The Institute for Theological Studies and Hispanic Pastoral Ministers (Hispanic Institute) is a program of the Jesuit School of Theology (JST) of Santa Clara University. The Institute is held on the campus of JST in Berkeley, CA. The Hispanic Institute is a program in theology and ministry for Spanish-speaking ministers in Hispanic / Latino communities of the Church. The Institute also provides deacons, religious and lay ministers with continuing education. The course content includes Sacred Scripture, liturgy, sacraments, Church history, moral theology, inculturation, and ministerial and pastoral issues. Classes are taught in Spanish. At the end of each summer participants receive a certificate of completion and five continuing education credits (CEUs). Additionally, after completing three consecutive summers at the Institute participants are conferred the Certificate in Theological and Pastoral Studies.

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.