Santa Clara University

From Wikinfo

Image:Sculogo2.jpg � Santa Clara University
Motto: The Jesuit university in Silicon Valley
Founded	1851
School type	Private
President	Paul Locatelli, SJ
Location	Santa Clara, California
Enrollment	4,551 undergrad, 3,496 grad
Campus surroundings	Urban
Campus size	104 acres (0.4 km�)
Sports teams	Broncos
Mascot	Bucky the Bronco

Santa Clara University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic university in the United States. Located in Santa Clara, California, it was founded by the Society of Jesus. Today, Santa Clara University is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

History

The university was founded in 1851 by John Nobili, S.J. on the site of Mission Santa Clara de Asis, the eighth of 21 missions established by Junipero Serra in the 1700s. The oldest institution of higher learning in California, the school was originally named Santa Clara College. The college became a university in 1912 with the addition of the School of Engineering and School of Law. The Leavey School of Business was added in 1925 and became one of the first business schools in the United States to receive national accreditation.

Initially an all-male school, women were admitted in 1961. This step made Santa Clara University the first Catholic university in California to admit both men and women. The school colors are red and white and the team mascot is the bronco.

Campus

Image:SCU Palm Drive2.JPG

A View of Santa Clara from Palm Drive

The Santa Clara University campus sits on 104 acres (0.4 km�) in Santa Clara, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Among its many mission style academic and residential buildings are the historic mission gardens, rose garden, and palm trees.

In 1989, the reroute of The Alameda - a major thoroughfare that bisected the university - and the closure of several interior roads unified the Santa Clara University campus. In place of these streets emerged sparsely landscaped pedestrian malls and plazas. The current five year campus plan calls for a better integration of these areas with the gardens of the campus core. Already, the Saint Clare Garden, designed in the medieval style, works to this end.

Recent and current expansion projects include a new baseball field (Steven Schott Stadium), an expanded apartment style dormitory complex (Casa Italiana), a renovated basketball arena (Leavey Center), a new Jesuit residence, and a new student commons. Planned capital projects include a new Library for the 21st Century, a new building for the Leavey School of Business, and an expansion of Buck Shaw Stadium to include more grandstands and a full size practice field.

Campus myths

The tallest building on Santa Clara's campus (and for several miles around) is Swig Hall, a dormitory with 11 stories. It was built when Santa Clara was still known as the University of Santa Clara, and some students claim that Swig was actually intended for the other USC (University of Southern California), as the same company was designing a dorm for both schools. Supposedly the plans were mixed up somehow, resulting in Swig dominating the Santa Clara skyline while a quiet little adobe building sits in a corner of USC's campus. Most say this is pure myth.

On a side note, USC bought the rights to the acronym USC from Santa Clara. The newly-renamed SCU received a monetary settlement and a gift of palm trees, which are on prominent display around the campus and give their name to Santa Clara's official automobile entrance, Palm Drive.

Image:Scubensonswig.jpg

SCU's Benson Center, with Swig Residence Hall in the background.

One of the undergraduate laboratories in the Physics Department in the early 1980's involved obtaining the average weight of an air molecule. In order to do this, a device known as a differential barometer was employed. Swig Hall, being the tallest building on campus, was used as the test site. In this experiment, the student would ride the elevator in Swig Hall to the top floor, obtain the pressure there, then ride the elevator to the main floor and obtain the pressure there. This activity invariably attracted an audience. One day, a physics student was asked what she was doing. Her response was "We know there is a pot dealer on this floor and we're closing in and plan to bust the whole dorm." It is said that within minutes toilets were flushing madly throughout the building.

Another bit of ephemera concerning Swig Hall involved the playing of the song "Catholic Girls" by the Mothers of Invention over the dorm Public Address system during finals week. Sadly, this custom has apparently been discontinued.

Degrees offered

Image:Mission Gardens2.JPG

SCU's Mission Gardens from Above

The university offers three types of Bachelor's degrees:

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Commerce

The university offers six types of graduate degrees:

Law (J.D., L.L.M)
Business (MBA, MSIS)
Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
Counseling Psychology (M.A.)
Education (M.A.)
Pastoral Ministries (M.A.)

Key statistics

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O'Connor Hall

undergraduate enrollment is approximately 4,600
427 full time faculty
University Operating Budget (2003-2004): ~$224 million
undergraduate tuition and fees (2003-2004): $27,135
room and board fees (2003-2004): $9,693
university endowment: $500+ million
size of campus: 104 acres (0.4 km�)

Athletics

University athletic memberships

NCAA Division 1
West Coast Conference

Facilities

Leavey Center: Santa Clara's 6,000 seat arena provides space for basketball and volleyball teams. The Leavey Center is also used as a concert venue and a hall for large lectures and speeches. Adjacent to the arena, and also a part of the center, is the university's pool.
Buck Shaw Stadium: A 6,800 seat stadium and the longtime home of Bronco football and baseball, "the Shaw" is now entirely dedicated to SCU's nationally ranked soccer programs.
Steven Schott Stadium: Built in 2005 for $8.6 million, Schott stadium is home to SCU baseball.
Degheri Tennis Center: The tennis center opened in 1999 at a cost of $2.5 million and includes nine courts and seats for 750 spectators.
Bellomy Field: Bellomy is used for intramural sports and for casual student use.
Marsalli Park: Located nearby the university campus, Marsalli provides a softball diamond used by the SCU softball team.

Noted Programs

Santa Clara University has excellent programs in soccer and volleyball that are consistantly ranked among the top ten or twenty teams nationally. One year after winning the national title in 2002, the women's soccer program was mentioned several times in Bend It Like Beckham, a hit British film.