Jesuit ideals at heart?

By Editorial

As the quarter winds down and all of us at The Santa Clara prepare our final issue, we reflect on this year and the university's changing identity and plan for academic progress.

We've seen the school's slogan change, enrollment get more competitive and President Paul Locatelli, S.J., implement a Future Directions discussion series.

It's clear that Santa Clara is a university on a mission -- a mission to become one of the top Jesuit schools in the nation. But the administration has to keep truly Jesuit ideals at the forefront of its mind as it runs hard and fast toward prestige and distinction.

It may be easy to forget our Catholic identity in the pursuit of greatness -- only admitting the best and brightest with a primary focus on academics. However, Santa Clara is a place where the average student can rise to excellence, a place that educates the whole person through a variety of opportunities.

A university is an institution of higher learning; its top priority should be education.

But being a Jesuit school means more than academic prestige. It means learning through service with the marginalized, growing as a spiritual being, living in solidarity with all cultures and ethnicities, and finding courage to stand for one's beliefs when they stand challenged.

The DISCOVER grant serves as the ideal Jesuit program, allowing students to travel to Central and South America, participate in leadership training, and meet in small groups, all to help students discern their future vocations and life goals.

Being Jesuit is something to be proud of and the university should take advantage of its affiliation. As an institution of higher learning and Catholic values, we encourage the school to actively pursue not only the goals of academic excellence, but strive to educate through moral and cultural values, too.