Rev. Michael E. Engh, S.J.

A third-generation California native, Michael Engh, S.J., is a historian specializing in the American West. He is the author of Frontier Faiths: Church, Temple, and Synagogue in Los Angeles (1992) and has published extensively on the Catholic Church's role in settling California and the history of Los Angeles.

Santa Clara University's 28th president, Fr. Engh first visited the SCU campus in 1974 as a Jesuit novice. It was visiting historic sites such as the Santa Clara Mission that first drew him to the field of history. His grandfather Edmund F. Airey, Sr., was a great storyteller, and Engh grew up hearing his accounts of California history and sharing his love of the past.

He also knew early on that he wanted to teach, from entering his very first history class. He has a reputation for being a challenging professor and a tough grader that he acknowledges, explaining, "If you want the best for your students, you have to ask their best from them."

The oldest of six children, he was born in Los Angeles, where his mother's family first settled in the 1880s. His father, Donald, is a retired captain in the Los Angeles city fire department and his mother, Marie Therese (Airey) Engh, is a homemaker.

Fr. Engh graduated from what was then Loyola University of Los Angeles in 1972 and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1981. He completed his graduate studies in the history of the American West at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1987 and began teaching at Loyola Marymount University in 1988.

Fr. Engh was active in founding LMU’s Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles and the university’s Center for Ignatian Spirituality. He served as dean of the school's Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts from 2003 to 2008.

During his first year at Santa Clara, Fr. Engh's priorities are attracting diverse and academically gifted students, recruiting and retaining talented faculty, and fundraising. He is also looking forward to engaging with the diversity, energy, and entrepreneurial spirit that are the hallmarks of Silicon Valley.

Fr. Engh is an avid baseball fan with a special place in his heart for the Dodgers. In fact, if he had only two words to describe himself, he would choose "Dodgers fan!."

AJCU Board of Directors

Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.

David W. Burcham

Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D.

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

John J. DeGioia, Ph.D.

John J. Hurley, JD

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J.

Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J.

Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J.

Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J.

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.

Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.

Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D.

Rev. Lawrence Biondi, S.J.

Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.

Rev. Michael J. Graham, S.J.

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.

Rev. Richard P. Salmi, S.J.

Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, S.J.

Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.

Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J.

Rev. Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.

Rev. Thomas B. Curran

Rev. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.

Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.

Richard Allen Beyer

Thayne M. McCulloh, Ph.D.

Quote of the week

"Immersion experiences can open eyes, destroy prejudice, and change lives. I have watched countless students return from developing countries as changed persons, with renewed hearts eager to live as men or woman for others."

Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J., President of the University of San Francisco, commenting on the power of immersion experiences

Meet the AJCU President
On April 1, 2013, Rev. Michael J. Sheeran became president of the Association of Jesu...
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Federal Relations

AJCU Federal Relations Network is the lobbying arm of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and comprised of at least one representative from each one of the twenty-eight Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Network is kept up to date on an on-going basis by the Vice President for Federal Relations on all issues relating to Appropriations, budget, higher education authorization issues and taxes. The Network meets annually in September for a Legislative Conference and also participates in the Annual Committee for Education Funding Legislative Conference and Awards Dinner.
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AJCU Conferences

The 35+ Conferences sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) are affinity groups within the AJCU Network. The Conferences provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, information and best practices; support the professional development of their members; and present opportunities for AJCU representatives to discuss opportunities and challenges in Jesuit higher education. Most of the AJCU Conference groups meet in person at least once a year, and many of them communicate regularly through an AJCU listserv.
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International Outreach

The member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) are committed to developing programs and partnerships that advance international education and support initiatives that advance global citizenship.
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