Executive Director of Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education to Step Down
Dorian Llywelyn, S.J., will head Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 5, 2020–After serving four years as executive director of Santa Clara University’s Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, Dorian Llywelyn, S.J. is leaving to become president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California.
The Los Angeles-based Institute is dedicated to the idea that an ongoing examination of our world from a Catholic perspective is valuable to both Catholics and the broader public. Through dialogue and inspired thinking, the non-profit seeks to support important and profound interdisciplinary, interfaith research rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition.
“Father Dorian has helped cultivate a deeper understanding of our Jesuit mission and Ignatian tradition on our campus,” said Santa Clara University President Kevin O’Brien, S.J. "I am grateful to him for his abiding commitment to our mission and his contributions in seeing that mission flourish in our community.”
Llywelyn joined the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education in August 2016. As one of Santa Clara University’s three Centers of Distinction, the Center promotes and enhances the distinctively Jesuit, Catholic tradition of education with a view to serving students, faculty, staff, and through them the larger community, both local and global.
During his tenure, Llywelyn strengthened the Center’s connections with a range of constituencies, led a strategic planning process, strengthened its board, built its endowment, and launched innovative programs to support the Jesuit, Catholic mission of SCU.
Llywelyn’s last day at the University will be May 15. He will start in his new position at the Institute in July. Michael Nuttall, associate director, and chief operating officer of the Ignatian Center, will serve as its interim executive director.
Among Llywelyn’s accomplishments during his tenure at the Center are:
- Creating a new strategic plan that expanded the impact and the reach of the Center’s programming and offerings;
- Increasing fundraising to support the Center’s long-term success;
- Rebranding the Center to increase awareness and understanding of its role and programs on the SCU campus and beyond;
- Co-leading the University’s Mission Priority Examen, and
- Advancing pilot programming to increase awareness of and engagement in the Ignatian tradition, especially for faculty and staff.
“Dorian's leadership has directly contributed to the SCU mission to create men and women for others. Under his direction, the Center has brought a deeper understanding of the Jesuit tradition, to faculty, staff, and students,” said Lisa Kloppenberg, provost of Santa Clara University.
About the Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact Deepa Arora | SCU Media Communications | darora@scu.edu |