Michael S. Malone was born in 1954. He grew up in Sunnyvale, CA and attended Santa Clara university for his Bachelor's (1975) and Master's degrees(MBA, 1977). He worked for the San Jose Mercury News for several years before becoming a freelance journalist. He has contributed to a variety of news publications over the course of his career, and his work has been nominated for two Pulitzer prizes. He has also authored a number of books about business and the tech industry. Malone produced a TV series called the New Heroes in 2005 and hosted an interview show on San Jose's PBS station. He also hosts a podcast and works with Scouting America.

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.