Collection Guide
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Guide to the Santa Clara University Artifact Collection ARTI.2019.02.14
ARTI.2019.02.14
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Santa Clara University Artifact Collection
creator:
Santa Clara University (Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: ARTI.2019.02.14
Physical Description:
115.7 linear feet
, 78 boxes and 5 oversize items
Date (inclusive): 103 BCE-2016, & undated (bulk: 1945-2001)
Language of Material: English, Latin.
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa Clara University Library's Archives & Special Collections.
The collection is open for research. There are no restrictions.
The collection is arranged into the following ten series: Series I. Awards; Series II. Athletics Materials; Series III. Engineering
Materials; Series IV. General Materials related to SCU; Series V. Local History; Series VI. Miscellanous Materials; Series
VII. Mission Santa Clara; Series VIII. Religious Materials; Series IX. Apparel; and Series X. Building Markers and Materials.
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating
institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, 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. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and
Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty
tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence
halls, a student union, and an 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.
Bibliography: Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010) McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Santa Clara University Artifact Collection, ARTI.2019.02.14. Santa Clara University Library, Archives & Special Collections.
Collection processed in 2019 by Andrea Hoff with assistance from Daniela Baez and Mia Hope. Finding aid written and EAD encoded
by Andrea Hoff with assistance from Daniela Baez and Mia Hope.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Santa Clara University Artifact Collection consists of 573 items spanning a broad range of formats. Each of the series
in the collection attests to an important aspect of the university's history and identity. Aspects of university life documented
in the collection include its participation in intercollegiate athletics, its commitment to academic excellence, the Catholic
identity of the university, and the presence of Mission Santa Clara on campus.
The types of materials found in the collection include artifacts, ephemera, textiles, memorabilia, art works and archeological
materials. Particular coverage is given to items commemorating important events in university history such as the reroute
of the Alameda in 1986 and the 150th anniversary of the university in 2001.
Refer to individual series notes for detailed descriptions of the contents.
Materials in Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests for permission to publish from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives & Special
Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Santa Clara University (Calif.)
Santa Clara University -- History
Santa Clara (Calif.) -- History, Local
San Jose (Calif.) -- History, Local
Student activities
Students -- Social life and customs
Missions -- California
Engineering
Catholic higher education
College sports -- California
Jesuits -- History
Santa Clara College (Calif.)
Santa Clara University -- School of Engineering