Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University is a private non-profit Jesuit university located in Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, California. Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California.

Description


The university is situated in Santa Clara, California, adjacent to the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County at the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is commonly known by the abbreviation SCU; its students and 81,000 alumni, which live in all fifty states and around the world are called "Santa Clarans" or "Broncos" and its athletic teams are called the Broncos. The school is promoted as "the Jesuit university in Silicon Valley."

Built around historic Mission Santa Clara, the present university is home to a population of approximately 5,200 undergraduate and 3,600 Master's, Juris Doctor, and PhD students. The institution employs nearly 500 full-time faculty members, who are divided between four professional schools and the College of Arts and Sciences, all of which are located on the 106 acre mission campus. In July 2009 the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (JST), formerly an independent institution, legally merged with the university, taking the name "Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University." Although a division of SCU, it retains its campus in Berkeley, California. JST is one of two Jesuit seminaries in the United States with ecclesiastical faculties approved by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education. The other, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, completed a similar affiliation with Boston College in June 2008, becoming Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

For the 2011-2012 academic year, the university's operating budget was $467 million, and its endowment was over $717 million. For the same period, undergraduate tuition and fees totaled $39,048 and the average cost of room and board was $11,997.

Santa Clara University is civilly chartered and governed by a board of trustees, which appoints the president. By internal statute, the president must be a member of the Jesuit order, although the members of the board are primarily non-Jesuits. About 40 Jesuit priests and brothers are active teachers and administrators in various departments and centers located on the main campus in Santa Clara. An additional 14 Jesuits currently hold faculty positions at the university's Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. Jesuits comprise around 7% of the permanent faculty and hold teaching positions in biology, computer engineering, counseling psychology, economics, English, history, law, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, and theater arts in addition to theology. They also serve in campus and residence-hall ministry, and some act as faculty directors in residential learning communities (RLC's).

SCU maintains its Catholic and Jesuit affiliation and supports numerous initiatives intended to further its religious mission. Students are invited to attend the Sunday evening student Masses in the mission church and encouraged to participate in campus ministry programs and lectures. All Bachelor's degrees require three religious studies courses as part of the academic core. An emphasis on social justice is furthered through the Pedro Arrupe Partnership and Kolvenbach Solidarity programs, which offer service opportunities in the community and immersion opportunities throughout the world. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Center for Science, Technology, and Society offer programs that serve the University's Catholic-Jesuit ethos and identity.

History
The first two colleges in California were founded in 1851, at the height of the Gold Rush, both in the town of Santa Clara. Santa Clara College, forerunner of Santa Clara University, was first to open its doors to students and thus is the state's oldest operating institution of higher education. The Methodist-run California Wesleyan College opened shortly thereafter and was the first institution to receive an official state charter. Santa Clara's Jesuit founders eventually accumulated the endowment required for a charter, which was granted on April 28, 1855. Santa Clara bears the distinction of awarding California's first Bachelor's degree, given to Thomas I. Bergin in 1857, and its first graduate degree, two years later.

California mission era
Inheriting the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara University's campus, library holdings, art collection, and many of its defining traditions date back to 1777, almost 75 years before its founding. In January of that year, the Blessed Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan friar, established Mission Santa Clara as the eighth of 21 Alta California missions. Fray Tomás de la Peña chose a site along the Guadalupe River for the future church, erecting a cross and celebrating the first Mass a few days later. Natural disasters forced early priests to relocate and rebuild the church on several occasions, moving it westward and away from the river. Built of wood, the first permanent structure quickly flooded and was replaced by a larger adobe building in 1784. This building suffered heavy damage in an 1818 earthquake and was replaced six years later by a new adobe edifice.

The mission flourished for more than 50 years despite these setbacks. Beginning in the 1830s, however, the mission lands were repossessed in conjunction with Mexico's secularization, and church buildings fell into disrepair. The Bishop of Monterey, Dominican Joseph Sadoc Alemany, offered the site to Italian Jesuits John Nobili and Michael Accolti in 1851 on condition that they found a college for California's growing Catholic population.

Modern era
In 1912 Santa Clara College became the University of Santa Clara, with the addition of the School of Engineering and School of Law. In 1925 the Leavey School of Business was founded. Women were first admitted in 1961 to what had been an all-men's university. In 2012, Santa Clara University celebrated 50 years of having women attend Santa Clara University. This step made Santa Clara University the first Catholic university in California to admit both men and women.

