Dear Friends,

Today is Veterans Day, a day on which we pause, reflect, and honor the dedication and sacrifice of our veterans and their loved ones, and express our collective gratitude as beneficiaries of their service. 

Our very own St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was a military veteran, having served in the Spanish Army. His injury during his time of service—his cannonball moment—was the catalyst for his journey towards God. We also give thanks to the students, faculty, and staff-educators who have served and continue to serve. Our Veterans Law Society, launched this fall, has already been a great resource for veterans, service members, and military-connected students at our law school. You can learn more about the wonderful work they’re doing here. 

In the spirit of profound gratitude, I also want to thank all of our community members who came together for the Red Mass at our beautiful Mission Church. In particular, we offer our great thanks to Our Presider, the Most Reverend Bishop Oscar Cantú; Our Homolist, the Reverend Joseph Benedict; all of our wonderful Concelebrants; Deacon Richard Noack; our awe-inspiring Music Ministers, directed by Father Julian Climaco; the incredible Mission Staff Team; and the St. Thomas More Society and its servant leaders, led by their President Michael Manoukian, class of 2014.    

We thank and congratulate as well the Honorable Vanessa A. Zecher, J.D. 1987, who received the 2026 St. Thomas More Award for her wise and compassionate work in public service. And we thank Herb Sendak, Jr., the head coach of our men’s basketball team, who offered his powerful reflections on the importance of finding joy in the moment, when we broke bread together after our Mass. 

For more than 8 centuries, members of the legal community have held the Red Mass to pray that the Holy Spirit will accompany them as they pursue their professional calling. In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is named “the Advocate”—which means to call to the aid of another. 

At our Red Mass, we rededicated ourselves to continue in the spirit of the divine Advocate, so that we may answer the call to serve our clients and communities with competence, conscience, and compassion; to pursue justice; to be instruments of God’s peace, and to be beacons of God's love.  

That call knows no borders. Last week, we were honored to host the American Society of International Law Midyear Meeting, bringing to Charney Hall leading International Law scholars and practitioners from all over the world. Through a series of presentations, forums, and networking opportunities, attendees explored topics such as artificial intelligence, tariffs, history, gender, and conflict through the lens of international law. Thank you to our Center for Global Law & Policy team and partners, faculty, and staff-educators who made this event possible. 

In the same spirit of bringing people together, we recently announced a partnership with Fisher Phillips and the San Jose Sharks to bring a new summer internship opportunity to our 1L class in an expansion of our Sports Law program. This partnership is just one example of how Santa Clara Law leverages our Silicon Valley network to provide practical learning opportunities for our students across legal fields. 

I also wish a joyous Diwali to all who celebrated this past weekend. In the Hindu tradition, Diwali is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness. In the midst of a world filled with challenges, change, and uncertainty, I believe that our law school community serves as a light, illuminating a better future and world for all. 

We will be celebrating the stewards of that bright future on Tuesday, December 1st at Mission Church in our Swearing-In Ceremony. Our Bar admittees are invited to RSVP here. 

With warm regards and great gratitude,   

 

Michael J. Kaufman
Dean and Professor of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law