Inaugural Conversation with Julie Sullivan

Editor-in-Chief Samantha Stahl spoke with the incoming president about pressing issues facing students and the university

Inauguration celebrations are underway for Santa Clara’s 30th president. 

In an historic inauguration, Julie Sullivan will become the first woman and layperson to hold the job. The position comes with many challenges, as she inherits a campus that has seen difficult times in recent years. I sat down to talk with President Sullivan about her hopes for the future of the university under her leadership. In a wide-ranging conversation, she discussed her own college experience, union negotiations, combating student debt and Santa Clara’s unique sense of community.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Samantha Stahl: Are you excited for the inauguration?

President Sullivan: I am really excited. There's been so much leading up to it, and it's been such a busy time. After the inauguration, we have the Grand Reunion, and then I fly immediately on Sunday morning to a meeting of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ presidents in Chicago. Then I fly back Monday night, and I leave again Thursday morning to Seattle for an alumni event. So it’s a big week. [Laughs]

You’ve only been on the job for a few months, but what are your initial impressions of Santa Clara?

One of them is just the enthusiasm and the loyalty of what I'll call the Bronco family. I've been meeting a lot of alumni, and I just can't get over how connected they remain to the university for many, many years after they leave here. And how the relationships that they've formed here just perpetuate throughout their lifetimes. For example, Janet Napolitano [Santa Clara graduate and former governor of Arizona and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] is going to be participating in the inauguration.

Do you think that sense of connectedness is what draws students to SCU?

I do think that people come to Santa Clara who value community and who find community here. And our goal is to continue to be a more inclusive community where more and more people can have a real sense of belonging, because that seems to be the glue for our fabric. That's been the thing that I have not seen at any other university – not nearly to the same strength.

What are some of your priorities for the university?

Santa Clara has always had excellent academic programs. We've had rigorous education, but also relevant education. We have adapted our programs to provide the skills and knowledge for our students that are really being demanded by the workforce and society. And we need to continue to do that.

Another goal is continuing our emphasis on inclusive excellence and ensuring that talented students are able to come to Santa Clara regardless of their socioeconomic status. I think there are many low- and moderate-income students who, perhaps, don't come here for several reasons. One may be affordability, so how do I prioritize raising more need based scholarships? Or they may not recognize Santa Clara as an opportunity for them. So how do we create more pipelines for them? How do we get plugged into those programs so those students see us as an option and a place where they could thrive.

Finally, how do we have more immersive programs for our students, whether they're getting immersed in other cultures right here in California or globally? I would love it if every student had a meaningful immersion experience in a different culture. I just think that's such a growth opportunity. And I think it's so consistent with our Jesuit tradition and philosophy.

How would you like to see the university approach sustainability issues?

I want to continue our work around environmental and social justice. We've done quite a bit of work there with our Center for Sustainability. This past year we signed on to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform  [a collaboration between the Vatican, an international coalition of Catholic organizations, and “all men and women of good will”]. 

And one of the things that really troubles me today, particularly as a Jesuit Catholic institution, is the pursuit of truth and meaningful dialogue among people who hold different views and perspectives. We all come to the table with our own lived experiences. Somehow in our country, we've lost that richness and meaningfulness of our dialogue across differences, and we've become more of a polarized society. As an educational institution, we have a role to play to help our students have a different venue here, but also to be leaders of creating different venues outside of this institution as well. So I feel really strongly about that, and I think our students could be real leaders, and I think it very much is in sync with our Jesuit Catholic mission.

Divestment is a key part of sustainability for many students, both on-campus and nationwide. What role would it play in your administration?

I want to learn a lot more about that here because I'm just in my third month. I haven't even attended my first investment committee meeting yet. It's a topic I want to learn a lot more about here and see where our portfolio is today in terms of how close it might already be to divestment and what it would mean for our portfolio. So for me, it's a topic that is important and should be on the table. But I have a lot more to learn about it.

 Are there any specific things that you feel strongly about in terms of divestment?

The dialogue has become richer over the last couple years. Clearly, there is a philosophical component here with the things Pope Francis is asking us to do as a society, as a university, and there's a stewardship component here in terms of stewarding our resources for the benefit of our students. I just want to make sure I understand all the implications.

We have seen several challenging events on campus recently. There was discontent about retirement benefits being cut while the endowment grew, as well as an effort by the university to block a unionization push by adjunct faculty that was, ultimately, overwhelmingly approved. What can you do to try to alleviate some of these pressures and repair that relationship between faculty and administration?

One thing is to really have more transparency and open communication about issues such as that. The retirement benefits were cut at a time when there was a very precarious budget outlook due to COVID and retirement benefits were cut at many, many institutions around the country. And right now, we've not only restored ours here, but we've restored them at a higher level to make up for that cut. And so I think the conversation needs to be more fulsome and that we understand exactly when those decisions are made, why they're being made, and then when there are things that continue to address those decisions–like the restoration right now–all of that is understood. So for me, it's really back to having more transparent communication.

With unionization, I'm happy there was a vote. We will approach the negotiations collaboratively and professionally. There was a vote on a union when I was at the University of St. Thomas, and the union was voted down. I was able to work very closely with our adjunct faculty to really address their needs and their concerns over my time there. And it was very rewarding. I'm hopeful that the union being the third party at the table with us won't inhibit that.

How do you think the union is going to change the relationship between students, faculty and administrators on campus?

For me, the first priority when we go into negotiations is to serve the welfare of our students and our adjunct faculty.

Many students and their parents are concerned about student debt and rising tuition. How can you address that issue as president?

About one third of our undergraduate students graduate with debt, and the average amount of debt is $18,000. So compared to a lot of institutions, we are on the low end. I'm happy about that, but I'd rather there be no debt, obviously. 

There are two things that I have to really be focused on as a leader. One is continuing to ensure that we are using our resources as wisely as we can within the institution. And then I do want to prioritize more resources that are non-tuition based that can help our students financially. One is philanthropy for need-based scholarships. But the other one is being a part of the coalition of voices of university presidents across the country advocating for things like increased Pell Grants. The federal government has not made a big push to increase Pell Grants at the same rate of inflation and accounting for declining household incomes. I want to be a part of that.

You were a first-generation college student. How will that experience influence your work at SCU? 

For me, education is hope. I just want every person to have access to the education that they desire to help them be the best person they desire to be. And I think education is so important in helping us all – not only to have skills to have a job. It is far bigger than that. It’s having skills to understand one another, having skills to understand our world. My father used to tell me when I was growing up that your grades are the only thing that will follow you the rest of your life. [Laughs]

Looking back at your years as an undergrad, what are the most important lessons you learned in college that you could tell our students?

You know, some of the lessons I learned in college are about what not to do. [Laughs]

My college experience was not like yours. And that's fortunate for you. I went to a large public institution, University of Florida. I don't know how many thousands of students they had at the time I was there. I never lived on campus. My father owned a car dealership and he traded a used car for a mobile home. And he put it in Gainesville, Florida and told me that's where I was going to live while I went to college. And that when my brother followed me two years later, that's where he was going to  live. With me. [Laugh] I went to class, of course, and I was always very studious, and I did very well in my classes, but I didn't know other students. I didn't know the faculty. I was pre-med at first, and all of my chemistry and other courses were with 500 people in auditoriums. I just didn't have a support network to help me. I acquired a lot of knowledge, but I didn't have experiences at the university that helped me really become the person I am today. I was fortunate that I had those experiences with a strong family and other people around me, but, I would not say my university experience shaped me into the person I am today, other than I learned a lot.