Engh Touts Tech in Teaching
By Natalia Pavlina
The Mission Church was filled on Tuesday by students, faculty and Santa Clara benefactors as Provost Dennis Jacobs greeted the incoming audience with a joyful "Happy Mardi Gras!" before the annual State of the University address.
University President Michael Engh, S.J., tackled issues of the skyrocketing costs in education with a discussion of the rising force of technology at Santa Clara.
"We are innovating to provide the best instruction possible to our students, as well as to engage our faculty in the latest developments in instructional technology," he said.
After a short prayer, and a performance by the university's chamber singers, senior Jenna Saso, economics major and president of the Associate Student Government, took the stage. She praised Santa Clara for being "more than just a place to live for four years," for being a tight-knit community that excels in both athletics and academia.
Following Saso's speech, Engh was brought to the stage to give the audience a proud run-down on the progress that has been made in the past year, including the new admissions building, the new Graham Hall dormitory, the new parking garage and the softball stadium.
Some of the technology-oriented pilot programs he described placed heavy weight on the online participation of courses. These options could help maintain costs while keeping Santa Clara teaching oriented, according to Engh.
In addition, the president discussed the success of the Career Center, proudly declaring that 70 percent of Santa Clara students have been able to find internships through the Career Center during undergraduate years. Eighty-six percent of students that pursued internships through the Career Center graduated with full time job offers.
To close, Engh promoted the importance of social justice, and briefly touched on the topic of illegal immigration. The event ended on an uplifting note as the chamber singers closed the occasion with a song.
Contact Natalia Pavlina at npavlina@scu.edu. Contact Matthew Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4849.