Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University is engaged in the final phase of the Comprehensive Review for Re-accreditation.  Both Santa Clara and JST submitted a Capacity Report in July and hosted site visits in October 2009; our Educational Effectiveness Reports are due in November 2010, and the site visit is scheduled for February 7-9, 2011.  In response to the Capacity report and site visit, SCU and JST-SCU each received a set of commendations and recommendations from WASC.  The Educational Effectiveness Report will respond to the recommendations and will include a number of additional required components.

The Jesuit School of Theology will complete a separate Educational Effectiveness Report, which will be included as an appendix to the Santa Clara University Report.  The SCU WASC visiting team will likely include two members from the visiting team that visited JST in 2009.  The February 2011 site visit will include a day at the Jesuit School of Theology.  A visiting team from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) also will participate in the JST site visit.

Santa Clara University was commended for the following: the new Core curriculum; the commitment to the teaching scholar model; the program review process; the integration of JST into the University; the new Strategic Plan; and sound financial management. Recommendations included the following:

1. Take steps to increase the proportion of underrepresented groups in the student body, faculty, and staff;
2. Further define faculty roles; set goals for faculty size, composition, and workload; clarify expectations about balance of teaching with scholarship and creative activity; 
3. Integrate budgeting and planning more effectively; coordinate resource needs and allocations;
4. Promote faculty understanding and skill in assessing student learning; demonstrate the use of assessment in improving student learning; assess the University’s success in educating students who integrate competence, conscience, and compassion; and
5. Assess the University’s shared governance model and consider ways to improve communication.
   

The University is responding to each recommendation, and progress is underway on drafts of both Educational Effectiveness Reports.

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