A Case for Student Scholarships

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A case for student scholarships

Opening doors and changing lives


Santa Clara’s legacy of student support “Santa Clara University holds a proud legacy of giving back. Throughout our 160-year history, we have provided students from all walks of life the opportunity to receive a Santa Clara education thanks in large part to the financial assistance from friends of the University. The spirit of giving that helps students with need is one that honors our Jesuit, Catholic tradition of affirming the God-given potential in every person, giving special care to the needy among us, and recognizing that all people

An invitation to care Santa Clara University, located in the heart of innovation-driven Silicon Valley, draws on a 450-year Jesuit tradition—while looking to the future. Within

have a place at the table in our society. We

that tradition, a commitment to scholarship support shapes our identity as

are committed to creating an environment

an institution. And it enhances the lives of everyone at Santa Clara.

where young men and women from a

Scholarship funding provides opportunities to students who otherwise would

variety of backgrounds form our distinct community and go on to make a positive impact locally and globally. Scholarship

be unable to afford Santa Clara today. It helps make our Jesuit educational experience available to deserving students. It benefits individuals as well as the collective campus environment, because broadening the diversity of our student body—from socioeconomic status to cultural background—brings more perspectives and ideas to the table. After all, this is a place where people

support makes it possible for Santa Clara

come together to contribute to the world.

to preserve the legacy of giving back and

Santa Clara University distinguishes itself by educating the whole person—

furthers our vision of educating leaders

the ideal of Jesuit colleges from the time of Ignatius of Loyola. Our learning environment integrates rigor, creativity, reflection, and a commitment to

and citizens who will help build a

fashioning a more humane and just world. Already, our educational offerings

more humane, just, and

attract students who are bright, creative, collaborative, and looking for a

sustainable world.” Michael Engh, S.J. Santa Clara’s 28th president

life-changing experience. We must ensure that the students Santa Clara chooses are able to choose Santa Clara.


Mission

A call to action As varied as Santa Clara students are, they share our

Thanks to the generosity of previous generations,

Jesuit ideals and values. We look for students who are

80 percent of undergraduates receive scholarship

true to themselves—and to others. Who can become

assistance in the form of need-based awards and/or

citizens serving their community. Contributors to the

merit-based awards. To meet this need, the University

world. Promoters of social justice. Individual thinkers

distributed more than $53 million in the 2011–2012

and selfless doers. Attracting talented and committed

academic year in undergraduate financial aid. Despite

students who will form the next generation of ethical

these efforts, the average financial aid recipient

leaders is essential to our mission and vision.

demonstrated almost $13,000 in unmet financial need. One of the University’s major priorities is to

We believe in educating these students regardless of their

make a Santa Clara education affordable, but as more

financial circumstances. Financial assistance has been a

households file for financial assistance, we’re losing

central component since Santa Clara’s founding in 1851.

qualified students simply because families cannot close

The reality is that without funding students in need, we

the gap. And that is everyone’s loss.

might lose the very students who typically thrive here and add the most to our community, and to the world. Santa Clara University scholarships and grants

An infusion of scholarship funding would make more

Vision

grants available, assist more students, finance a higher

Santa Clara University will educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.

percentage of need, reduce loan borrowing, and

compose the vast majority of the awards to our

decrease student debt at graduation. That would make

students, and the trend of declining federal and state

Santa Clara the clear choice for all families who are

aid only increases dependence on gift and endowment

looking for an intellectually rigorous, spiritually balanced,

funded scholarships.

The University pursues its vision by creating an academic community that educates the whole person within the Jesuit, Catholic tradition, making student learning our central focus, continuously improving our curriculum and co-­curriculum, strengthening our scholar­ ship and creative work, and serving the communities of which we are a part in Silicon Valley and around the world.

and culturally engaging educational experience.

Fast Facts about Scholarships In the 2011–2012 academic year:

80 percent of undergraduate students received some form of financial aid.

• Santa Clara provided • Over

$4 for every $1 our students received in Pell Grants.

$53 million in scholarships and grants was awarded to

our students (academic and program merit scholarships; student incentive grants; and need‑based scholarships, including supplemental need-based grants). Funds come from endowment, annual giving, and the operating budget. Yet after all sources of aid are counted:

$29.5 million in unmet financial need, an average of $12,593 per student.

• SCU undergraduates still demonstrated

• The average student loan debt at graduation was

$27,121

(latest data for class of 2011). Conclusion:

• The University’s friends and benefactors play a crucial role in supporting

our deserving undergraduates.


Sharing the promise

of

hope

“I didn’t realize just how far the Santa Clara community stretches. Thanks to generous alumni, I was able to help build homes for impoverished families in Mexico and work with a grassroots organization in Peru. Helping students expand their understanding of social justice issues through a communitybased learning experience, I’ve seen people who are hopeful despite hardships. I’m so grateful for these opportunities that changed my life. As a graduate now, I’m working in SCU’s development office to help other students create their best experience possible.” Katherine Nicholson ’10 Environmental Business

Why give? For the Easley family, giving back is the right thing to do. “Our dad, Roger, always had a special place in his heart for Santa Clara University,” says Christopher Easley MBA ’94. “My father enrolled in the same class with Paul Locatelli and had the utmost respect for him. Decades later, our family still believes in the school and its graduates. “Santa Clara is one university that has stayed the course. Ethics are the cornerstone of SCU’s foundation, and they’ve built a stellar education and reputation on it. Instilling values in students and showing them how to use them in everyday business is important and alive here,” says Chris. “SCU is more than a university to our family. Their way of educating the whole person stuck with our father, and he raised all seven of us accordingly. We must share that with future generations. “There are a lot of inspired minds out there, and not all of them have the financial means to attend Santa Clara. Supporting the school and creating scholarships allows deserving students to be a part of this experience,” says Chris. “Alumni and others familiar with the school know just what SCU can do. Part of living a good life is giving back when there’s an opportunity like this.”

