Dear Broncos,

Welcome to the start of a new academic year, one of the most exciting times of our year! Our School of Law and Jesuit School of Theology started their fall terms a few weeks ago, and it is exhilarating to now have ALL of us in session. I hope your summer was rejuvenating and you had treasured time with loved ones. 

To the 68 new faculty and 49 new staff who have joined us this academic year– welcome to Santa Clara. I hope you are able to take advantage of the many resources we offer to help you thrive and advance professionally and personally. 

In this email, I share a brief video to welcome all members of our community to campus. 

I am especially excited to welcome our largest group of new members – the 1,561 students in our first-year class, the Class of 2027! You are exceptional in so many ways: 

• Many of you have shared your passion for addressing societal needs like environmental and racial justice, homelessness, and ethical AI. This commitment is perfectly aligned with our mission as a Jesuit, Catholic University — to educate students who use their talents for the betterment of humanity. 
• Your academic qualifications are truly impressive, with an average GPA of 3.73, and average SAT of 1413 and ACT of 32. 
• Twelve percent of you are the first in your family to attend a four-year college (just as I was in my family). 
• You come from 41 states, and 34 countries or regions around the world.
• Fifty-five percent identify as students of color– including 20% Latiné/x students–the largest cohort in Santa Clara’s history! 

While these statistics are impressive, they do not begin to tell you who our new first-year students really are. To learn that, you need to learn their stories. Find out what they are feeling. Find out what they really enjoy. Find out what makes them a unique and beautiful person. I am so grateful that Santa Clara is a community where we learn and care about each other’s stories. 

Speaking of which, all students, faculty, and staff are invited to sign up for my office hours, which for the fall will be held on: 

Wednesday, October 11, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Thursday, November 9, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday, December 4, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

I enjoy and appreciate learning more about your stories and your hopes, frustrations, and aspirations for Santa Clara. 

This year promises to be full and exciting. We will be refining our six emerging strategic themes, or pillars, and developing specific goals and outcomes related to each. As I said when I described why I believe each of these themes is important in my Convocation address last week, we are a special and strong university and have many compelling opportunities to further realize our vision of a more just, humane, and sustainable world. 

Also this year, we will launch the work of the Core Curriculum Committee to enrich this vital component of our undergraduate experience. We will celebrate the conclusion of our transformative capital campaign, Innovating with a Mission. And of course, we will cheer on our Bronco athletic teams, which are on a roll! 

Finally, today we shared the good news that Santa Clara University was again ranked in the top 15% of all national universities by U.S. News & World Report, and also moved up one rank to No. 13 in Undergraduate Teaching Programs. 

So, again, please take a moment to watch my welcome video. We have so many meaningful milestones to look forward to, and it will be a very exciting year for Santa Clara University!

Kind regards,

Julie Sullivan
President