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College of Arts and Sciences Initiatives

As an institution that values the well being of our community and lives the Jesuit tenet of cura personalis, the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University provides a broad range of opportunities for its students, faculty, and staff to explore and progress in their areas of interest.

In addition to its many academic departments and programs, the College of Arts and Sciences also supports a number of initiatives and projects that help advance our vision and strategic goals.

Advancing the Arts and Humanities

Center for the Arts and Humanities

Center for the Arts and Humanities

The Center for the Arts & Humanities at Santa Clara University fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in research, creative activity, and outreach by building and supporting partnerships, projects, and programming on campus and with the local community.

Drea Madugno

Digital Humanities

The Digital Humanities initiative at SCU connects faculty, staff, and students across departments and schools who use digital methods to conduct research centered on the human, and those who ask humanistic questions of digital tools and methods.

Rayo Furuta headshot

Music at Noon

This free, weekly series of concerts and performances brings the opportunity to experience live performances of music from all parts of the world by artists of local, national, and international renown.

Francisco Jimenez

SCU Presents

SCU•Presents Performing Arts Center is dedicated to the enhancement of arts education, the advancement of Arts for Social Justice programs, and the development of creative partnerships, diverse programming, and outreach opportunities that connect Santa Clara University arts to surrounding communities.

Brian Thorstenson headshot

Frank Sinatra Chair in the Performing Arts

The Sinatra Residency supports a current faculty member and their creative collaboration with a visiting artist to enhance the student experience through involvement in the creative process, raise the profile of the performing arts at SCU, and contribute to the interdisciplinary arts and humanities community on campus.

A mostly translucent image of an Italian cityscape with a statue in the foreground.

Vari Italian Studies Initiative

The Vari Italian Studies Initiative at Santa Clara University brings together scholars, teachers, students, and the general public who have an interest in studying and preserving all aspects of the life and culture of Italy.

Advancing the Sciences

Adia Benton and students

DeNardo Lectureship

The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship brings dynamic and eminent speakers in the health sciences to campus for a public lecture, a student lecture, and other interactive campus events that reflect Santa Clara’s institutional commitment to the pursuit of informed ethical discourse across the University.

Students using vr headsets in the imaginarium

Imaginarium

The WAVE+Imaginarium lab is a collaborative and interdisciplinary space dedicated to VR, AR, and mixed reality, data visualization, digital art, and game design where students and faculty can leverage immersive art, data visualization, and human interaction to create projects that emphasize social responsibility, collaboration, and engagement.

Several students studying at a large table; one writes on a whiteboard.

Summer Math Advance Program

The Summer Math Advance Program is a 3-week asynchronous course designed to help students prepare to succeed in fall quarter calculus or precalculus. Students work on problem solving activities, practice fundamental skills, and meet regularly with a mentor.

Advancing Internship and Research Support

A community partner shaking hands with a current student

Career Exploration and Experiential Learning

The Office of Internships in the College of Arts and Sciences provides opportunities for personal and professional exploration and discernment, encouraging students to create meaningful connections between their academic knowledge and professional aspirations.

EJCGI banner

Environmental Justice and the Common Good

EJCGI promotes environmental justice research through faculty development, funding, and networking to support research and teaching partnerships with community-based organizations that respond directly to community needs and priorities.

Michael Weatherford

REAL Program

The REAL Program provides paid experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Placements range from non-profit and community service organizations to research labs, governmental organizations, and beyond.

Advancing Community

Alex Qualitza and Chan Thai standing next to their poster

Associate Professor Support Initiative

Designed to support associate professors who have invested a significant amount of professional time and energy into important University leadership roles, this initiative will support faculty as they adjust their focus back to their own research and creative work.

CiAuna Heard, Sha Duncan Smith, and Giselle Laiduc

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the College

The College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University is committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and social justice for all of our students, faculty and staff.

SCU Osher Life Long Learning Institute logo

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The SCU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is committed to providing opportunities for a community of learners to engage in conversations with scholars; enrich intellectual, personal and social lives; and enjoy the university environment without the pressure of tests or grades.

Advancing Interdisciplinary Scholarship

Black Justice Studies Collaborative

Black Justice Studies Collaborative

The BJSC, led by Inaugural Director Dr. Harry Odamtten, serves as an intellectual and creative hub for faculty and students working at the intersection of Black Studies and Justice Studies. The BJSC is also supported by the SCU Law School and will bring speakers, provide research opportunities for students and host a mini-conference in its first two years.

Meg Gudeigersson headshot

Silicon Valley Studies Initiative

The Silicon Valley Studies Initiative seeks to bring a critical perspective to the history and development of Silicon Valley, both as an idea and a place. Under the direction of Dr. Meg Eppel Gudgeirsson, this interdisciplinary Initiative will bring Jesuit humanist and social justice values into a University-wide conversation about the nature and history of this region