 
Priority Five: Academic Community
Santa Clara must continue to strengthen the quality and diversity of the academic community—our faculty, staff , and students—by providing for the strong and sustainable infrastructure needed to make the University’s vision a reality. Our efforts must begin with renewed investment in the faculty. We will hire more full-time faculty, both tenure track and non-tenure track, and provide them resources to pursue new knowledge. Students learn best when they engage with professors whose passion for teaching informs their active scholarship and professional engagement, which in turn inform their teaching. Providing more time and resources for an increased number of full-time faculty will enhance teaching effectiveness by helping the faculty to stay current with rapidly changing knowledge and methods. This will attract better undergraduate and graduate students, provide more opportunity for them to conduct research with faculty, and strengthen their preparation for future work and study. It will also attract more external research funding to support the University; produce new knowledge that makes the world more humane, just, and sustainable; and boost Santa Clara’s reputation in national rankings of universities. Our vision also depends upon attracting students who have the preparation and motivation to take full advantage of the distinctive educational experience Santa Clara offers. It depends as well upon retaining experienced and effective staff , many of whom contribute directly to learning and scholarship, and all of whom help to create the financial, technological, and operational conditions for a successful university. To strengthen our academic community, we will:
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