Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues, 

Over the last two weeks, I have listened deeply to representatives from collaborative governance and community members expressing concerns or asking questions about the financial decisions shared in my June 26 letter. I write to acknowledge the significant contributions of those leaders as well as the input from faculty and staff serving on various working groups who have provided valuable feedback as we deal together with the pandemic. In particular, I thank the members of the Benefits Committee, Faculty Affairs Committee, and Staff Affairs Committee for their responses and recommendations. These governance bodies, as well as the University Coordinating Committee, have offered thoughtful and helpful recommendations, which informed my decision-making as I chart a path forward for us.

Since our lives changed so dramatically in March, our leadership team has communicated with the campus community in a variety of settings about the impacts of the pandemic on our life here. We are striving to be as transparent as possible, knowing that our decisions impact you personally and your work at Santa Clara. 

In that spirit, we want to respond to a number of questions raised in the last few weeks, some more general, others very specific. As we have in other forums since we moved to remote learning in March, we have collected those questions and provided answers on a new Financial Update FAQ page of the Prepared SCU site. The detailed responses there reflect how we considered community input as part of our decision-making. If you have additional questions about finances or other topics, you can submit them at covid19@scu.edu, and we will post answers on the Financial Update FAQ page, or reply individually with more personal concerns. You may also contact John Ottoboni, our chief operating officer, at jottoboni@scu.edu.

In Catholic Social Thought, the principle of solidarity is paramount. In our present context, that principle acknowledges that we are in this together and that we have a responsibility for one another, with each person contributing what they can for the good of all.  Equally important is caring for the most vulnerable among us. Finally, the distinctive Jesuit commitment of cura personalis -- care for each person in their uniqueness -- guides our conversations and helps us discern the impact of decisions and how we carry them out. Over these weeks, It has been important to hear from those most affected by decisions. 

These values have grounded my decisions and are widely shared across campus as points to unite us in challenging times like these. For example, they explain our priority of avoiding layoffs and furloughs as long as we can and protecting lower-paid employees if salary reductions are necessary. They also explain why we established the emergency assistance funds for students and for faculty and staff, to which so many have donated, and why the Board of Trustees established the Heritage Fund to augment our financial aid budget for next year. 

Going forward, our leadership team and I will continue to communicate with you. We will work with our governance committees as we respond to further changes in our financial situation and other impacts of the pandemic. Given these unusual times, I will talk weekly with our governance leaders throughout the summer.  

I want to offer a special thanks to budget managers and finance teams across our campuses who are working so hard to plan for next year in a rapidly evolving environment. I am also grateful to everyone for their cooperation and understanding of spending restrictions. Whatever we can save -- even small amounts -- helps to keep our community employed.

I am a hopeful person by nature, and I know that we will get through this because we have each other and we have an incredible foundation to stand on: our community, our tradition, our creativity, and our generosity of spirit. I agree with what I have often heard during these challenging months: we are better facing these challenges together. Even as I ask you to join me in these painful sacrifices, I also rely on your help and on your continued patience and goodwill. I’m grateful for all that you have done and will do for one another, for our students, and for the mission we love here at Santa Clara. 

Gratefully,

Kevin F. O'Brien, S.J.
President