Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan.14, 2003 - Santa Clara University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., today outlined new goals for the Jesuit University, challenging students and faculty to seek new solutions to the “new world disorder.”

Locatelli, SCU president since 1988, said we are witnessing a world that is “slipping into economic de-stabilization rather than moving towards economic development that will ensure peace and progress.…The new world order needs to be fixed, and education must play a central role in this process.”

“The new era of globalization demands that universities change their goals in education,” he told approximately 900 students, faculty, and staff attending annual convocation ceremonies in the Leavey Center. Standing in front of a backdrop of 30 flags of the 97 countries represented by SCU students, Locatelli encouraged his audience to become “global citizens, people who accept the challenge of the global common good and work to overcome what threatens it.”

He told students the goal of a Santa Clara University education in the post-September 11 era is “to inspire you to make the world more humane, more just and more peaceful.”

This was the second convocation in the remodeled Leavey Center, and also the second to occur at the start of  the winter quarter, instead of the more traditional fall event. The 2001 convocation was held four months later than the school opening, because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Prior to his speech, the audience recognized achieving students and faculty, and heard SCU senior English/philosophy major Stephanie Neustadter tell how her 12 days in El Salvador and five months in Italy made her realize that “the best way to learn about yourself is to engage and interact with people in different countries.”

In his speech, Locatelli said the new challenge for Jesuit higher education “must be broadly humanistic and include social justice because of our faith commitment.”

He said a Santa Clara University education must teach its graduates to:

·         “See issues and solutions from the perspective of a person with a different culture, language, and history, and to understand how each citizen’s choices affect others around the corner and across the globe.”

·         “Develop a dialogue …open to different world views that emerge from people of different cultures, religions, socio-economic strata, and national origins.”

·         “Commit to critical, clear thinking that overcomes…the prejudice of ignorance.”

·         “Learn to be responsible, moral citizens who actively contribute to the common good and civic life, both locally and globally.”

The complete text of the president's speech can be found at www.scu.edu/president/convocation03.cfm.

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About Santa ClaraUniversity

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,060 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the fourth-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is on line at www.scu.edu.