Christopher Easley MBA ’94


Finding my voice “As a first-generation college student, I am grateful for scholarship support, because Santa Clara wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. I have made true friends, among both peers and faculty, and have been challenged academically and spiritually. I have flourished into a person of conscience. My sophomore year, I co-wrote and produced a play, Mi American Dream, about Latino immigrants. It took almost a year, so the joy and pride I felt at the premier was beyond words. Funding scholarships keeps students

how an endowed scholarship works Gifts to the endowment generate scholarships in perpetuity—providing an evergreen source of funds to gifted students who require financial aid. • At the minimum endowment level of $100,000, an estimated $4,500 scholarship means a student relies less on loans—a major deterrent to the pursuit of post-graduate degrees. • Funds can be added to the scholarship over time to reach the fully endowed level of $1,250,000. • At the current 4.5-percent spend rate, the dollars available for annual award(s) would be as follows: Endowment Gift

Annual Scholarship

$100,000 $4,500 $150,000 $6,750 $300,000 $13,500 $650,000 $29,250 $1,250,000

$56,250

involved and active on campus. It is much more than a gift—it’s a belief in higher education, in Jesuit ideals, and in a tight-knit community of students and teachers who want to make the world a better place for everyone.” José Dorador ’12 Philosophy & Economics


Building the future “I chose SCU because I loved the University’s Engineering department. As a senior, I was voted co-president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at SCU and attended the annual National Institute of Leadership Advancement conference in Denver. I also traveled to Totogalpa, Nicaragua

Santa Clara University’s scholarships, awards, and grants Need-based scholarships grant students access to an education they might not otherwise get. Our graduates won’t have the option of leading lives of service if they’re

for my senior design project: designing

burdened with student loans and working second jobs. Worrying about heavy debt

a sanitation and wastewater recovery

hinders the transition into the meaningful careers our graduates are known for.

system. The scholarships I received

Merit-based scholarships attract talented students of all kinds, help raise our

really meant a great deal to me and my family. When it came to paying for

student profile, enhance the peer learning environment, and round out the balance of interests, backgrounds, and dimensions that contribute to a global and rigorous campus environment.

own two pockets—so every dollar was

Need-based

Merit-based

Award amounts vary

Must meet satisfactory academic progress

appreciated tremendously as it brought

Coordinated with federal, state, and other University aid

my education, I could only turn to my

Presidential Scholarship

Provost Scholarship

Dean’s Scholarship

Jesuit Ignatian Award

SCU Incentive Grant

SCU Need-Based Grant

Santa Clara Fund Scholarship

Alumni Family Scholars Program

me closer to my dream of becoming the first engineer in my family.” Elizabeth Mercado ’12 Civil Engineering


make your gift?

Ready to Continue the Legacy We believe in the Jesuit principle of educating the whole person and cultivating knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. That’s just one reason Santa Clara graduates stand out. Those who hire them know that ethics, integrity, and honesty guide their leadership and decisions. Because faculty in every discipline ask their students to think about whether a feasible solution is also the

Stop by Revisit campus and speak to our development team in person. Development Office Loyola Hall, 2nd Floor 425 El Camino Real

Call us

at the type of civic and intellectual leadership that

We’re ready to discuss which giving options work best for you.

makes our world a better place. Whether in the ranks of

408-554-4400

right thing to do, Santa Clara graduates are practiced

globally relevant Silicon Valley corporations or behind closed doors at small businesses, on the national

Go online

leadership that accounts for consequences is essential.

Learn how you can continue a legacy of learning and compassion.

Regardless of where in the world graduates take their

scu.edu/give

dreams of effecting change, there is no better place

Mail it in

political stage, or in local school council meetings,

from which to begin than Santa Clara. Santa Clara University is one of the reasons Silicon Valley’s legendary inventiveness has been infused with a sense of purpose and consequence. This powerful high-tech economy rose alongside our long-established university—and this proximity serves to illuminate Santa Clara’s best qualities and most exciting opportunities.

To mail a pledge payment or donation, please send your check made payable to Santa Clara University to: Santa Clara University Development Office Loyola Hall, 2nd Floor 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95053-1400

Tax ID Your gift is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Santa Clara University’s Tax ID is 94-1156617. If you have questions, please contact the Development Office at 408-554-4400.


A case for student scholarships

Visit scu.edu/give Learn how you can help fund student scholarships and support the next generation of ethical leaders.

For more information, please contact: Santa Clara University Development Office Loyola Hall, 2nd Floor 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95053 408-554-4400 giving@scu.edu

Santa Clara University 500 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95053 -1400 www.scu.edu

FSC FPO

The Jesuit University in Silicon Valley

SCU OMC-8222 12/2011 5,000


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