Dear Members of the Santa Clara University Community,

One of our greatest treasures at Santa Clara is our shared mission, a mission that comes to us through our tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. This mission – with its worldview that sees God active in all things – offers us a transcendent horizon that embraces faith and reason, that celebrates the uniqueness and dignity of each member of our human family and the precious gift of our natural world, and impels us to pursue justice and belonging. 

This year, Santa Clara University is looking closely at how we live out our mission through a process known as the Mission Priority Examen (MPE). This process of reflection, self-study, and shared discernment is an invitation to the whole community – students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, trustees, Jesuit community, and friends and supporters of the university – to look carefully at how we live out our mission as a Jesuit, Catholic university in our unique context of Silicon Valley and this moment in our history. Organized in coordination with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, as well as the Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus, the MPE will culminate in a report to and a response from Fr. Arturo Sosa, the Superior General of the worldwide Society of Jesus. This will be Santa Clara’s second MPE, following on its first such process in 2019. 

I have asked Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, to chair our Santa Clara steering committee, as well as James Glaser, provost and executive vice president, and Laura Nichols, professor of sociology, to serve as co-chairs. In addition, the following members of our community will serve on the MPE committee.

Committee Members

• Matt Carnes, S.J. | Vice President, Mission and Ministry (Chair) 
• Jim Glaser | Provost and Executive Vice President (Co-Chair) 
• Laura Nichols | Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology (Co-Chair) 
• Chris Bacon | Associate Professor, Environmental Studies and Sciences 
• Shá Duncan Smith | Vice President, Inclusive Excellence 
• Amy Goldman | Member of the Board of Trustees, and CEO and Chair, GHR Foundation 
• Hooria Jazaieri | Assistant Professor, Department of Management & Entrepreneurship 
• Michael Kaufman | Dean and Professor of Law, School of Law 
• Lawrence Lokman | Vice President, University Marketing and Communications 
• Molly McDonald | Chief of Staff, Office of the President 
• Nydia MacGregor | Professor, Management & Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean, Graduate Business Programs 
• Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J. | Dean, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University 
• Elyse Raby | Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies 
• Paul Schutz | Associate Professor and Interim Director, Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries

I have asked the committee to carry out our MPE with a two-fold focus: (1) a wide engagement of our SCU communities, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, trustees, and friends, and (2) the opportunity for all of us to continually deepen our understanding and appropriation of how our Jesuit, Catholic mission can help our university better serve our world. 

You can find out more about our MPE process on this website. In future messages from the Steering Committee, you will hear about listening sessions to take place over the winter and spring quarters, as well as other opportunities for participation.

I am grateful to the Steering Committee for taking up this important work, and I look forward to the ways our community will celebrate and deepen its engagement with our Jesuit mission through the MPE process.

Gratefully,

Julie Sullivan