Dear SCU Faculty and Staff,

Last Thursday, the Board of Trustees announced that Fr. Kevin O’Brien would be taking a leave of absence from his role as President of Santa Clara University. This news has been understandably unsettling, and it comes at a very difficult time when we are all physically separated and dealing with heightened uncertainties about the status of our return to work plans and our ability to maintain a balanced home and work life during this prolonged period of remote work. I acknowledge that we each will need the time and space to process the news of Fr. O’Brien’s leave in our own personal ways. I have myself given much thought to how this news will impact our campus. I write today to share some thoughts and immediate actions that will be taken in order to ensure that our day-to-day operations and projects proceed smoothly in the near term. 

First, it is important to note that these changes are temporary and will remain in effect until the USA West Province, Society of Jesus resolves the matter under investigation. I have agreed to serve as Acting President in order to provide appropriate continuity, accountability and oversight for the Office of the President and the leadership of the University. In order to devote my full attention to this role, I have appointed Kate Morris and Ed Ryan to serve as Acting Co-Provosts. Kate currently serves as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and Ed as Vice Provost for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. Both will continue to fulfill their duties in their respective areas while sharing responsibility for the Provost's role while I am Acting President. 

Together with a dedicated team of Provost Office staff, Kate and Ed will manage the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Provost, and as Acting Co-Provosts they will take the lead on all Provost responsibilities and projects. I am grateful for their support, as well as the support of the Deans, Center Directors and other leaders, in particular Chief Operating Officer John Ottoboni and Chief of Staff Molly McDonald, who have all graciously agreed to temporarily assume additional responsibilities in order to effectively carry out the duties of the Office of the President and Office of the Provost during Fr. O’Brien’s leave. Our goal is to continue to shepherd and support the good work happening across our SCU community.

In this challenging time, I am grateful for your dedication to SCU and ask each of you to work together collaboratively to keep SCU strong and full of momentum as we welcome new and returning students. There is much planning that remains to be done as we anticipate a phased reopening of our campuses. We will continue to provide timely updates as our work progresses. I encourage you to regularly engage with your division leaders or managers to provide feedback on how we can best support you and our collective efforts to carry out our mission. 

We can and will get through this together. Thank you for all you do for Santa Clara.

With gratitude,

 

Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President