Santa Clara University sets as its mission educating the whole person, so when it comes to the Alumni Association marking 125 years, we thought it only fitting to have a well-rounded celebration, too. Over the weekend of April 28, festivities included a Friday night barbecue before the St. Mary’s/Santa Clara baseball game (the Broncos dropped one to the Gaels, but they won the weekend series 2 to 1), followed by a wonderful anniversary dinner on Saturday honoring the 2006 Bannan and Ignatian Award recipients (see Mission Matters for more on the honorees) and premiering the new Alumni Association 125th Anniversary video.
To commemorate 40 years of women at SCU, we also hosted the SCU Pioneers’ Luncheon on Saturday. “We had challenges not just with the student body but with some of the teachers,” recalled Buff Mui, who was among the pioneering coed undergraduates in the fall of ’61. Knowing there would be resistance, “A lot of strong people came here,” she said, and she credits the Jesuit philosophy underpinning the University with giving her and many others “the confidence to go out and make a difference.”
Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit seminarian and director for J.P. Morgan, offered more food for thought with a talk on “What 21st-Century Leaders Can Learn from 16th-Century Jesuits.” In an age when ethics often seem to be in short supply, Lowney noted that it’s important to remember that our claim to leadership doesn’t spring from the position we command, it’s grounded in the values we embody.