In 1985, in part to avoid confusion with the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Santa Clara, as it had been known since 1912, changed its name to Santa Clara University. Diplomas were printed with the new name beginning with the graduating class of 1986.

In 2001 the School of Education and Counseling Psychology was formed to offer Master's level and other credential programs.

Campus
Over the last century and a half, the Santa Clara University campus, located in the heart of Silicon Valley along El Camino Real in Santa Clara, California, has expanded to more than 106 acre.

The modern campus
In the 1950s, after the University constructed Walsh Hall and the de Saisset Museum on two of the last remaining open spaces on the old college campus, Santa Clara began purchasing and annexing land from the surrounding community. The first addition, which occurred slightly earlier, brought space for football and baseball playing fields. Thereafter, particularly in the 1960s when women were admitted to the school, more land was acquired for residence halls and other new buildings and facilities.

In 1989 the Santa Clara University campus was unified when the The Alameda (California State Route 82), a major thoroughfare that had bisected the university, was rerouted. Several interior roads were also closed and were replaced by sparsely-landscaped pedestrian malls and plazas. The current five-year campus plan calls for integration of these areas with the gardens of the campus core.

The 1990s brought a number of campus additions, including the Music and Dance Building, a new science wing, the Arts and Sciences Building, the Malley Fitness Center, the Sobrato Residence Hall, and the first on-campus parking structure. Santa Clara carried out all deferred maintenance, including the renovation of Kenna Hall, the Adobe Lodge, and many other historic buildings. One unique feature of Santa Clara University's undergraduate education is the Residential Learning Community program. Eight Residential Learning Communities (RLCs), each with a distinct theme, integrate the classroom and resident life experience.

Contemporary changes
Recently completed expansion projects include a new baseball field (Stephen Schott Stadium, 2005), a renovated basketball arena (Leavey Center, 2000), Kennedy Mall – the campus' first "green building" (2005), a Jesuit community residence (2006), a 194,000-square-foot (1.8 ha) library (2008), a new 85,000-square-foot (0.79 ha) building for the Leavey School of Business (2008), and a new residence hall, Graham (2012).

Academics and rankings
'''Santa Clara University School Profile:

As of Fall 2011, Santa Clara had an enrollment of 5,229 undergraduate and 3,571 graduate and professional students (total of 8,800 students). Fifty-five percent of students are from California; 45% from outside California, with 3% of students from other countries. Men make up 51.7% of the total student population; women 49.3%. Santa Clara offers undergraduates the opportunity to pursue 45 majors in its three undergraduate schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, and the Leavey School of Business. Santa Clara University university also has six graduate and professional schools, including the School of Law, School of Engineering, the Leavey School of Business, the School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and the Jesuit School of Theology (campus located in Berkeley, California).

The student to faculty ratio is 13:1 with 73% of all classes being fewer than 30 students.

The 2013 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes it as 'more selective'. For the class of 2015 (enrolled fall 2011), Santa Clara received 13,342 applications and accepted 7,263 (54.4%). Of those accepted, 1,283 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 17.7%. SCU's freshman retention rate is 93%, with 85% going on to graduate.

The enrolled first-year class of 2015 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th percentile-75th percentile) of SAT scores was 570-680 for SAT Critical Reading and 600-690 for SAT Math, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 27-31. The middle 50% range for Grade Point Average (GPA) was 3.4 - 3.8 (4 point scale).

For SCU's 2011-2012 school year, undergraduate tuition and fees were $37,368, room and board cost $11,742, and books estimated at $5,000, totaling $54,110.

Rankings
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies Santa Clara as a master's level university. In U.S. News & World Report's 2013 rankings of master's universities (West), Santa Clara University ranks 2nd overall, and 12th in Best Value Schools.

In 2013 U.S. News & World Report ranked the Leavey School of Business graduate program No. 101, with its Part-Time MBA program 50th in the nation, the Executive MBA 15th and Entrepreneurial studies 24th. The undergraduate business program in 2012 was ranked 55th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2012 and 35th in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek.

The School of Engineering was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as 20th in the nation in 2007, 21st in 2008, 17th in 2009, and 14th in 2012 for engineering schools with focus on undergraduate and Master's engineering programs. Computer Engineering at Santa Clara ranked 91st and Electrical/Electronic/Communications ranked 102nd.

Santa Clara's School of Law was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2013 as No. 96 in the nation, with its Intellectual Property Law program recognized as 6th nationally.

