University celebrates Locatelli's 20-year legacy

By Winston Yu

Dozens of people took photos with University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., Friday night -- or at least life-sized cardboard cutouts of him.

The dinner held last Friday was attended by more than 800 guests, ranging from students to alumni to dignitaries.

It was not only a celebration of Locatelli's 20 years as president of Santa Clara, but also a tribute to the man who will be leaving the position in January.

"It's really the community coming together to thank him for his leadership over such an extraordinary tenure," said Campus Ministry Director Jack Treacy, S.J.

Over the last 20 years, Locatelli has garnered both praise and criticism for his work here. His actions have ranged from increasing the endowment tenfold to eliminating the university's football program.

He began his career at Santa Clara as an accounting professor. and assumed the office of university president in 1988, a year before the Berlin Wall came down.

Regis McKenna, a member of the Board of Trustees, noted the comparison, "Almost from day one, he began tearing down the walls."

Locatelli has turned what used to be a closed and proprietary institution into one that is open to all types of students and increasingly involved with the surrounding community.

Leon Panetta, a member of the class of 1960, drew more than a few laughs when he noted that back when he and Locatelli attended Santa Clara, "It was largely Irish and Italian. We had affirmative action for Anglo-Saxons."

The many changes the school has undergone have not been lost on Margaret Taylor, either.

Taylor was one of the first women to graduate from the university in 1965. She also received a master's degree in counseling psychology in 1976 and a masters in business administration in 1986.

"He moved the school from a very provincial, small organization to a world-class institution emphasizing what I like to call the best education there is: the Jesuit way," she said.

"What the Jesuits do is teach you to think, to question and to adapt, and Fr. Locatelli has been the heart and soul of it," she said.

Taylor added, "Fr. Locatelli has been an incredible visionary."

Beginning with the adoption of a new strategic plan in 1988, the three Cs -- competence, conscience and compassion -- came into being.

These values, which are so familiar to students today, were a part of Locatelli's early vision for the university.

And indeed, competence, conscience and compassion were the theme of Friday night, as speaker after speaker stood up and praised Locatelli for the work he has done and the many ways which he embodies these three values.

Students, faculty and dignitaries all attested to the work that Locatelli has done in his goal to educate students in all aspects of their lives.

Treacey said, "He has focused Santa Clara University on really creating a culture which education is linked to the world of justice in the wider world."

But there was one other C that was featured prominently that night: change.

Locatelli has changed the very face of Santa Clara.

During his tenure, the physical geography, academic curriculum and spiritual landscape of the university have undergone sweeping changes.

"I think Fr. Locatelli's most defining legacy is really all the buildings that he's brought to us, from the new learning commons to even the residence halls," said Rachel Manfre, Associated Students president.

Taylor reflected on the direction he's taken.

"Fr. Locatelli has been an incredible visionary," she said.

Contact Winston Yu at (408) 554-4546 or wyu1@scu.edu.