June 2014

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 13, 2014—  Before a packed audience of thousands of family and friends, the nearly 700 graduate-degree recipients of Santa Clara University marked their evening commencement with cheers, balloons, and photos -- but also with advice to truly “see” the needy around them. 

Frederick J. Ferrer,  CEO of the Health Trust and a nationally recognized expert in child development and nonprofit leadership strategies, received an honorary doctor of public service degree during the event.

He also gave a few remarks, telling the graduates it is easy not to see children who go to school with tooth decay, or the workers who show up to clean when everyone else has moved on. Santa Clara University, from which Ferrer graduated in 1980, challenges its graduates “to see the invisible, to see what makes us uncomfortable,” he said.

SCU’s 163rd graduate commencement took place Friday evening at the University’s Leavey Center. Nearly 700 students received advanced degrees this year from the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pastoral Ministries program; the School of Engineering; the Leavey School of Business; and the School of Education and Counseling Psychology.

University President Michael Engh, S.J. urged the graduates to put their gifts to work in service to the world with compassion, and “never forget the poor, the hungry, the alienated, and marginalized.” 

Other information about the graduating class:

Graduates represent 18 states and more than 17 countries, provinces, and territories.

Engineering
Top Ethnicities: Asian (64%); White (17%); Other/Unknown (12%); Hispanic (5%)
Gender: 65% Male; 35% Female

Business
Top Ethnicities: Asian (46%); White (30%); Other/Unknown (16%); Hispanic (8%)
Gender: 56% Male; 44% Female

Education and Counseling Psychology
Top Ethnicities: White (48%); Other/Unknown (17%); Asian (16%);  Hispanic (16%)
Gender: 86% Female; 14% Male

Arts and Sciences (specifically Pastoral Ministries)
Top Ethnicities: White (36%); Other/Unknown (27%); Asian (18%); Black/African-American (9%); Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (9%)
Gender: 64% Female; 36% Male

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | (408) 554-5121 | dlohse@scu.edu