Social Justice

At Santa Clara, our learning goals for social justice and sustainability require that students learn about societal structures that contribute to injustice while also developing commitments to action in light of the world’s greatest needs. This can involve SCU students expanding their awareness and applying socially and environmentally sound practices and values into their everyday life. Here in Silicon Valley and beyond, this often translates into employing technological or entrepreneurial innovations in service of humanity and making decisions to create safe, healthy, equitable, and thriving communities.

67%

of seniors report that their SCU experience contributed very much or quite a bit to their commitment to actively work to further social justice; another 28% report that it had some impact (NSSE, 2018).

95%

of all seniors strongly agree or agree that they have a personal responsibility to make a difference in sustainability (HERI College Senior Survey, 2019).

Campus-Wide Experiences

During 2018-19, students completed:
- 3,258 hours in 11 projects through the Thriving Neighbors Initiative
- 15,920 hours with 45 Community Partner Organizations through the Arrupe Engagement Program
The Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education offers leadership opportunities for students to engage directly with their peers on social justice issues through fellowships or immersions.
The Santa Clara Community Action Program (SCCAP) has 20 different student volunteer and activism community-based programs.

Across the Curriculum

100% of all SCU students complete a course that includes experiential learning for social justice.
Approximately 1,179 courses included a relevant focus on sustainability during the 2017-18 academic year (SCU Center for Sustainability).
99 faculty have conducted sustainability research; many of those projects involve students as collaborators (SCU Center for Sustainability).

63%

of student work was evaluated as proficient or highly proficient in recognizing, analyzing, and understanding the social reality and injustices in contemporary society; another 27% approached proficiency (ELSJ Core Assessment).

81%

of seniors report that their SCU experience contributed very much or quite a bit to their ability to look critically at society and its institution; another 17% report that it had some impact (NSSE, 2018).