In 2009 U.S. News & World Report named Santa Clara University one of 80 colleges and universities known for a strong commitment to teaching undergraduates.

In 2012 Forbes ranked Santa Clara University No. 72 out of the 650 best private and public colleges and universities in America. In 2008, the first year of the list, Santa Clara was ranked No. 318 out of 569. In 2007 The Princeton Review named Santa Clara University as one of its best colleges, and in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 it named the school one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education.

In its 2012 ranking of alumni financial success, intellectual development, and career preparation, "The Alumni Factor" listed Santa Clara 43rd out of the top 177 colleges and universities.

PayScale in 2012 ranked Santa Clara 17th in the nation out of 606 schools in the category "Mid-Career Salary Rank for Private Schools", 28th out of 1,248 in "Overall College ROI Rank," and 23rd out of 458 in "ROI Rank for Private Universities."

In 2010 Santa Clara University was ranked No. 4 in California in the 2011 report on Graduate Salary Potential. Santa Clara University was named to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for community service programs and student involvement.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked SCU No. 33 on the 2012-2013 Best Values in Private Universities list, and 4th in California.

Santa Clara University made About.com's list of the top 23 Catholic Colleges and universities in the country

For College Prowler rankings, Santa Clara received high marks for its hottest guys ranked 6th and athletic guys ranked 4th while Santa Clara's hottest girl's ranked 6th and most athletic girl's 4th.

Newsweek in 2012 ranked Santa Clara University as the second most beautiful college in America.

Santa Clara has the 3rd highest undergraduate graduation rate nationally-85 percent-among 626 national master's level universities.

Centers and institutes

 * The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics provides an academic forum for research and dialogue concerning all areas of applied ethics. The center engages faculty, students, and members of the community as well as its own staff and fellows in ethical discussions in a number of focus areas, including business, health care, and biotechnology, character education, government, global leadership, technology, and emerging issues in ethics.
 * The mission of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society is to accelerate global, innovation-based entrepreneurship in service to humanity. Through an array of programs including its signature Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI™), the Center engages an international network of business, investment capital, and technical resources to build the capacity of social enterprises around the world. The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI™) is the signature program of CSTS. Since 2003, 149 award-winning social enterprises have attended this program.
 * The Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education is the result of a 2005 merger between the Bannan Center for Jesuit Education and the Pedro Arrupe Center for Community-Based Learning. In addition to maintaining the functions of these two programs, the Center has added Kolvenbach Solidarity Programs, which focus on student immersion trips to developing countries.
 * The Center for Professional Development is a professionally-oriented organization geared towards working professionals with graduate degrees in the areas of counseling psychology and education. The accredited Center offers classes in seminar and workshop form over the weekend.
 * The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
 * The Executive Development Center
 * The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
 * The Center for Accounting Education and Practice
 * The Equity Professional Instituter
 * The Civil Society Institute
 * The Food & Agribusiness Institute
 * The Retail Management Institute
 * The Center for Global Law & Policy
 * The Center for Social Justice and Public Service
 * The High Tech Law Institute
 * The Institute for Redress and Recovery
 * The Katherine & George Alexander Community Law Center
 * The Northern California Innocence Project
 * The Center for Advanced Study and Practice
 * The Center for Nanostructures
 * The Environmental Studies Institute

Facilities

 * Bellomy Field: Bellomy is used for intramural sports and for casual student use.
 * Kids on Campus: Santa Clara University's child care and preschool center, opened in 1969, serves children of SCU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The program accommodates infants six weeks old to children age 6.
 * Malley Fitness Center: Santa Clara University's center for recreational sports, indoor intramurals, weightlifting, and fitness classes. Malley Fitness Center has three full basketball/volleyball courts, a large weight room, two locker rooms, a 2,100-square-foot (200 square meter) multipurpose room, lounge space, and new offices for recreation and wellness programs.
 * Mission Santa Clara de Asís: University Chapel and historical mission dating back to 1777. The current location is the third site; it was built in 1828, destroyed by fire in 1925, and rebuilt in 1929.
 * Saint Clare School: The mission's first elementary school (K-8). Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1856. Located behind Nobili Hall at Lafayette and Lexington Street.
 * Saint Clare Parish and St. Clare Parish Hall: In 1926 St Clare's Parish was built one block behind the Mission Santa Clara to take over the parish functions of the Mission church after it suffered a fire in 1925.

