Lackluster eco vision
By Morgan Hunter
Despite the cancellation of morning classes, I found myself one of relatively few students witnessing the inauguration of our university's new president. There, amidst flourishes of academic pageantry, my imagination was fired by Father Engh's call for a "vision for Santa Clara University."
As he reminded us of our unique responsibility as a Jesuit university to bring a moral dimension to our academic impact on the world, I found myself eagerly anticipating his recommendations. But when I heard the specifics of his program I was somewhat disappointed, thinking, in essence, that such an inspiring theme should be followed by a more ambitious and distinctive plan.
President Engh's summary of what the mission of our university should be unfolded in a series of three contrasts.
The first was between the role played by a secular institution of higher learning, which limits itself to "advancing knowledge and the creative arts in order to better our world," and that of a Catholic one, where "there is another animating energy at work," one which requires that we "take seriously the question of ultimate meaning."
The second noted that a Jesuit university has the particular responsibility to teach ethics, which leads to "protecting the weak and guiding the strong to right action."
After this fine introduction, the moment of truth proved to be more than a little anti-climactic: Santa Clara's individual destiny among Jesuit institutions was proclaimed to be as "a major center for environmental justice and for examining the ethical dimensions of how we treat the physical world."
Again, my reaction was that while such environmentally-oriented goals may be generally worthy, they are far from representing anything distinctive enough for Santa Clara to pursue, either as a Jesuit institution or, despite the references to local green technologies, as one located in Silicon Valley.
In actuality, the pursuit of ecological solutions has become almost ubiquitous on university campuses over the past decade. Surely the last thing Santa Clara wants or needs is to be perceived as merely tagging along after the pack, following the trends of secular society, when we have the potential to contribute something truly distinctive from our rich Jesuit heritage.
Rather, it is my contention that Santa Clara is perfectly placed to bring this tradition to bear on Silicon Valley itself, an idea more fully developed in the welcoming speech delivered by local business leader Carl Guardino. Indeed, when he suggested that the university could provide a Catholic perspective on the local panorama of commerce and innovation, noting that "CEOs love to learn but hate to be taught," I had hoped that his message would prefigure that of the honoree himself.
What Santa Clara has to offer Silicon Valley that is singularly its own goes far beyond generic appeals to social conscience, of the sort that could be offered by any secular organization, or even an education in ethics disconnected from any wider philosophical context.
Rather, we could help to impart a genuinely religious sense of vocation to one of the great motors of current history, helping to realize the true spiritual significance of innovation as both mirroring God's creative activity and helping to improve the lot of our fellow man.
Our mission could be to formulate and evangelize for a moral ideal for capitalism in its very capital. If one wishes to aid the less fortunate on the largest scale possible, the support of a Silicon Valley permeated by Catholic ideals might well be the most natural place to start.
Morgan E. Hunter is a sophomore classics major.