Around 40 priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus make up the Jesuit community at Santa Clara. The Society of Jesus does not own the University. While the bylaws stipulate that the president must be a Jesuit, the institution is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of a diverse group of women and men, the majority of whom are laypersons.
Santa Clara Jesuits teach in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Law, and the Leavey School of Business and Administration. Others serve in the University's administration, Campus Ministry, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and student residence halls. The Jesuit commitment to intellectual, moral, and spiritual values continues to be an important influence in shaping the kind of university Santa Clara is and aspires to be.