Residence halls
Students have the option of living on campus in the residence halls. There are 10 residence halls, each part of one of the eight Residential Learning Communities (RLCs), encompassing a particular ideal, issue, or cultural theme.

East Side
 * Graham Hall
 * Campisi Hall
 * Casa Italiana
 * Sanfilippo Hall
 * Sobrato Hall
 * Campbell Avenue Apartments (NEW)

West Side
 * Dunne Hall
 * McLaughlin Hall
 * Nobili Hall
 * Swig Hall
 * Walsh Hall

Graduate students have the option of living in graduate campus residence halls and university sponsored housing, which includes:


 * Alviso House
 * Bellarmine Hall
 * Franklin House
 * Locust House
 * Market House
 * Park Avenue Apartments
 * St. Clare Hall
 * University Square Studios
 * Washington House

Student Organizations
Santa Clara offer its students the opportunity to engage in over 125 registered student organizations (or clubs). RSO's are partially funded by the University via the student government, ASG. These Organizations span from Athletic/Recreational, Careers/Pre-professional, Community Service, Ethnic/Cultural, Fraternities/Sororities, Health/Counseling, Media/Publications, Music/Dance/Creative Arts, Political/Social Awareness to Religious/Philosophical.

Groups include (but are not limited to):
 * ASGSCU, the Associated Student Government of Santa Clara University, serves Santa Clara University undergraduates as official student representatives who promote opportunities for growth and expression, address student issues, and enrich a diverse, inclusive, and engaged community.
 * The Santa Clara is the University's weekly student newspaper. It has been published since 1922.
 * KSCU 103.3 FM is Santa Clara's own student-operated radio station providing a wide range of leadership opportunities in a variety of areas including music, budgeting, fundraising, promotions, management, and sports broadcasting.
 * Santa Clara Review is a literary magazine. It publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art, which are drawn nationally from students, staff, and community members.
 * SCCAP, Santa Clara Community Action Program is a community-based, service organization dedicated to applying activism and justice to address social issues in and around the campus community, providing students the ability to volunteer in areas of empowerment, education & mentoring, homelessness, health & disabilities.
 * SCEO, Santa Clara Entrepreneurs Organization is an organization that hosts speakers, workshops and helps connect student entrepreneurs to investors and potential partners.
 * Santa Clara Accounting Associations is a pre-professional organization aimed at mentoring students who want to enter a career in accounting, through professional and social activities.
 * Santa Clara Finance is a pre-professional organization aimed at mentoring students who want to enter a career in accounting, through providing an open forum for networking, and mentoring with the business community.
 * Society of Women Engineers is an organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering, and to be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders through an array of training and development programs, networking opportunities, scholarships, outreach and advocacy activities.
 * SCU EMS,Santa Clara University Emergency Medical Services is a volunteer, student-run emergency service that responds to on-campus emergencies from 5pm until 8 am.
 * APB, the Activities Programming Board (est. 1994), is dedicated to providing the Santa Clara University community with quality university-wide programs. These programs enrich the student experience by fostering the development of a campus and off-campus community. APB serves to initiate student involvement and interaction by programming various activities. These activities provide opportunities to gain the experience of being a member of the Santa Clara community.

Sustainability
The Sustainability Council meets quarterly to guide efforts of the University's Office of Sustainability. The Council is currently drafting the University's Climate Action Plan for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The Sub-committees of the Council are broken into three committees of Stewardship, Education, and Outreach. The Committee of Environmental Stewardship seeks to reduce use of non-renewable resources, minimize pollution, and live more lightly on the land. All of the University's new projects and major renovations follow LEED standards. The Student Center, which was designed to be a LEED Gold Building, opened in 2010.

Santa Clara Island
In May 2007, an article published in the campus newspaper, The Santa Clara, reported that SCU IT specialist Michael Ballen was heading a project to digitize the SCU campus in the virtual world Second Life. Ballen purchased Santa Clara Island for $980 on a grant from the Technology Steering Committee. Digital models of de Saisset Museum, Mission Church, and the library were the first buildings to be featured on the island. Ballen stated that his "main emphasis [is] teaching and learning", and that "It's a way to get to the people who like to game and get them exposed to educational material."

Organization and administration
Santa Clara University is a private corporation owned and governed by a privately appointed Board of Trustees composed of 44 members.

