her research on primates. Other renowned scientists coming to campus will be Robert Sapolsky (January 16th) and Paul Berg (March 12th) as well as journalists Michael Malone (May 6th). The series creates a dialog within the campus community and beyond on ideas that shape our world.

New campus facilities are moving forward at a rapid rate:

• The Learning Commons, Technology Center, and Library will open for the start of spring quarter, 2008. This exciting new building will provide a state-of-the-art, academically oriented space through a variety of venues appropriate for individual study, group work, readings, presentations, or panels, as well as provide unparalleled computing and communication technologies. Progress on this building may be seen via webcam at http://www.scu.edu/webcams/library.cfm.
• The new business school building is scheduled to open for the fall term. This building, with the lead gift from parent Don Lucas, will enhance both the education of students and faculty and the reputation of our School of Business.
• Construction on a new aquatics center will begin in the spring to replace our existing swimming pool, thanks to a $3 million lead gift from alumnus Jack (class of '59) and Joan Sullivan.

Good news for seniors: on October 4, the Career Center hosted a career fair that attracted 162 organizations. Employers recruited students for a range of jobs, internships, fellowships, year-of-service opportunities, and volunteer positions.

These activities and others have not escaped the attention of news media as we’ve enjoyed expanded coverage in publications such as the Washington Post, USA Today, L.A. Times, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News. Recognition of the progress we’re making is also being reflected in college surveys such as U.S. News and World Report, where the most recent rankings highlight Santa Clara’s growing stature:

• Santa Clara was ranked second overall among 127 comprehensive universities in the West for the 18th year in a row. 
• Santa Clara’s average undergraduate graduation rate of 85% is second highest nationally among 574 comprehensive universities.
• Santa Clara’s academic reputation places us second in the West and fourth nationally.

Our university Web site has been redesigned to be more informative and user-friendly. Among the improvements are new pictures, graphic treatments, and stories that reflect the University's commitment to an excellent education and leadership. The site provides a way to remain current on events at Santa Clara. The general Web site is www.scu.edu and the one for Santa Clara parents is www.scu.edu/family/.

With our ideal of educating for competence, conscience and compassion – academic excellence enhanced by ethical and spiritual excellence – we encourage all students take Arrupe community-based learning courses and Kolvenbach immersion trips sponsored by the Ignatian Center. These programs awaken students to new realities by learning with and from others who are most fragile in our society. The Web site: www.scu.edu/ignatiancenter/. In addition, our students may explore possibilities for international studies. Students and parents can find more information at www.scu.edu/studyabroad/parents/.

I hope you will be able to join us for this year’s Parent Weekend, February 15-16, 2008. I also hope your experience with Santa Clara University has been increasingly gratifying because we offer what you want for your daughters and sons: an academically excellent Jesuit education, with a deep and abiding commitment to use knowledge ethically and compassionately to construct a more humane, sustainable, and just world.

Sincerely,

Paul Locatelli, S.J.
President

P.S. Please remind your sons and daughters to sign up for the campus emergency alert system at the ecampus account page.