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SANTA CLARA , Calif., Feb. 25, 2025—In a move that will deepen and enhance the theological, global, and academic reach of Santa Clara University, the University’s Jesuit School of Theology (JST-SCU) will relocate from its current location in Berkeley, California, to the main campus in Santa Clara, California. The relocation was endorsed by the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States (JCCU), following approval by the boards of JST-SCU and Santa Clara University.

JST-SCU is a global ministry of the Society of Jesus and a graduate school of Santa Clara University. It has been located in Berkeley since 1970. The decision to move the theologate follows more than a year of assessment and intentional discernment regarding the future and optimal location of the school for student support, academic integration, and future growth. 

Santa Clara’s strategic plan, Impact 2030, established ambitious goals for expanding the University’s international engagement, including becoming the leading Jesuit university in service to global society and the global Church, and becoming a global hub for collaboration that advances economic, social, ecological, and political development. 

Already, JST-SCU has established itself as a leader for the global Church in increasing understanding and implementation of “synodality,” the global Catholic Church’s vision for reform and renewal through deep and inclusive listening, prayer, and discernment. JST-SCU’s spring 2025 conference, keynoted by the Vatican’s top synodality leader, Cardinal Mario Grech, as well as a new massive open online course and a new masters in theological studies with a concentration in synodal leadership, represent rich resources for global Catholics as well as Santa Clara students and faculty.

Having JST-SCU’s students and scholars—who hail from more than 40 countries—study contextualized theology working alongside Santa Clara’s arts and sciences, business, law, and engineering schools will open up new opportunities for global partnerships, networks, and leadership. 

“The benefits to our campus from this move will be immeasurable, from the rich global perspectives shared by JST-SCU students, to the faculty collaborations that will be sparked, to new expertise brought to bear on the  challenges facing our world,” said Santa Clara University President Julie Sullivan. “This will greatly advance our Impact 2030 goal of establishing Santa Clara University as the leading hub of global theology.”

A New Era of Integration and Opportunity

The relocation process will begin immediately and culminate in a fall 2027 grand opening of the new space on the main campus, located on the third floor of the University’s Guadalupe Hall, which will be renovated for JST-SCU. Due to its relocation 50 miles south of Berkeley and other factors, effective June 2027, JST-SCU will withdraw as a member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), the group of theology schools of different faith traditions and Christian denominations, most based in Berkeley. 

The relocation is poised to usher in a host of new opportunities for JST-SCU students, faculty, staff, and the wider university community. These new opportunities include:

• Deepened presence in Silicon Valley: The relocation positions JST-SCU at the heart of emerging social and technological conversations around AI and ethics, religion and society, synodality, ecological stewardship, and other critical topics relevant to a region serving as a key nexus between technology and its impact on humanity. 
• Academic synergy: The move will foster deeper collaboration with major academic units on campus, including the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries, the Religious Studies Department, Santa Clara’s Division of Mission and Ministry, and its three university-wide Centers of Distinction in ethics, global impact, and Ignatian values. A recently announced $10 million grant from the Lilly Endowment will enable JST-SCU to create and launch a new Pope Francis Institute for Pastoral Flourishing in partnership with those units, as well as with existing and emerging centers at Santa Clara.
• Enhanced student support: JST-SCU students will gain seamless access to comprehensive services on the main campus, including Student Health and Wellness, Campus Ministry, the SCU library, recreational facilities, and a larger community of support.
• Increased intercultural interactions: The faculty and students of JST-SCU hail from more than 40 countries and will bring their life experiences into the heart of campus life. 

Homecoming and Historical Context

This relocation represents a powerful homecoming of sorts for JST-SCU. The school, originally established in 1934 as Alma College in the Santa Cruz Mountains, was first affiliated with Santa Clara University from 1958 to 1970 before disaffiliating and moving to Berkeley to associate with the GTU. JST-SCU was formally reintegrated with Santa Clara University in 2009 while remaining in Berkeley.

This upcoming move will complete the integration, bringing JST-SCU back to the South Bay, closer to its origins near the Santa Cruz Mountains. 

JST-SCU’s next incarnation promises to give rise to something new, says its dean Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J. “Out of the horizon of Santa Clara arises a vision of integration, summoning us to forge new bonds, weave new alliances, foster new collaborations, discover new opportunities, and build a new community,” said Orobator. 

Institutional Commitment and Comprehensive Planning

A university-wide relocation committee and five subcommittees will be responsible for implementing a relocation plan, which is built on an intensive and exhaustive study conducted by Santa Clara’s Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, involving interviews, data collection, and analysis. 

The comprehensive assessment focused on several key priorities, including:

• Robust support for students, staff, and faculty.
• Continued access to world-class library materials and support services.
• Increased capacity to facilitate global conversations around synodality and the future of the Church.

About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

About the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU)
The Jesuit School of Theology is a global ministry of the Society of Jesus and a graduate school of Santa Clara University. An international center for innovative theological education, research, and formation rooted in the lived realities of diverse communities of faith, JST-SCU embraces synodality, the Catholic Church’s process of prayer, listening, and communal discernment into where the Holy Spirit is leading the Church. JST-SCU empowers women and men to serve and lead in the global Catholic church. 

Media Contacts 
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121
Preston Carmack | JST-SCU Marketing and Communications | pcarmack@scu.edu | 510-549-5041