The University's administration consists of a president, a provost, an executive assistant to the president, a University General Counsel, vice presidents for the University's various departments, as well as vice provosts, assistant vice presidents, associate vice presidents, Executive Directors, Directors, Deans, a Chief Investment Officer, a University Registrar, a University Librarian, and an Athletic Director. The current president is Michael Engh, S.J., who became president January 2009.

Santa Clara University is organized into six professional schools, the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, SCU Leavey School of Business, School of Engineering, Jesuit School of Theology, and the School of Law. The University's professional schools are all led by an academic dean.

College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Ancient Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Communication, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering Physics, English, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, History, Individual Studies, Latin and Greek, Latin Language and Literature, Liberal Studies, Mathematics, Modern Languages in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, Studio Art, Theatre and Dance, and Women's and Gender Studies.

Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business was founded in 1923 and accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business thirty years later. On the undergraduate level, students can major in the following, under a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree:
 * Accounting
 * Economics
 * Finance
 * Management
 * Marketing
 * Operations and Management Information Systems (A technology-business hybrid degree with courses encompassing programming, data warehousing, web design as well as data networking. At many other schools, this is known as Management Information Systems (MIS), Information Technology, or Information Studies.) Students can also obtain minors from the Leavey School of Business in:
 * Operations and Management Information Systems
 * Retail Studies
 * International Business

Graduate students can obtain the following degrees in the business school:
 * Master of Business Administration
 * Executive Master of Business Administration
 * Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS)

On July 1, 2009, Drew Starbird became the Acting Dean of the Leavey School, following the departure of Barry Posner, who had served as Dean for 12 years and returned to the Management faculty.

Education, Counseling Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries
The School of Education, Counseling Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries was created in fall 2001, bringing together graduate programs in Counseling Psychology, Education, and Pastoral Ministries. Approximately 800 graduate students are enrolled in the school, with 200 studying psychology, 400 studying education, and the remainder studying pastoral ministries.

School of Engineering
The School of Engineering was founded and began offering Bachelor's degrees in 1912. Over the next century, the school added Master's and doctoral programs designed to meet Silicon Valley's growing need for expert engineers. Today, the Valley provides opportunities for the school's students and faculty, particularly those in electrical engineering and information technology, to work closely with high-tech companies and government institutions. This ranges from individual internships to larger partnerships with projects such as O/OREOS.

Jesuit School of Theology
The Jesuit School of Theology is a Divinity School of Santa Clara University located in Berkeley, California, and one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union. The school was founded in 1934 and merged with Santa Clara University in 2009. Prior to its merger with Santa Clara University, it was known as the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.

School of Law
The School of Law was founded in 1911. The Jesuit affiliation of the university is manifested in a concern with ethics, social justice, and community service. The school offers the Juris Doctor degree. It also offers several joint degree programs, including JD/Master of Business Administration and JD/Master of Science in Information Systems offered in conjunction with Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. The school offers Master of Laws degrees in Intellectual Property, which is ranked 6th in the nation, Law Firms Rank Schools ranked 96th, Part-time Law ranked 48th, International and Comparative Law, and U.S. Law for Foreign Lawyers. Santa Clara Law features specialized curricular programs in High Tech and Intellectual Property law, International Law, and Public Interest and Social Justice law.

Student government
The Associated Student Government of Santa Clara University (ASGSCU) is Santa Clara University's student government, an elected representative body for undergraduate students. The Associated Student Government is made up of the Executive Board, the Senate, Community Development, and the Judicial Branch.

Accreditations

 * Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
 * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB – International Association for Management Education (Accredited in Business and Accounting)
 * Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (Accredited in Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering)
 * American Bar Association and the State Bar of California

