With that thoughtful frame, Fr. Engh spoke of what he had discovered in the past year. Those discoveries ranged from the most recent pressures that the economy in the Bay Area puts on housing—to how the experiences of adjunct faculty and lecturers might be enriched as part of the Santa Clara community. The discoveries included the findings of a comprehensive Campus Climate Study to provide good data on the ways we can continue to build an inclusive and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff—and the discoveries included new initiatives Santa Clara has undertaken to provide the best support possible to students grappling with depression and anxiety, as many college students do across the country.
And then delight: at student awards (Fulbrights and a Rhodes scholar, and more!), and at the support SCU donors had provided during the leadership phase of the University’s capital campaign—thanks in no small part to the work of the team lead by Vice President for University Relations Jim Lyons. And, too, delight at academic achievements, growing enrollment at the School of Law and undergraduate admissions that draws ever more—and ever more diverse and talented—students. There’s he creation of a Global Theology Initiative by the Jesuit School of Theology and the founding of the Center for Latinx Education at SCU’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology. There’s the new online MBA at the Leavey School of Business, the global endeavors of students from the School of Engineering (Nicaragua, Tanzania, Uganda, and more), and the launch of the REAL program at the College of Arts and Sciences to fund research, internships, and summer projects for students. And delight with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics joining the Partnership on AI to Benefit People and Society, plus Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship launching a new program called Social Entrepreneurship at the Margins to support social enterprises serving or led by refugees, migrants, and survivors of human trafficking. And delight at the new digs for the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education—a beautifully renovated former bank building at Benton and Lafayette Streets. And, speaking of construction: yes, delight at the “STEM surge,” as we call it—renovating Heafey and Bergin halls and others and preparing the way for the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation.