University Excellence

• Overview
• Distictiveness
• The Educational Edge
• Service Learning
• Location
• Alumni

Overview

Founded in 1891 as a Jesuit Catholic men’s college, Seattle University has grown in size and stature to become the largest independent university in the Pacific Northwest, with a student population of more than 7,200. Seattle University’s 50-acre campus houses eight schools: Arts and Sciences, Science and Engineering, Nursing, Education, Theology and Ministry, Law, Business and Economics, and Matteo Ricci College. 

One of 28 Jesuit Catholic universities in the United States, Seattle University draws upon the Jesuit educational philosophy to develop critical thinkers and compassionate leaders who are committed to promoting a more just and humane world.

Seattle University is recognized by prestigious national publications.

• U.S. News & World Report consistently rates SU in the Top 10 among universities in the West that offer a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs (in the 2008 edition, SU is ranked sixth).

• Seattle University is listed in The Princeton Review’s influential college guide, “Best 366 Colleges” (2008).

• The Albers School of Business and Economics’ undergraduate program is ranked 54th best in the nation, 7th among private schools in the West and 2nd among private schools in the Northwest by Business Week. Albers’ undergraduate program is also ranked among the top 150 of all accredited business schools in the nation, and among the top 50 of U.S. independent business schools by U.S. News (2008). Albers’ MBA program is included in The Princeton Review’s Best 237 Business Schools.

• The School of Law is number 85 in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the nation’s top 100 schools (up from number 93 in 2006). U.S. News consistently ranks the law school’s Legal Writing Program as among the top in the nation, and the law school as among the most diverse. The school is included in The Princeton Review’s Best 117 Law Schools. In Princeton Review, the law school is rated number one for “Most Welcoming of Older Students,” and number eight in the category “Most Diverse Faculty.” In addition, the Washington State Bar presented the 2006 Excellence in Diversity Award to the law school for its efforts to create a more diverse legal field.

• The College of Science and Engineering is ranked among the top 50 in the nation as one of U.S. News’ “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” (2008 edition). The college is ranked second in the nation in terms of the percentage of women faculty members, according to Prism, a publication of the American Society for Engineering Education.

• Seattle University’s students generally report at least the same or a higher level of engagement with their institution than do students at peer institutions, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). NSSE benchmarks universities on the basis of five categories: Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, Enriching Educational Experience and Supportive Campus Environment. The university is in the top 50 percent in all benchmark categories.

• The College of Education’s Master’s in Teaching program was ranked number one for graduate placement in 2005-06, as 85 percent of the program’s 2005 graduates secured teaching positions (according to a report issued by the State of Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction).

• SU’s Army ROTC program is ranked number nine in the nation, based on cadet performance at the 2006 Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC).

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Distinctiveness

• Diverse. Seattle University is one of the most diverse universities in the West: 30 percent of the university’s students come from diverse ethnic/racial groups and five percent are international students. Nearly three-quarters of all first year students who participated in the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement said SU “substantially encourages contacts among diverse peers,” compared with 52 percent of all first year students surveyed nationally. Nearly 70 percent of the SU seniors who participated in NSSE said they “had serious conversations with students of another race or ethnicity,” compared with 52 percent of all senior students who responded to NSSE.

• Innovative. Seattle University was among the first Jesuit schools in the nation to admit women to full-time degree programs (1933). The university established the nation’s first degree program in alcohol and addiction studies; the first graduate program in software engineering; and the first undergraduate environmental engineering program. Matteo Ricci College is one of the country’s first programs to integrate high school and college curricula.
  
  A scholarship for foster youths was created at SU in 2006. Lucio and Marta Dalla Gasperina, parents of SU students, were inspired to establish the Fostering Scholars program because only two percent of the region’s foster youths obtain a bachelor’s degree. The seven scholarships provide full-tuition, work-study job opportunities, health insurance, mentoring support and year-round, on-campus room and board (which is particularly essential for foster youths when they turn 18 and find themselves in need of housing).
  
  In 2006-07, the Albers School of Business and Economics launched the Leadership Executive MBA (L-EMBA) program for professionals seeking a master’s degree with a balanced emphasis on leadership formation and the core skills needed for responsible business management in a global business community.
  
  The 2006-07 academic year also marked the debut of Seattle University’s master’s in criminal justice, the only program of its kind in the Seattle area, one of only two in the state and one of just a few in the Northwest.
  
  In the fall of 2005, the College of Nursing opened the Clinical Nursing
  Performance Laboratory in James Tower (formerly the site of Providence
  Hospital). Made possible through the generosity of the Jim and Jan Sinegal Initiative for Nursing Education, the state-of-the-art facility is notable for its simulation technologies, which provide hands-on learning experiences that replicate the real-life challenges that students will face. SU is fast becoming recognized as a leader in the delivery of simulated learning experiences. In September 2006, the College of Nursing hosted a conference on simulators that drew nearly 100 attendees, including nurses, nursing educators, clinical nurses, paramedics, researchers and administrators from the Pacific Northwest, Oregon, California, Montana, New Jersey, Florida and Canada.
  
  SU’s academic salons are a yearlong, out of the classroom experience for faculty and students to consider and discuss the weightiest matters of the day. Some schools have a common text or a series of speakers but no other university or college has a program quite like this. Pioneered by Communications Professor Mara Adelman and currently co-directed by Associate Professor in History Theresa Earenfight and Director of Student Activities Tim Wilson, the 2006-07 salons, “Engaging World Voices and Cultures,” challenge students and faculty to reflect upon what it means to live in the world and what their responsibilities are as global citizens. A series of 30 events is planned, including literature, poetry, art, film, music, theater, dance, food and ideas. The theme will continue over the next two years, during which time the SU campus will consider global issues in relationship to the environment and legal systems.
  
  Seattle University’s academic life will be enhanced by the creation of an integrated Library and Learning Commons. The existing Lemieux Library will be renovated and a new dynamic learning environment will be built that includes 170 computer workstations, a bistro, a grand reading room and a tele-classroom for distance learning with scholars around the world. The project, estimated at $35.5 million, received a $10 million boost from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006, the largest gift in SU’s history.

• Connected to the community. Nearly 60 percent of the SU freshmen who responded to the National Survey of Student Engagement said they participated in community service or volunteer work. Much of that work benefits the immediate neighborhood and community of which SU is a part.
  
  For example, the College of Education works to serve inner city schools and students; the School of Law operates the Access to Justice Institute, created by Dean Kellye Testy, for the city’s poor and immigrants. The Albers School of Business and Economics helps students, alumni and others create and manage successful, ethical and socially responsible business ventures. Students from the College of Nursing provide healthcare to those in need in the community. And the university’s Campus Ministry offers a variety of outreach programs that serve the homeless and victims of violence.
  SU strives to be a good neighbor. In September 2006, the university received the “Partner Award” from the Seattle Neighborhood Group, a non-profit organization that partners with residents, businesses, government agencies and other service providers to advocate for safe neighborhoods.

• Socially responsible. In 2007, Seattle University signed onto the Designated Suppliers Program, an effort to ensure that apparel purchased by universities is produced under humane working conditions. As one of the first few dozen universities to sign the agreement, SU is helping to formulate the new program as a member of its Working Group.

• Green. Seattle University students, faculty and staff demonstrate an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship. The university is widely recognized as a successful, working model of a “green campus,” as evidenced by, among other measures, its recycling and waste reduction practices, its commitment to ecological gardening and its efforts to prevent storm water pollution.
  
  The environmentally savvy ways of Seattle University were outlined the report, “Decade of Environmental Excellence,” issued by the Environmental Services office (Facilities Operations). The publication examines the university’s environmental measures from 1993-2003, and includes notable findings in the gains of waste reduction and recycling. For instance, the reuse and recycle rate campus-wide is 62 percent.
  
  In 2006, Seattle University deepened its commitment to sustainable energy by signing onto Seattle City Light’s “Green Up” program as a platinum-level customer. Under the agreement, Seattle University pays a higher rate for its electricity. The premium allows Seattle City Light to maximize its purchase of new renewable sources of energy, including wind and solar power. Seattle University was the first institution of higher learning to achieve platinum status. The university has also signed the Seattle Climate Partnership, a voluntary pact among Seattle-area employers to take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement is part of the City of Seattle’s effort to meet or beat the global warming pollution reduction target of the Kyoto Protocol. At a ceremony to announce both initiatives, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said, “Seattle University isn’t just a little green; it’s a lot green.”
  
  In 2006, Seattle University also was among the first inductees into the Washington Toxics Coalition’s Hall of Fame, an honor that recognizes the university’s ongoing commitment to maintain a completely pesticide-free campus.
  
  Also in 2006, the Washington Organic Recycling Council recognized Seattle University for its commitment to organics recycling, reducing waste and environmental responsibility. A representative of the council said this in a communication to Seattle University: “We congratulate you on your energy, commitment and imagination in setting an example for the community. Your approach to environmental stewardship benefits everyone in our state.”
  
  In 2007, Seattle University: signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, thereby pledging to take steps to curb global warming and ultimately become climate neutral; received an award for its conservation practices from Seattle Public Utilities; and was honored with a 2007 Diamond Award for going “above and beyond” in reducing its employees’ use of single occupied vehicles and vehicle miles traveled.

• International. Seattle University enrolls students 76 different nations.
  
  Seattle University’s students are connected to the world through academic study abroad and service programs in Mexico, Belize, Calcutta, Nicaragua, Africa and Europe. Included among SU’s honorary degree recipients are some of the world’s most distinguished humanitarian leaders: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Corazon Aquino and the Dalai Lama.
  
  Exchange student Farlis Calle Guerrero, who grew up in northwest Colombia, was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend Seattle University during the 2004-05/05-06 academic year. Guerrero is a six-time nominee for the Nobel Prize. Born and raised near Bethlehem, SU student Khaled Jaraysa has created a foundation and that supports young children of all religions who have been traumatized by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jaraysa is studying social work.
  
  Proving that you don’t have to go abroad to go international, the Albers School of Business and Economics’ Global Business EDGE program connects graduate students with Northwest companies extensively engaged in international business. Students are assigned complex problems and, after doing research in small teams, present a report to the client.
  
  The School of Law established the first international human rights clinic in the Pacific Northwest and one of just a few such programs on the West Coast. Students work with experienced attorneys at premier international human rights law firms—including the Center for Justice and Accountability in San Francisco and the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York—on cases and projects involving violations in South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
  
  A comprehensive international curriculum gives SU law students a chance to study international law from both political and business vantage points, and law students have plentiful opportunities to study and serve internships in such places as Germany, Africa, Brazil and Mexico.

• Worth the trip. Seattle University’s campus is a destination not only for students, faculty and staff who want to stay awhile, but also for more short-term visitors. One of the most e-mailed stories in the August 4, 2006 issue of the New York Times recommended SU’s Chapel of St. Ignatius as one of 11 destinations visitors should include during their time in the Emerald City. The article also noted SU’s “lovingly tended” gardens consisting of “mature Japanese maples, hydrangeas and a superb weeping giant sequoia.” 
  
  The March 25, 2007 San Francisco Chronicle had this to say about the chapel: “One of Seattle’s great and least publicized architectural treasures is architect Steven Holl’s decade-old Chapel of St. Ignatius, on the campus of Seattle University. As an artist-designed place of worship, it ranks in significance with the Matisse Chapel in the South of France and the Rothko Chapel in Houston.”
  
  Other campus highlights include a newly refurbished Championship Field that includes the same turf on which international soccer stars David Beckham and Freddy Adu played an exhibition game and a 20-foot tower of glass named Accendo (Italian for “enkindle” or “illuminate”), which was created for Seattle University by the Chihuly Studio. Accendo is the only permanent, public Chihuly glass tower in the city of Seattle.

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The Educational Edge

Seattle University’s distinctive approach to education engages the hearts and minds of its students so that they, in turn, can impact society as agents for positive change. The university’s educational mission is premised on a close connection between teacher and student, student and community.

