VICE PRESIDENT FOR
MISSION AND MINISTRY
Executive Summary
Santa Clara University seeks a visionary, strategic, faith-filled and inspiring leader to serve as its next vice president for mission and ministry (VPMM). Reporting to the President and serving on the President’s Cabinet, this executive leader will inspire and promote the active engagement of the SCU community in living out the vision, mission, and values of the University as a Jesuit Catholic educational institution. Serving as a strategic advisor, thought partner, and resource to the President on matters of mission, and as the administrator to the Trustee Mission Committee, the vice president will provide leadership in articulating and integrating the Jesuit, Catholic mission and character of the University into the life and ethos of the institution.
Guided by the University strategic plan, SCU Impact 2030, the vice president will take a leading role in fulfilling the University’s ambitions, particularly related to SCU’s goals around global reach to advance economic, social ecological and political development; sustainability and environmental justice; and fostering a community of belonging for all, inclusive of different traditions, cultures and religions. The vice president will build on SCU’s global reputation as a leader in Catholic higher education.
Building on a strong campus commitment to the University’s Ignatian heritage, Catholic identity and Jesuit mission, the vice president will oversee the development and implementation of initiatives that engage and inspire the entire community - students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, alumni and friends of the University - to help make the mission their own and apply it concretely to their work and life. The vice president will ensure that the division’s programs and initiatives respect and appreciate the distinctive mission of SCU, especially with regard to faith, justice, interreligious understanding and hospitality as constitutive of our mission.
The VPMM will serve in a highly collaborative role and interface with a broad range of leaders and constituent groups to accomplish shared goals that allow Santa Clara University to live more authentically its Jesuit, Catholic mission. Key partners include the divisions of Inclusive Excellence and Student Life, Jesuit School of Theology (JST), President’s Cabinet, and the Jesuit communities at Santa Clara and JST. In addition, as the chief mission officer of the University, the vice president will represent the University, interface with external organizations and leaders and maintain active relationships with the local dioceses, the Western Province of the Society of Jesus, and the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities (AJCU).
The vice president will lead the Division of Mission and Ministry, which encompasses Campus Ministry, the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education (ICJE), and the Mission Church, and serve as the Executive Director of ICJE. As a recently-established division, the vice president will strengthen division cohesiveness, creatively empower staff in building a collaborative culture, and further hone organization structure. The vice president will lead the division in strategic planning to meet the evolving needs of the campus, church, and local community, while strengthening Santa Clara University’s position as a globally recognized Jesuit Catholic
university.
The full leadership profile is available here.
The search committee seeks a diverse pool of applicants and welcomes applications from a broad range of backgrounds, including lay people as well as members of religious congregations. Information about Santa Clara’s benefits can be found here.
To apply, visit the SCU Career Site here.
For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be submitted by April 25, 2024.
Confidential inquiries may be addressed to Zenobia Lane and/or Molly McDonald, Search Committee Co-Chair, at [email protected]
