Local & National Partnerships & Initiatives | Community Engagement
The Inclusive Excellence Division has actively engaged in various local and national partnerships and initiatives aimed at fostering community engagement and promoting equity and inclusion.
In December of 2022 Santa Clara University (SCU) joined the American Talent Initiative (ATI), a collective whose members aim to enroll 50,000 additional talented low- and moderate-income students at colleges and universities with strong graduation rates by 2025.
In March of 2024 Santa Clara University was selected as one of the universities to participate in Cohort 5 of Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI). The Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) collaborates with higher education administrators to ensure a positive campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity and values, free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization.
For the past two and a half years, SCU has joined a group of public and private higher education institutions in our region to meet, understand and act collectively on the role of higher education to address the racial wealth gap. We’re doing so under the banner of the Equity Forward initiative.
The meetings have led to the development of a new collaborative: the Equity Forward Anchor Network (EFAN). The collaborative includes two community college districts, seven community colleges, one private college, and the three major universities in south bay. We have come together to learn about and put into practice a greater number of institution-level policies and practices that center equitable economic development in Silicon Valley (specifically San Mateo and Santa Clara counties). We are committed to doing this work in partnership with communities living and working where our colleges and universities are located – particularly residents of color that often experience barriers to accessing these institutions and the opportunities they make possible.
SCU has earned “Emerging HSI” status by increasing our Hispanic/Latiné-student enrollment to 19% from 15% a decade ago. As a result SCU has launched an HSI advisory group that will help us keep our focus on the multi-year journey to attain full HSI designation, as our undergraduate Hispanic/Latiné-student enrollment continues to increase to 25% we are working to continue to enhance and build on our efforts to foster a SCU community where they thrive and flourish.
This new sustainability strategic action plan through 2030 Sustainable SCU: Leading Through Laudato Si’ challenges our campus community to more deeply integrate our commitment to caring for the common good and our common home into every aspect of life at SCU.
There are five key areas in this plan – academics, campus engagement, community engagement, energy, and resource use. It is our hope that by integrating efforts that focus on both justice and sustainability, our earth – and its people – will begin to heal and build a resilient future.
The SVLG Inclusion & Belonging Center of Expertise (COE) focuses on partnerships and policies around issues of equity, representation, and expanded opportunities in tech with an eye towards enhancing the region’s business competitiveness.
Read more about Silicon Valley Leadership Group Inclusion & Belonging Center of Expertise
SCU will join a group of campus teams that will engage in dynamic workshops, collaborate with experienced TRHT Campus Center mentors and workshop facilitators, and participate in the reflective Rx Racial Healing® Circles. Hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) , these activities will help SCU develop and refine a transformative campus action plan that will drive sustainable change within our institution, campus and local communities.
Santa Clara University (SCU) has partnered with The Posse Foundation, a nationwide college access and youth leadership development program, to offer full-tuition scholarships to select students with diverse backgrounds in/from the Los Angeles area.
“The partnership with The Posse Foundation is an important part of our mission-based commitment to facilitating greater social mobility in our world,” said President Julie Sullivan. “The Posse program's unique approach to identifying, nurturing, and supporting talented students aligns seamlessly with our Jesuit values of inclusivity and educating ‘the whole person.’”