Campus

The University is located on a 106-acre campus in the city of Santa Clara near the south- ern end of the San Francisco Bay in one of the world’s greatest cultural centers. More than 50 buildings on campus house 15 student residences, a main library, a law library, two stu- dent centers, the de Saisset Museum, extensive performing arts and athletic facilities, and a recreation and fitness center.

Santa Clara’s campus has the advantage of being located in Silicon Valley, a region known for its extraordinary visionaries, who have designed and created some of the most significant scientific and technological advances of our age. Silicon Valley is more than a location—it is a mindset, and home to more than 3 million residents and 6,600 science and technology-related companies (not including San Francisco, which is located just an hour away).

Santa Clara’s campus is well known for its beauty and mission-style architecture. Opened in 2013, the brick-paved Abby Sobrato Mall leads visitors from the University’s main entrance to the heart of campus—the Mission Santa Clara de Asís. The roses and palm and olive trees of the Mission Gardens surround the historic Mission Church, which was restored in 1928. The adjacent Adobe Lodge is the oldest building on campus. In 1981, it was restored to its 1822 decor.

Academic Facilities

Amidst all this beauty and history are modern, world-class academic facilities. Students study and thrive in places such as the Joanne E. Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Family Technology Center, and Orradre Library where individuals and groups can study in an inviting, light-filled, and open environment. Notably, the library features an Automated Retrieval System, a high-density storage area where up to 900,000 books and other publications can be stored and retrieved using robotic-assisted technology.

Another example of Santa Clara’s excellent academic facilities is Lucas Hall, home of the Leavey School of Business. This modern 85,000-square-foot building houses classrooms, meeting rooms, offices, study spaces, and a café. Classrooms are equipped with state-of-the art videoconferencing equipment as well as a multi-platform system to record faculty lectures for later review by students. Vari Hall (formerly Arts & Sciences), adjacent to Lucas Hall, is home to the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics as well as academic departments, classrooms, and a 2,200-square-foot digital television studio, regarded as among the best studios found on any campus nationwide.

Located near Vari Hall (formerly Arts & Sciences) is the Schott Admission and Enrollment Services Building, a welcome center for campus visitors and home to several University departments. Opened in 2012, the lobby of this green-certified structure includes technology-infused exhibits that illustrate Santa Clara’s Jesuit mission. Among other green features on campus are two solar-powered homes built in 2007 and 2009 for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. Both homes now serve as laboratories for solar and sustainability technologies.

Student Life

Santa Clara has 10 on-campus residence halls, most with traditional double rooms and large common bathrooms; others with suite arrangements conducive to more informal living. Juniors and seniors can apply for townhouse-style living in the 138-unit University Villas across from the main campus. Opened in 2012, Graham Hall is an environmentally friendly building with 96 mini-suites, lounges, full kitchens, and laundry facilities for every eight-room “neighborhood.” In addition, the residence hall has two classrooms, a small theater, outdoor barbecue and picnic areas, and a large courtyard.

The Robert F. Benson Memorial Center serves as a hub for campus life. The Benson Center offers dining services and houses the campus bookstore, the campus post office, and meeting rooms. The University’s main dining hall, The Marketplace, resembles an upscale food court with numerous stations and options. For a more informal experience, The Bronco is the Benson Center’s late-night venue, serving beverages and pub-style food.

Another hot-spot for student life, the Paul L. Locatelli, S.J., Student Activity Center, includes a 6,000 square-foot gathering hall with a high ceiling that can accommodate dances and concerts as well as pre- and postgame activities. Designed with environmental sensitivity, the building is energy efficient and has daytime lighting controls and motion sensors to maximize use of natural light. For fitness-minded students, the Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center features a 9,500-square-foot weight training and cardiovascular exercise room, three basketball courts, a swimming pool, and other facilities to support the recreational and fitness needs of the campus community.

The campus includes many locations for quiet reflection such as the St. Clare Garden, which features plants and flowers arranged into five groups to portray the stages of the saint’s life. For campus members who want a more hands-on relationship with nature, the Forge Garden, SCU’s half-acre organic garden, serves as a campus space for course research, service learning, and sustainable food production.

Athletics and the Arts

The importance of athletics to the University is evident everywhere on campus. Among the newest additions to Santa Clara’s athletics facilities are the Stephen Schott Stadium, home field for the men’s baseball team, and the state-of-the-art Stevens Soccer Training Center funded by a gift from Mary and Mark Stevens. The gift also allowed Santa Clara to upgrade the stands in Stevens Stadium (formerly Buck Shaw Stadium), home to the men’s and women’s soccer programs, and build a plaza to celebrate Bronco sports—its past, present, and future. The plaza celebrates the history of Santa Clara University football as well as the legacy and future of men’s and women’s soccer at SCU. Bellomy Field, eight acres of well-lit, grassy playing fields, provides space for club and intramural sports such as rugby and field hockey. Adjacent to Bellomy Field is the well-appointed women’s softball field, which opened in 2013. The Leavey Event Center houses the University’s premier basketball facility. Over the years, the Leavey Event Center has hosted nine West Coast Conference Basketball Championships.

The University recognizes the arts as an important part of life at Santa Clara University. The new Edward M. Dowd Art and Art History Building opened in 2016, housing an integrated fine arts program that is already a destination and a center for inspiration, innovation, and engagement in the arts and art history in Silicon Valley. The de Saisset Museum, the University’s accredited museum of art and history, presents changing art exhibitions throughout the year and serves as the caretaker of the University’s California History Collection, which includes artifacts from the Native American, Mission, and early Santa Clara College periods.

SCU•Presents represents the University’s commitment to the performing arts on campus, which include performances at venues such as the Louis B. Mayer Theatre, the Fess Parker Studio Theatre, and the Music Recital Hall. The Mayer Theatre is Santa Clara University’s premier theatrical venue, housing 500 intimate seats in either a flexible proscenium or thrust-stage setting. The Fess Parker Studio Theatre has no fixed stage or seating. Its blackbox design, complete with movable catwalks, provides flexibility in an experimental setting. The 250-seat Music Recital Hall provides a contemporary setting where students, faculty, and guest artists offer a variety of performances.

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