• An attentive faculty. When asked by The Princeton Review about the academic support SU offers, one student responded that the university is “dedicated to growth, not only educational but also spiritual, as well as the overall well-being of the person.” Another said SU is “very challenging,” but “with services like the Writing Center, Math Lab and professors who check their e-mail even more regularly than the students themselves, it’s not hard to find the resources you need to produce quality work.” Also cited as SU’s strengths are “small class sizes and personal attention to one’s education and career development,” as well as “high-quality professors who get to know individual students and focus entirely on each student’s learning.”
  
  While SU faculty invest a great deal of time and energy in their students, they demand a great deal in return. Of the SU senior students participating in the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement, 70 percent said they “worked harder than…expected to meet an instructor’s expectations,” compared with 57 percent of all senior students nationwide who took NSSE; and 70 percent of SU’s seniors said they spent more than 10 hours a week preparing for class, compared with 55 percent of their peers.
  
  The individualized and rigorous education SU faculty provide is manifest in the number of students receiving national recognition and prestigious scholarships. In recent years SU students have received a Rhodes scholarship, several Fulbrights, a Mellon Fellowship, and a Goldwater Science Scholarship. In four of the last five years, SU students have received Truman Scholarships, including 2007, which marked the first time in the university’s history that two SU students received the scholarship (only seven other universities had more than one Truman Scholar in 2007). Also in 2007, an SU alumna was one of just 31 students out of 800 applicants nationwide who received a Soros Fellowship, which is given to New Americans or the children of New Americans. Two of the twenty students chosen for Humanity in Action summer fellowships in 2006 were Seattle University students. An SU student was one of 273 military cadets in the nation to receive the George C. Marshall Award.
  
  When it comes to improving their teaching methods and effectiveness, SU professors do not rest on their laurels and the institution, as a whole, is committed to the continual advancement of pedagogical effectiveness. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning provides assistance and resources, such as training workshops and consultation, to Seattle University faculty. The center offers tools that help facilitate the instruction of undergraduate and graduate students, and exemplify the university’s commitment to educating the whole person. For instance, in the fall of 2006, the center provided a workshop on best practices for helping students deal with catastrophes such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks or Hurricane Katrina. The workshop was based on research conducted and published by the center’s director, Therese Huston.

• Alumni mentor students. The Albers School of Business and Economics offers a highly-acclaimed mentoring program for graduate-level and senior undergraduates. In working with senior executives from leading Puget Sound businesses, students develop business contacts, access industry information and gain valuable insights from experienced and successful professionals.

• Educating the whole person. The Seattle University educational experience is meant to enlighten the mind and stir the heart. Students are engaged as whole people and the university is committed to enriching their in and out of classroom experiences. For instance, the Jeanne Marie and Rhoady Lee, Jr. Center for the Arts was opened in 2006 with a 150-seat flexible space theater designed for drama, dance and ensemble music.
  
  In Nov. 2006, the Lee Center for the Arts received an “Award of Merit” from the American Institute of Architects. The award was given to “celebrate design excellence and to consider the role of architecture in changing lives and enriching human experience.” A jury consisting of architects from Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia reviewed and visited some 150 projects designed by Washington State architects within the last five years. The Lee Center was one of nine projects to receive the honor. The jury wrote:
  
  “This terrific adaptive reuse offers passers-by and audiences a sense of simultaneous histories—the origins of the space redirected to the opening of new cultural experiences.  It contributes to a new sense of its urban neighborhood.  We commend the remarkably effective collaboration of resources to create a special experience for visitors and neighbors alike, meeting the challenges of a constrained budget with special and stylish grace.”
  
  The Lee Center for the Arts is also one of 17 U.S. projects chosen to be exhibited at the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) 2007, as part of the U.S. entry. The PQ, held every four years in Prague, is one of the world’s most prestigious competitive theater art exhibitions.  

