Diversity and more fundraising to come
By Molly Leaverton
University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., expressed interest in a more diverse student body and updated the community on current fund-raising drives in Tuesday's State of the University Address in Mission Church.
Locatelli spoke about the financial state of the university and the second major fund-raising project of his presidency, the "Campaign for Santa Clara," due to end this December. The original campaign goal was to raise 350 million dollars, 343 million of which has already been raised.
But many of the initiatives that were supposed to have been funded by the campaign, including several construction projects on campus, remain underfunded by over $70 million due to cost increases and funds being designated for different measures.
Locatelli recounted the positive changes that he has seen since he was first enrolled as an undergraduate at Santa Clara, from a school that only admitted white males to a school that is made up of approximately 55 percent women and 40 percent minorities.
"We want to foster an attitude and to build a culture of openness and respect for ideas, culture, races, classes, sexual orientation, gender, language and national origin," Locatelli said.
He also shared his own discovery of personal vocation as a Jesuit and pledged to help students find a rewarding vocation of their own.
In his speech, Locatelli touted the seven themes of the Santa Clara University Strategic Plan for future direction, and discussed ways the university is revising education to meet each of the goals.
"In short, 'future directions' is a way for us to review and revitalize our education programs and ask ourselves how we can become a better university, a better Jesuit and Catholic university," Locatelli said.
Locatelli ended his address by recognizing the accomplishments and achievements of faculty and students within the university over the past year. He mentioned Phil Kesten, winner of the California Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education and Dennis Gordon, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute for International Education of Students.
"I can attest to the fact that our faculty are among the best in all universities across the country. They really do show the ideal of teaching scholars and community of scholars because they foster diversity of ideas and critical thinking in their disciplines," he said.
Locatelli also applauded the achievements of Santa Clara's athletic program, recently ranked eighth in the country in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors Cup. Among the teams recognized were the women's volleyball team and both men's and women's soccer teams.
Contact Molly Leaverton at (408) 554-4546 or mleaverton@scu.edu.