Santa Clara University

Last Saturday, Emily took us to see Santa Clara University (SCU) near were she lives. For me, one campus often looks like another but both this one, and the one that follows in the next post - Stanford, were particularly attractive and had interesting histories.

To start with SCU is the oldest university in California - founded in the mid 19th century. Secondly, it is, like many US institutions, private. SCU, I gather, is a Roman Catholic institution run by the Jesuit order and certainly we encountered several nuns in full gear as we walked around the site. California is dotted with the remains of religious institutions set up by the Spanish when they ruled this part of the world, and SCU is draped around one such mission - in better shape than many others. Unsurprisingly, this one is dedicated to St Clare (Santa Clara).

SCU is only a small institution, perhaps the size of UNE and is renowned for its beautifully landscaped grounds. For example there are lovely rose gardens like the one shown here, manicured lawns and impressive buildings like those shown here.

It was, however, very quiet on the day we were there because it was a weekend and out-of-term.

AS