Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Alumni Association

The Year in Review

If you read this page in the summer issue of Santa Clara Magazine, you may remember that our Association has been busy over the past year developing a strategic plan. The purpose of this initiative has been to better understand our strengths and weaknesses, while also identifying opportunities to serve you more completely.

To achieve these objectives, we have hosted focus groups, benchmarked best practices with leading universities around the country, and conducted an online survey of alumni attitudes and interests.

SCU alumni gather after "gutting" their first house on the inaugural Alumni immersion trip to New Orleans in December 2006. Photo by Nancy Nino '95

One finding from the survey that really stands out is that most of you are not aware of the many services and benefits provided through the Alumni Association. Our objective is to develop lifelong relationships between you and other alumni, as well as the University. And we do that each year by offering over 200 events and programs around the country. But clearly, we're not as effective as we could be in letting you know all that's available.

Did you know…?

In the past year alone, the SCU Alumni Association:

• Traveled with 25 alumni and friends (including Professor of Theatre and Dance Fred Tollini, S.J., and Professor of Economics Mario Belotti) to Italy, home of Santa Clara's founding Jesuits, for our first (and certainly not last!) international alumni trip.
  
• Became the first Jesuit university to send 30+ alumni volunteers to New Orleans to help with reconstruction efforts.
  
• Continued to offer our Alumni Audit Program, which allows Santa Clara graduates the opportunity to audit undergraduate courses.
  
• Welcomed back almost 2,000 alumni to campus for their five-year through 55-year reunions.
• Continued to enhance both inCircle (our social networking site) and the Online Directory, both of which can keep you in touch with classmates and are great resources for jobs, as well as personal and professional networking.
  
• Helped SCU alumni in the Los Angeles area coordinate a mentoring program in which 13 current students shadowed 17 different entertainment alums in such fields as directing, writing, cinematography, art design, and editing.
  
• Engaged faculty in extending the intellectual life of the campus out to our alumni, drawing on SCU scholars including Steven Wade, dean's executive professor of accounting; Barry Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business; and Barbara Murray, associate professor of theatre and dance.

Santa Clara alumni and friends enjoy a moment in Venice during a two-week educational tour of Italy. Photo by Luigi Vignola

That's just a small sampling of the many events and activities we offer each year. As we move forward with our strategic planning efforts, we will continue to explore new ways for you to reconnect with SCU and your fellow Broncos. As always, you can find out what's going on in your city or on campus by visiting our Web site at www.scu.edu/alumni.

If you have ideas for new outings or would like to suggest ways to engage more of your classmates, please let us know. You may call the Alumni Office at 408-554-6800, or e-mail us at AlumUpdate@scu.edu. We'd love to hear from you!

It's going to be an exciting year and I hope to see you back on campus or at an alumni event in your area soon!

  Go Broncos!

Kathryn Kale '86
Executive Director, Alumni Association