• Seattle University, a proven resource for professionals. Area educators turn to the College of Education for professional development opportunities, including credit options for teacher certification and courses at reduced rates for Archdiocesan educators. Launched in 2006, the college’s Program for New Principals provides a seasoned mentor to new principals and other school administrators. The only program of its kind in the Northwest and one of just two nationally, the program addresses what educational experts have long observed as a glaring deficit in the school system—mentoring support for school leaders in the earliest phase of their careers. With a grant from Washington Mutual, the program is offered at no charge to graduates of SU’s principal preparation program, and it is open to other new principals and administrators.
  
  The School of Theology and Ministry’s Pastoral Leadership Program, is an opportunity for proven and promising Protestant clergy, Catholic priests and lay pastoral leaders to learn practical leadership skills, draw strength from one other, renew their passion for ministry and form lasting bonds across denominational lines. The ecumenical program enriches the quality of ministry throughout the region and is designed to fit the schedule of busy leaders so they don’t have to spend too much time away from their flocks. “I am more reflective about myself, my work and my calling,” says Rev. Thomas Carlson, a participant in the program from St. Peter’s United Methodist in Bellevue. “I am more aware of the dynamics in my parish and proactive in being able to deal with them as a leader.”

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Service Learning

At Seattle University, service and learning are never far apart and, in many instances, they are inseparable. The 2006 College Student Survey (CSS) reports that 76 percent of all undergraduates have taken a course with a service-learning component and 70 percent have performed volunteer work in the past year.

SU’s Center for Service and Community Engagement (CSCE) helps to coordinate many of the university’s service-learning opportunities and tracks all such courses. The center reports that in 2006-07 84 SU faculty engaged 2,766 students in 161 service-learning courses.

Service-learning at SU benefits everyone involved.

• Community partners turn to Seattle University students for their skills and desire to help. When residents of the Rainier Valley expressed concern over the impacts of the light rail project on family-owned businesses along the Martin Luther King Way corridor, Seattle University business students were called upon to conduct a study.
  
  When a low-income person needs help filing their taxes, Seattle University accounting students prepare their returns for free as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, a joint venture with the Internal Revenue Service.
  When non-English speaking King County residents find themselves in the legal system and needing help with the language, more than 50 SU law students are there provide to legal translation services in 22 different languages.

• Service learning strengthens educational outcomes. The College of Nursing, requires students to work with vulnerable and diverse populations so they graduate with cultural competence as well as technical skills.
  
  The College of Education prepares students for the stressful field of special education through internships at Firwood and Oak Grove Schools, which are home to some of the state’s most severely challenged, and challenging, students, and its Children’s Literacy Project recruits, trains and places volunteer tutors in Seattle schools. Some SU students have mastered Chinese while interacting with residents of a home for elders in the International District. Other students learn to invent while serving a good cause—in 2006, a team of engineering students created a device that helps blind people operate machinery with Braille-based technology. The Albers School of Business and Economics’ Entrepreneurship Center works closely with the law school to engage students in projects that “serve the underserved.”

• Through service, students develop values and sensibilities to last a lifetime.
  
  Students graduate with not just a degree but also a strong desire to make the world a better place. As Katherine Klauser noted of her decision to spend six months volunteering in Calcutta following graduation, “I’ve begun to see myself as more than just an American citizen, but also a global citizen.” Katherine was one of 25 2004 graduates delaying job hunting or graduate school in order to immerse themselves in volunteer work for organizations like Teach for America, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and the Peace Corps.
  
  SU is in the third year of its affiliation with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), an international organization that partners with disadvantaged communities worldwide to improve their quality of life through environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects. In summer 2006, SU’s EWB chapter completed a dormitory for elementary school children in Mae Nam Khun, Thailand. The project began in March 2005 when SU students, their faculty advisor Jeff Dragovich and Seattle-area professional partners constructed approximately 2,000 square feet of living space. Lumber shortages caused by the 2004 tsunami temporarily halted construction, but in 2006, following extensive fund raising efforts, five SU seniors (including a nursing student), Thompson and other professionals returned to complete the last 1,000 square feet of the dormitory, which now houses 58 children.