Alumni

 * Jon Ramon Aboitiz, Chairman, Aboitiz Equity Ventures
 * Arthur Hull Hayes, Former FDA Commissioner, Doctor, First SCU Rhodes Scholar
 * Bill Duffy, Professional Sports Agent, Top Ten most influential
 * Brandi Chastain, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, and World Cup champion, current player FC Gold Pride Women's Soccer, U.S. National Team Member, Author and Broadcaster on ABC/ESPN.
 * Chris Malachowsky, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations, NVIDIA
 * Dan Pastorini, Former professional Football Player and Pro Bowler, Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders
 * David Drummond, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Google
 * Dee Dee Myers, Former Clinton Administration White House Press Secretary, author, and political commentator
 * Everett Alvarez Jr., Navy Commander, first American pilot held as a POW in North Vietnam. Over 8 years in captivity, making him the second longest-held POW in American history
 * Francisco Jimenez, Author (The Circuit, Breaking Through, and Reaching Out)
 * Frank Arellanes, Professional Baseball Player, Major League Baseball pitcher played for the (Boston Red Sox and commonly believed to be the first Mexican-American to play in the American League
 * Fred Franzia, CEO, Bronco Wine Company and Classic Wines of California
 * Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California, Former Mayor of San Francisco, California.
 * Irene Li, President and CEO of Acellent Technologies Inc.
 * Jack Kuehler, Former President and Vice Chairman, IBM
 * John Maffeo 2010 World Cup of Frisbee MVP
 * Jamby Madrigal, Filipino Senator and Philippine's 2010 Presidential candidate
 * Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security (Obama Administration) and former Governor of Arizona
 * Jeff Brazil, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist, Orlando Sentinel
 * Jerry Brown, Former and current (2011) Governor of California; former Mayor of Oakland, California
 * John A. Sobrato, American billionaire businessman, chairman, Sobrato Development Companies
 * John Fry, Co-Founder and President, Fry's Electronics
 * Jorma Kaukonen, Member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Guitarist for the Band Jefferson Airplane
 * Kelly Moore, New York Times best-selling author (Deadly Medicine, Amber House)
 * Kevin Gemmell, College football writer for ESPN
 * Khaled Hosseini, International best-selling author (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns)
 * Kurt Rambis, Professional basketball player, 4 time NBA title winner with the Los Angeles Lakers, Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves
 * Leon Panetta, 23rd United States Secretary of Defense, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Obama Administration, Former White House Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, Former Director, United States Office of Management and Budget, Former Member of U.S. Congress, 17th District
 * Mike Carey, National Football League (NFL) Official, First African-American Super Bowl Referee, Founder of Seirus Innovation
 * Michael Hackworth, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Cirrus Logic, Inc.
 * Nick Vanos, Professional basketball player, played for the Phoenix Suns
 * Paul Locatelli, S.J., Former President of Santa Clara University, Secretary of Higher Education for the Society of Jesus
 * Peter Oppenheimer, Chief Financial Officer, Apple Inc.
 * Randy Winn, Professional Baseball Player Rays, Mariners, Giants
 * Reza Aslan, Scholar and author (No god but God, The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam)
 * Richard Tallman, Judge, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
 * Rick Davis, Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, professional soccer player, former captain and member of the of the United States men's national soccer team
 * Ron Hansen, Author (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Mariette in Ecstasy)
 * Shemar Moore, Model, Actor starring in CBS's Criminal Minds
 * Steve Nash, Professional basketball player, NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers, Two-Time NBA Most Valuable Player, 8 Time NBA All-Star and Two-time NBA Skills Challenge Champion
 * Thomas E. Leavey, Co-Founder of Farmers Insurance, Co-Founder of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
 * Zoe Lofgren, Representative of U.S. Congress, 16th District

Athletics


Santa Clara participates in NCAA's Division 1 and is a member of the West Coast Conference. It also participates in West Water polo Association for both men's and women's waterpolo. Santa Clara has 19 varsity sports (10 female, 9 male) and 18 club sports. The school colors are Santa Clara red and white (the school's football team uniforms featured gold trim) and the team mascot is the "Bronco," in past illustrations depicted as a "bucking bronco."

Athletic programs
On February 2, 1993, Santa Clara president Paul Locatelli, S.J. announced the discontinuation of football at the university. For many years, Santa Clara participated in NCAA Division II in football, including reaching the NCAA Division II Championship semi-finals in 1980, because of an NCAA bylaw that allowed Division I schools to participate in lower divisions in football; however, the rule was changed in the mid-1990s, and the program forced to move into Division I-AA (now FCS). Other teams were Division I, including the men's and women's soccer teams, both of which are past NCAA Division I National Champions. The basketball teams have made regular appearances in NCAA Division I playoffs.

Santa Clara University fields athletic programs which compete at the highest university levels, including soccer and volleyball, consistently ranked among the top ten or twenty teams nationally. . The men's soccer team has reached the championship match of the College Cup three times. In 1989, they faced the University of Virginia and played to a 1–1 tie that was called due to darkness after 2 overtimes, earning both Santa Clara and Virginia a share of the National Championship. In 1991 they again faced Virginia and again tied after regulation, this time 0-0, but lost to the Cavaliers on penalty kicks. In 1999, they lost to Indiana University, 0–1.

