Dear Friends and Supporters,
Ethical decision making is vital for fostering a thriving community, one where people feel valued, protected, and empowered to contribute. It helps create an environment where individuals can work together toward common goals. This through line is evident in each of the stories highlighted in this report.
As we reflect on the past year, we want to express our deep gratitude for your ongoing support of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and for those new to the Center, we look forward to getting to know you. With your help, we have made significant strides in advancing our vision to empower people and organizations to make better decisions for a more caring world, and in turn, building stronger communities.
Another recurring factor—artificial intelligence’s still unknown power, explosive growth, and need to encourage its responsible use—continues to drive so much of our work, including within some of the programs featured in this report … and it likely will for the foreseeable future.
As our SCU student-focused programs have continued to grow, impacting even greater numbers of students, we welcomed Johana Engstrom as our new program manager, fellowships and internships. Johana was a former business ethics intern herself with the Center during her time as a SCU student.
At the heart of our work is the belief that ethics is essential to building a just, inclusive, and compassionate society. Strong, ethical communities are built on shared values of integrity and respect for one another, and your support helps us advance these values at every level.
We look forward to continuing our work together to tackle the challenges ahead. Thank you for your generosity and partnership in this vital mission.
Don Heider
Executive Director
Building Ethics in Community
Highlights of the Ethics Center’s work from the 2023-24 academic year:
The Markkula Center helped students across the SCU campus apply ethical analysis to the critical issues of our time.
The Markkula Center hosted experts in artificial intelligence to participate in a roundtable discussion designed to inform and prepare Congressman Ro Khanna for potential AI regulation.
The Markkula Center extended its focus around the world this past year through work with universities across Europe and Mexico and with the United Nations.
After the severe rain storms of 2023, the small Central Valley community of Pajaro flooded leading to the evacuation of 1,500 residents, mostly migrant farm workers. This event highlighted ethical disparities in emergency response and legislation to address infrastructure needs.
The Ethics Center broadened its reach in 2023-24 and reached its constituents in new ways.
A summary of revenues and expenses from 2023-24.
The important work done by the Ethics Center is, in part, made possible by the generous financial support of its donors.
We are guided by an Advisory Board comprised of representatives of major Silicon Valley companies, law firms, and nonprofit organizations.
Program Areas
Ethics is crucial to every professional field, and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics develops programs, resources, and insights for many disciplines.
seeks to resolve moral dilemmas that arise in health care and biotechnology.
is the study of standards of behavior that promote human welfare and the common good within businesses.
welcomes Santa Clara University students, faculty, and staff into a conversation about applying ethics to the critical issues of our time.
applies moral thinking to the natural world and the relationship between humans and the earth.
encompasses the duties and obligations one assumes when he or she enters public service, as well as the personal pursuit of running for office.
explores topics including online privacy, cybersecurity, social media, data ethics, the digital divide, internet access, AI ethics, and corporate tech ethics development.
offers journalists a framework for ethical journalism and uses ethical principles to frame the design and delivery of news, social media, and search products.
looks at the issues faced by those in formal leadership roles, as well as personal leadership, which is central to the way they are able to have an impact as leaders.
program seeks to illuminate and comment on the influence of religious and Catholic thought on the ethical dimension of the key issues of our time.
works with both donors and nonprofit organizations themselves in the areas of finance and operations, leadership, fundraising, and engagement with the public.
addresses issues arising from transhumanism and human enhancement ethics, catastrophic risk and ethics, religion and technology ethics, and space ethics.
focuses solely on studying and promoting applied ethics in venture capital. The Institute is the first and only of its kind and is made possible through a grant from the Lucas Brothers Foundation.
A Santa Clara University Center of Distinction
| Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education | Markkula Center for Applied Ethics | Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship |
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| activates the Jesuit, Catholic character of Santa Clara University by encouraging students, faculty, staff, and community to embrace the Ignatian worldview in reflection, discernment, and action. | brings the traditions of ethical thinking to bear on real-world problems to make choices that respect and care for others. | combines the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the Jesuit heritage of serving the poor and protecting the planet to accelerate social enterprises around the world. |
