Moving the Needle

Gifts from two Bronco families, amounting to $2.3 million, go toward growing diversity on campus.

The coronavirus pandemic and revitalized racial justice movement laid bare devastating inequities across the United States, and spurred two Santa Clara families to commit to growing diversity on campus. They hope their gifts, totaling $2.3 million, inspire others to chip in.

Philanthropist Jim Hulburd ’82 and his wife, Laura, established a $680,000, 10-year fund through the Undergraduate Admissions Office to create a needs-based scholarship for Black students. They plan to select two students to help each year, so that by the fourth year, the couple is assisting eight students throughout their tenures at SCU.

Through the J.W. Bagley Foundation, the Bagley family—which includes several SCU alums—has established a $1.64 million, need-based endowed scholarship benefitting first-generation BIPOC students, a move that doubled their contributions to the University.

Their efforts come as many institutions of higher education focus on making campuses more diverse and inclusive, and improving the experiences of BIPOC students by ensuring they are welcomed in a supportive, understanding community.

“We can’t solve a huge problem,” Hulburd said. “But if we can help improve the path of one child at a time, it really is quite rewarding. I’d love to see 20 years from now that the needle got moved.”

Back to Basics

Bridging classrooms and living rooms, the BBILY Project helps parents help kids with math.

The Accent Artist

Turn those hard American As into proper British “ahs” with the help of dialect coach Kristin Hill ’25

Moral Dilemmas on Wheels

Anthropologist Melissa Cefkin steers us through the ethical predicaments of self-driving cars.

Filling in the Gaps

Santa Clara University is funding a partnership to support Latinx students and reduce inequity.