STRATEGIC PRIORITY ONE
REACH ON A GLOBAL SCALE
In 2019, our University’s growing academic strengths were recognized nationally, when U.S. News & World Report included Santa Clara in its national rankings for the first time. This recognition of our quality, strengths in undergraduate teaching, and progress—reflected in innumerable national grants, industry partnerships, conference speaking, and professional association leadership roles for our faculty—have helped to cement our national standing.
Now, we are setting our sights on finding those disciplines, schools, and partnerships through which we can expand our footprint as an international university. By establishing Santa Clara as an engaged global collaborator, we will advance interculturality, which fosters deep understanding and respect for all cultures, deepens international networks and relationships, and enables trust for the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural appreciation.
Increasing our international reach will benefit our University as we identify strategically aligned schools, entrepreneurs, students, and other partners who share our values and social justice aspirations to collaborate for a better world. This will open doors for joint research projects, student exchange programs, and internship opportunities, and will surface untapped resources for students’ academic experiences. It will draw ever-more diverse student populations, exposing our students to the multicultural workplaces their futures hold, and to the richness of intercultural encounters.
In this future, every Bronco will graduate with intercultural competence, and the knowledge, skills, and creativity needed to thrive in their careers and as citizens in a globally connected world.
In 2017, Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, challenged Jesuit universities to act for the equitable interaction of diverse worldwide cultures through dialogue, mutual respect, and collaboration, and to work collaboratively with networks and centers on global issues of common concern.
We have many strong bases from which to build out this priority:
- Our Jesuit School of Theology, which teaches globally contextualized theology to students from over 40 countries, and is one of only two Jesuit theologates in the U.S., with a new dean, Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J.—previously president of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar—who is an internationally respected theologian on topics including ecclesiology; theological ethics; human rights and dignity; and the fuller participation of women in the Church
- Our Miller Center, where leaders and volunteer executives from Silicon Valley have accelerated more than 1,400 social enterprises from over 100 countries
- Our partnerships through our Global Engagement office and Ignatian Center immersions
- Our university-wide academic focus that leads toward an informed, ethical engagement with the world
GOAL 1:
Become the leading Jesuit theologate for the changing face of the global Catholic Church
Initiatives include:
- Expand and strengthen our Jesuit School of Theology faculty expertise in critical and emerging areas of theology through the creation of new endowed chairs, and increase the number of global leaders with advanced theology degrees through new Jesuit School of Theology scholarships
- Explore the feasibility of moving the Jesuit School of Theology to the Santa Clara campus
GOAL 2:
Become a global hub for collaboration that advances economic, social, ecological, and political development
Initiatives include:
- Expand our global, community-based solutions work through new collaborations with Ignatian partners and programs in Miller Center, the Frugal Innovation Hub, and the Ignatian Center
GOAL 3:
Become a more globally engaged campus through international study, immersion, internship, and research opportunities
Initiatives include:
- Increase the number of undergraduate students who participate in a global study program and the international student population in our undergraduate and graduate programs
Together, these changes will deepen our global engagement, and have the potential to establish Santa Clara University as the global Jesuit university.
NEXT STRATEGIC PRIORITY TWO: SOLUTIONS FOR THE UNIVERSAL GOOD