A Letter from President Michael E. Engh, S.J.
Dear Members of the University Community,
In my Convocation address, I spoke about a new institutional initiative of some urgency. As many of you are aware, dramatic change is rapidly affecting the higher education landscape, particularly private higher education. Thanks to all of you and the ambitious work that has gone into the Integrated Strategic Plan:
Santa Clara 2020, we are in a strong position. We shall continue to further these plans and the goals to enhance our operations and sustain our educational offerings. To accomplish those goals, however, we cannot be complacent. In the heart of Silicon Valley and practiced in the art of Ignatian discernment, we are compelled to read the signs of the times, reflect on our circumstances, and rise more fully to our potential in service to our students and the world.
I invite you to join in this year-long comprehensive project of reviewing and assessing current operations and recommending ways to improve efficiencies and effectiveness. We shall look for means to identify ways to generate new revenue by capitalizing on new business opportunities and/or expanding current ones. In tandem with raising income, we shall also recommend cutting costs to meet short-term and long-term resource needs. Our university mission and our Ignatian heritage will inform and inspire both the process and its outcomes.
This project will take creative thinking, collective wisdom, and flexibility. As our greatest resource, you are the difference between surviving and thriving. I look to each of you for your active participation and thoughtful contributions.
The areas for review are:
- Facilities Utilization, Management, Operations
- Campus Services and Procurement
- Non-Academic Administrative Structure
- Academic Administrative Structure and Support
- Non-Degree Academic Programming
- Benefits
- Institutional Advancement and Community Engagement
The leadership committee will receive the ideas from the Working Groups and decide on recommendations to make to the President. He will review these suggestions and determine which affect policy and should be sent to university policy committees. The President will also bring these recommendations to the board of trustees for approval.
Thank you for being a part of the process to make Santa Clara University stronger. Your efforts will make significant contributions to the long-term well-being of the school that we all love.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Engh, S.J.
President