The Leavey Difference: Faculty

Key Takeaways

• Scholar-Practitioners: Learn from faculty who combine rigorous academic research with active industry experience in Silicon Valley.
• Personal Mentorship: Benefit from a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio that supports close mentorship and individualized professional guidance.
• Values-Driven: Engage with educators who emphasize ethical decision-making and social responsibility alongside business acumen.
• Career Impact: Leverage faculty networks that connect students to internships, partnerships, and career opportunities across leading organizations.

When you choose a business school, you aren’t just selecting a curriculum or a campus—you're choosing the mentors who will shape your professional future. At Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, we believe that who you learn from is just as important as what you learn. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, our institution offers a unique educational environment defined by what we call "The Leavey Difference."

While our location provides access to thousands of companies and startups, it's our faculty who truly bridge the gap between the classroom and the corporate world. Leavey faculty aren’t merely teachers; they're scholar-practitioners who combine academic excellence with the applied, innovative mindset that defines Silicon Valley. Whether you're an undergraduate exploring your major or a working professional pursuing an Evening MBA or MS degree, the guidance you receive here is personal, practical, and profound.

With a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you won't just be a face in a lecture hall; you’ll build close connections with professors in classes, research, and internships. This commitment to personalized education is reflected in national recognition, including a #23 ranking in Best Undergraduate Teaching and consistent top-20 placement for professional MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report.

Here’s how Leavey faculty define the Leavey Difference—and how their experience translates into meaningful career outcomes.

Scholar-Practitioners Shaping Business in Silicon Valley

In many business schools, a gap often exists between academic theory and business practice. At Leavey, that line is intentionally blurred. Our faculty members are scholar-practitioners, meaning they're as comfortable in a boardroom as they are in a lecture hall. This dual expertise is critical for students who want to enter the workforce not only with knowledge, but with the ability to apply it immediately.

Bridging Theory and Real-World Application

Our professors possess real-world backgrounds that span the industries driving the global economy, including technology, finance, real estate, marketing, and entrepreneurship. When they teach a concept, they don’t just cite a textbook; they draw upon their own experiences navigating complex market shifts, managing mergers, or launching startups.

For students, this means classroom examples often come directly from current market events—or from faculty consulting and advisory work. You aren’t learning how business used to be done—you’re learning how it's being practiced today in one of the world’s most dynamic economic environments.

The Silicon Valley Ecosystem in the Classroom

Because we’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley, our faculty’s teaching is directly informed by the ecosystem that surrounds us. The rapid pace of innovation in this region demands that our curriculum stays agile. Our faculty are deeply connected to this pulse, constantly integrating new trends—like AI, fintech, and sustainable business practices—into their coursework.

For prospective graduate students, particularly those in our MS programs like Business Analytics or Information Systems, this is a game-changer. You’re learning from experts who understand exactly what Silicon Valley employers are looking for because they're often working alongside them. This experience signals to employers that you have been trained by faculty with deep industry insight and a clear understanding of the Silicon Valley business landscape.

Applied, Career-Focused Teaching

The "Leavey Difference" is perhaps most palpable in the way our faculty approach teaching. Our curriculum is intentionally designed to be applied, personal, and career-focused—equipping students to make meaningful, real-world impact from day one.

Hands-On Experiential Learning

You’ll rarely find a Leavey course that relies solely on rote memorization. Instead, our faculty embed hands-on, experiential learning directly into their syllabi. This involves the use of live cases, real data sets, and industry-sponsored projects that require you to solve actual business problems for real clients.

Imagine taking a marketing course where you develop a go-to-market strategy for a local tech startup—rather than analyzing a hypothetical case from years past. Similar applied experiences are embedded across finance, analytics, and management courses, ensuring graduates leave with demonstrated, real-world skills.

Mentorship and Accessibility

One of the most common complaints at large research universities is the inaccessibility of tenured professors. At Leavey, we flip the script. Our small class sizes allow for a level of faculty accessibility that is rare in higher education.