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Location

There’s almost too much to do in the city and region. A full complement of entertainment options, cultural activities and sporting events are just a short distance away. Going to school in a world-class city also provides countless opportunities to broaden the classroom education with internships and any number of other experiences, and Seattle’s diverse population provides SU students with a window on the world. Located within a hotbed of commercial activity, SU offers students limitless opportunities to tap into the wisdom of state and local leaders. Some, such as former Governor John Spellman, Seattle Chief of Police Gil Kerlikowki, or former Seafirst CEO Richard Cooley, become guest professors. Others (such as Steve Ballmer, Jim Sinegal, Mark Pigott and Bill Ayer) connect with students through programs such as the Albers Executive Speakers series.

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Alumni

Seattle University’s more than 50,000 alumni cover all 50 states and represent nearly 100 foreign nations. Roughly 20,000 of the university’s alumni have degrees from graduate programs including business, law and education, among others. And more than half of all SU alumni (29,000) have graduated since 1987.

Among SU’s distinguished alumni are:

Gary Brinson	Founder, G.P. Brinson Investments (ret.)	Albers
Carolyn S. Kelly	President, Seattle Times	Albers
Dino J. Rossi	Washington State senator and gubernatorial candidate	Albers
Frank Murkowski	Governor of Alaska, former U.S. senator	Albers
Carol Nelson	President, Cascade Bank	Albers
Kirk R. Nelson	CEO of Qwest Washington	Albers
Leo J. Hindery, Jr.	Former CEO of TCI and Yankee Entertainment and Sports	Albers
Mohamed Ali Alabbar	Dir. General, Economic Development, United Arab Emirates	Albers
Paul F. Folino	President and CEO of Emulex Corp	Albers
Stan McNaughton	President and CEO, Pemco Insurance	Albers
Tom Gorman	Former Davis Cup tennis captain	Albers
William Foley	Chair and CEO, Fidelity National Financial	Albers
Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli	Commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq	Arts & Sciences
Richard A. Jones	King County Superior Court Judge	Arts & Sciences
John Meisenbach	Founder and CEO of MCM	Arts & Sciences
Gen. Patrick Brady	Congressional Medal of Honor winner	Arts & Sciences
Jerry Grundhofer	CEO, US Bank Corporation	Arts & Sciences
Marie Gunn	President of US Bank Washington	Arts & Sciences
John D. Spellman	Former Governor of Washington State	Arts & Sciences
Dr. Cynthia Eskandari Azari	President of Butler College	Education
Dr. Linda Hanson	President of the College of Santa Fe	Education
Charles H. Mitchell	President, Seattle Community College District	Education
Elgin Baylor	GM of the LA Clippers	Education
Ralph R. Beistline	U.S. District Court Judge, Alaska	Law
Bernadatte Foley	United Nations international trainer and inspector in Kosovo	Law
Judith Hightower	Judge, Municipal Court of Seattle	Law
Charles W. Johnson	Justice, Washington State Supreme Court	Law
Sandy D. McDade	Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Weyerhaeuser	Law
Sheley Secrest	President of the Seattle chapter of the NAACP	Law
Lt. Comdr. Charles Swift	Challenged military commissions before U.S. Supreme Court	Law
Catherine Walker	Vice President and General Counsel, REI	Law
Jim Whittaker	First American to scale Mt. Everest	Science & Engineering
Dr. John Hopcroft	Professor of Computer Science, Cornell University	Science & Engineering
Dr. Chung-Jen K. Tan.	IBM Research Dir., developed “Deep Blue” chess computer	Science & Engineering
Steve Hooper	CEO of Ignition Partners	Science & Engineering
Dr. Peter J. Zografos	Director, Evangelization & Worship, Archdiocese of Anchorage	Theology and Ministry
Robert G. Stevens	COO, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, LLP (Honolulu)	Theology and Ministry
Helen Oesterle	Director of religious education, St. James Cathedral, Seattle	Theology and Ministry
Timothy Brunk	Faculty, theology and religious studies, Villanova University	Theology and Ministry
Rev. Jo Beecher	Founder, La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurreccion, Mount Vernon	Theology and Ministry

 

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