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School History
History Located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University offers a rigorous undergraduate curriculum in the arts and sciences, business, and engineering. It has nationally recognized graduate and professional schools in business, law, engineering, pastoral ministries, and counseling psychology and education. The 8,060-student, Catholic, Jesuit university has a 152-year tradition of educating the whole person for a life of service and leadership. This diverse community of scholars, characterized by small classes and a values-oriented curriculum, is dedicated to educating students for competence, conscience, and compassion. Santa Clara University, founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College, is California's oldest institution of higher learning. It was established on the site of the Mission Santa Clara de Asis, the eighth of the original 21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank until 1853. Following the Civil War, enrollment increased and by 1875 the size of the student body was 275. One-third of the students were enrolled in the collegiate division; the remainder attended the college's preparatory and high school departments. Santa Clara experienced slow and steady growth during its first 60 years, becoming The University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. In 1925, the high school was separated from the University. taking the name of Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1928. The Leavey School of Business opened in 1926 and within a decade it became one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. For 110 years, Santa Clara was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students would triple over the next decade. The size of the faculty also tripled and the University began the largest building program in school history, building eight residence halls, a student union, and the athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the University for generations to come. In 1985, the University adopted Santa Clara University as its official name. The 104-acre campus is located in Santa Clara, Calif., at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, approximately two miles from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. The University enjoys a moderate climate year-round; the sun shines an average of 293 days a year. At the center of the campus is the Mission Santa Clara de Asis, surrounded by the roses and palm trees of the historic Mission Gardens. A new Center of Performing Arts, expanded Alumni Science building, new Arts and Sciences Building, new apartment-style residence halls and the new Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center and renovated Leavey Center in the 1990s expanded the campus to 51 buildings. Students in the 14 undergraduate residence halls are organized into nine Residential Learning Communities. Related Sites: |
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