Our faculty view mentorship as a core responsibility of their role. They actively support student growth beyond the classroom, holding open office hours, offering career advice, and often serving as lifelong mentors long after graduation. This is particularly critical for our graduate students—early- to mid-career professionals who are often looking to pivot or advance. Having a mentor who understands your career trajectory and can offer tailored advice delivers value that extends well beyond the classroom.

Business Research with Real-World Impact

Faculty at top-tier business schools are expected to conduct research. However, at Leavey, we prioritize research that advances business practice, policy, and innovation in tangible ways. Research at Leavey is driven by real-world questions and practical impact—not publication alone.

Solving Tomorrow’s Problems

Our faculty focus on key areas that are reshaping the global landscape, such as sustainability, finance, analytics, entrepreneurship, and ethics. For example, our researchers are currently exploring how AI can be implemented ethically in the workplace, how supply chains can become more resilient in the face of climate change, and how financial markets react to geopolitical instability.

This work has tangible real-world impact. It influences policy decisions, guides corporate strategies, and helps startups find their footing. For you as a student, this means you're gaining access to cutting-edge insights before they even make it into textbooks. You’re learning the "why" behind the "what," giving you the strategic foresight that employers value in leadership roles.

Curriculum That Evolves

Because our faculty are active researchers, they're constantly updating their course materials to reflect their findings. This ensures that our programs remain current in a fast-changing market. Whether you're studying for an MBA or a specialized MS degree, you can be confident that the skills you're learning are future-proof.

Jesuit Values and Ethical Leadership in Business Education

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit institution, and this heritage profoundly shapes how we teach business. We believe that great leaders must be more than just profitable; they must be principled. Our faculty are the custodians of this mission, committed to ethics, social responsibility, and leadership for the common good.

Educating the Whole Person

Leavey faculty educate ethical leaders equipped to drive meaningful, responsible impact. Our faculty integrates purpose and impact into every aspect of business education. In a finance class, you won't just learn how to maximize returns; you’ll discuss the ethical implications of investment decisions. In a management course, you’ll explore how to lead diverse teams with empathy and integrity.

This focus on the "whole person" prepares you to lead responsibly in complex global and technological environments. In Silicon Valley, where technology often outpaces regulation, the ability to make ethical decisions is a distinct competitive advantage. Employers value Leavey graduates not only for their technical skills, but for their judgment, integrity, and leadership approach.

The "Conscience" of Silicon Valley

We often describe our role as being the conscience of Silicon Valley. Our faculty challenge you to ask the difficult questions: "Just because we can build this technology, should we?" This critical thinking is embedded in our DNA. It's why our alumni are known for being leaders who combine business acumen with ethical grounding.

Faculty Networks That Create Career Opportunity

Finally, the "Leavey Difference" is about the doors that our faculty can open for you. In business, professional networks matter—and Leavey faculty help students begin building theirs early.

Access to Industry Networks

Because our professors are deeply connected to the industry, they bring their professional networks into the university. They serve as bridges to internships, job placements, and employer engagements.

Many students benefit from faculty referrals, introductions, and guidance that help them access opportunities they might not find on their own. These connections are organic and powerful, born out of the mutual respect between our faculty and the local business community.

Guest Speakers and Executive Lecturers

Our faculty frequently invite guest speakers and executive lecturers to class—people they know personally from their own careers. This gives you the chance to hear directly from CEOs, CMOs, and founders who are shaping the industry. It also provides intimate networking opportunities that you wouldn't find at schools outside of this dynamic region.

Furthermore, our faculty facilitate connections with our powerful network of over 25,000 Leavey alumni and 100,000 Santa Clara University graduates worldwide. They help you leverage this community to find mentors, partners, and champions for your career.

Learn from Faculty Who Define the Leavey Difference

The faculty at the Leavey School of Business are more than educators; they're the architects of the "Leavey Difference." They're the reason our graduates are recognized as early- to mid-career professionals who are ready to advance or transition in tech-oriented fields. They're a key reason Leavey’s professional MBA programs are consistently recognized as leaders in Silicon Valley.

By choosing Leavey, you're choosing to learn from the best. You’re choosing faculty who are invested in your success, connected to your future employers, and dedicated to helping you become a leader of competence, conscience, and compassion.

Ready to learn from faculty who are invested in your success—and connected to your future?