A few days after Santa Clara University’s 174th commencement, I found myself with enough time to take a meandering stroll through campus before my kids’ summer camp wrapped up for the day. President Julie Sullivan also happened to be crossing campus, and we stopped for a lovely exchange under the trees of the Alameda Mall. The timing was fortunate, as I had been reflecting on how to conclude my term as the Santa Clara University Alumni Association Board of Directors President. President Sullivan’s uncanny ability to make any Bronco—past or present—feel welcome on campus, was just the spark of inspiration needed.
Santa Clara has always been about making things personal. We each have our Santa Clara stories—an inspiring professor who launched a career journey, a staff member who mentored us during an on-campus job, a coach or leader who challenged us to grow, or a friendship formed here that still endures. These relationships are the heart of what makes the Bronco experience so powerful and lasting.
This spirit of connection is why the Alumni Association’s new strategic plan is titled Alumni Impact 2030: Community at the Heart. As the plan aptly states, “Community is at the heart of the SCU experience.” Similarly, the University’s strategic plan compels us to “sustain and nurture the ‘secret sauce’ that has long characterized our Bronco community—the incredibly strong ties and lifelong relationships formed among students and sustained among our alumni” to create Belonging for All Broncos.
The Alumni Association is committed to investing in the opportunities to connect and build community—across all journeys in our Bronco Lifecycle from incoming student to Gianera Society member, across the globe with regional, identity, and professional communities and through personal and relevant storytelling that reaches our alumni in print, on social media, or in their inbox.
But we each have a role to play too. Community doesn’t just happen. It takes personal initiative and a degree of courage to attend a Reunion or a regional event, to say hello to a stranger wearing a Bronco shirt (likely leading to the discovery of a mutual connection), or to respond to a message from a current student asking for career advice. With more than 116,000 alumni around the world, we each have the opportunity—and responsibility—to help make our Bronco community stronger, more welcoming, and more connected.
Serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors has been an absolute honor. This unique Board brings together alumni across seven decades of SCU history, eight states, every College and School, and represents the diverse demographics of our alumni family. Alongside this group of passionate volunteers, incoming Board of Directors President Stephen Archer ’09 will surely bring his thoughtful perspective and leadership to support the Alumni Association in keeping community at the heart of the SCU experience.
As always—it’s a great day to be a Bronco!
Jenna Saso Rosati ’13
National President
Santa Clara University Alumni Association