The men's basketball team has participated in the NCAA tournament on several occasions in past decades; the 1992–1993 team (led by future NBA MVP Steve Nash) was one of 6 No. 15 seeds to defeat a No. 2 seed in the tourney. On February 12, 2007, the men's basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50-game home winning streak. At the time, it was the longest ongoing home winning streak in the NCAA.

Club sports programs
Sports include Boxing, Cycling, Equestrian, Paintball, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Men's Rugby, Women's Rugby, Men's Ultimate, Women's Ultimate, Men's Volleyball, Women's Volleyball, Men's Ice Hockey, Sailing, Shotokan Karate, Swim, Triathlon and Women's Field Hockey. In 2008, the Santa Clara Men's rugby club reached the Pacific Coast Playoffs, which were held that year in Orem, Utah. They ousted a powerful Western Washington club before falling to eventual division champion Utah Valley State. The Santa Clara University Touring Side (SCUTS) followed with a strong 2009 campaign. In 2010, the SCUTS qualified for the National tournament held in Sanford, Florida, with the 2nd seed from the Pacific, and finished ranked 16th in the nation. Following their success on the DII national stage and the creation of the College Premier Division, the SCUTS made the move to DI in the Northern California League. In 2012 Santa Clara Men's Rugby won the 2012 Nor Cal Conference Championship and advanced to the D1 Sweet 16 National Playoffs. In 2008, the Santa Clara Paintball Team made it to the final rounds of the NCPA competition in Florida.

Athletic facilities

 * Buck Shaw Stadium: Named after Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw, the school's football coach (1936–1942) and an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame. Shaw later coached at the University of California, Berkeley, and with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, whom he guided to the NFL Championship in 1960. The stadium, longtime home of Bronco football and baseball, is now entirely dedicated to SCU's soccer programs. The stadium was expanded to 10,300 seats after the 2007 season, and the soccer pitch and stadium facilities were modernized and improved. The stadium was temporarily home to the Major League Soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes, who began their return to the league in April 2008.
 * Leavey Center: Santa Clara University's Arena is home to the Men's and Women's Basketball Teams and Volleyball team. The Leavey Center is used as a concert venue and a hall for large lectures and speeches. The Leavey Center houses athletic department offices, a weight room, an academic center, team rooms, a video control room, lower and upper level seating, and a suite that overlooks the court. The university's pool is adjacent to the arena. The Leavy Center has a capacity of 4,500.
 * Marsalli Park: Located near the university campus, Marsalli had been used by the SCU softball team. Home games are now played at West Valley College.
 * Stephen Schott Stadium: Home to Santa Clara's Baseball team, the $8.6 million dollar Stephen Schott Stadium opened April 2005.
 * Degheri Tennis Center: Home to Santa Clara's Men's and Women's tennis team, the Santa Clara University tennis center opened in 1999 at a cost of $2.5 million. The facility includes nine championship lighted courts and seats for 750 spectators.
 * The Sullivan Aquatic Center: Home to Santa Clara's Men's and Women's water polo teams, it opened in late 2008.

ROTC
The Santa Clara US Army ROTC Battalion was established in 1861 due to the outbreak of the American Civil War. The unit was known as the Senior Company of Cadets. On September 10, 1863, Leland Stanford, then Governor of California, presented the Corps of Cadets with forty Springfield rifles, Model 1839. Today, the rifles are preserved in the University Museum. In return for his generosity, an armory was built in his honor in 1936. The armory was located southwest of the athletic field with the pistol range located below the stage of the auditorium.

Fr. Paul Locatelli, S.J., (former) President of Santa Clara, was a cadet at the university prior to his military service and his entrance into the Jesuit Order. Two Jesuits from Santa Clara, Fr. McKinnon and Fr. McQuaide, volunteered as chaplains in the Spanish-American War. Both were part Theodore Roosevelt's American Expeditionary Force that attacked San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898.

On February 2, 2010, the Santa Clara University ROTC “Bronco Battalion” won the MacArthur Award granted by the U.S. Army’s Cadet Command and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. In 2011 the Santa Clara ROTC once again won the MacArthur Award. The award, named after late General Douglas MacArthur, is granted to the year’s most excellent Reserve Officers' Training Corps program among 33 battalions in the West Coast 8th Brigade. The award takes into consideration factors such as the battalion's physical fitness, navigation skills, leadership, and success in commissioning officers after ROTC.

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 * Official athletics website
 * Official athletics website